Beatles reunite

paulisdead.jpg


I read an article a day or two ago. Women and men have different responses to humor. Women devote more brain power to determining whether a joke is actually funny before they decide whether or not to laugh, while men tend more to just laugh at whatever they recognize as a joke, since if it’s a joke, then it must be funny. And they have different expectations; women expect to be disappointed by a joke, whereas men expect it to be funny. So if the joke turns out to be truly funny, women are happier about it, whereas men are like, of course it’s funny, it’s a joke.

So what I’m wondering is, did you just laugh at this photo, assuming it was funny? Or did you first evaluate its humor content? Did you expect it to be unfunny, but were pleasantly surprised? Or did your low expectations cushion you from being disappointed by a yahoo news photo that wasn’t all that inherently funny? Or is it funny? And does this extended text save an originally lame post, or not?

12 responses to “Beatles reunite

  1. I was trying to figure out if that’s New York in the background. Probably not; the crosswalk paint is too fresh.

    Sumo wrestlers are just never funny.

  2. I was mildly interested in the photo, kind of half-smirked at the post title (after evaluating whether it was funny) and think the extended text makes it interesting. I heard about the study on an NPR quiz show called Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, in the context of Paula Poundstone telling people why she liked the Three Stooges.

  3. I behaved like a man.

  4. I laughed. Then I thought of ‘Flabby Road’ and laughed some more so maybe I’m just too average in my male sense of humor.

  5. mig

    Good one, dude.

  6. While I can appreciate it as funny, my first reaction was horror and shock as I reached my mouse to close/minimize/anything the browser before a coworker could see it and instantly my mind was also thinking whythehelldoyougoto metamorphosism.comatwork.shouldn’tyoube doing something to make profits betterorsomethinglikethat?

  7. I thought “Not another bloody joke on the Abbey Road picture” and I went into it expecting not to laugh.

  8. j-a

    er, i thought it was strange, not necessarily funny.

  9. tim

    Haha. Fat people.

  10. Yikes- tough crowd tonight, mig. Know any dance numbers?

  11. mig

    watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.

  12. kay

    i laughed, although those outfits always make me laugh.

    also, i looked for the paul-is-dead clues.