Abstract:

In 2012, Comedy Central undertook a major international study called ‘Comedy Across Borders’. This aimed to identify and explore how laughter shapes the lives of audiences and how this knowledge can be used for broadcasters and advertisers to connect more deeply with the viewers of their content through laughter. ‘Comedy Across Borders’ explored different types of comedy and the drivers and dynamics of humour across countries. It identified that comedy is the number one uniting interest for young people all over the world, no matter what cultural or social background they have, that comedy is the social fuel that connects and unites, and that laughter, as the end product of comedy, is important in everybody’s lives. ‘Power of Laughter’ builds on this initial understanding of the effects of comedy and in 2013, two studies were commissioned to delve deeper into the hidden role of laughter and its influence on our lives.