Ursula Beermann, from the University of California Berkeley, and Willibald Ruch, from the University of Zurich, studied 70 psychology students and gauged their ability to laugh at themselves.
However, this study was not all fun and games. Research has linked optimism and laughter to improved health. Understanding humor can be very important in one’s health and could shed light on conditions such as autism where the social skills required in recognizing jokes and the nuances used in certain jokes are lacking.