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New research shows differences in what men and women find funnyContact: Megan Ferington or Frank Cirillo, 216.252.4938 Cleveland, Ohio (June 2007) – Dozens of self-help books have been written in recent years exploring how communication styles, perceptions and ways of thinking differ between men and women. And now, these differences extend to how the sexes “use” humor to communicate, and what they find to be funny. According to the findings of new in-depth research commissioned by American Greetings to get to the root of what’s funny today, men and women differ greatly in how they use humor to communicate and connect with others. The project involved various kinds of formal and informal research, the findings of which were then used to inspire and create a new collection of funny cards that are now available nationwide. In general, the research revealed that men like to laugh “at” others while women are more comfortable laughing “with” others. More specifically, the majority of modern women prefer to laugh at material that is more relatable, especially when it’s based on everyday situations. Women: “For women, it’s all about real-life shared experiences and relationships. Women like humor that’s based in reality because they believe that the real-life situations they encounter are truly funnier than anything you could make up,” explained Rochelle Lulow, Senior Program Director for Funny Cards at American Greetings. “The funny situations that happen to most women on a daily basis at work, at home and in their relationships with spouses, kids or friends provide great material for funny cards, and this research proves it. “Women also tend to be more inclusive with their choice of humor so as not to offend anyone unnecessarily. We’ve noticed this same trend in greeting cards. Women typically select cards they can use to share a joke with a friend or relative instead of ones that poke fun at the recipient,” she added. “These insights about what’s funny to women have provided a new direction for our funny cards that includes a mix of female bonding and funny, real-life experiences.” Lulow offered an example of a card that illustrates this concept. It commiserates with a friend about the challenges all working moms face and shows a weary mom waking to find not one, not two, but three kids and the family dog huddled around her in bed. The card reads, “How can a working mom get 8 hours of sleep? Divide it into two nights.” The inside greeting says, “Start now, and have a very happy birthday.” Another card from the new funny collection from American Greetings puts the research to work by taking a humorous approach to a real-life predicament. It depicts what “The First Wardrobe Crisis” may have been like, as Eve says to Adam, “We can’t go out tonight… I’ve got nothing to wear!” Men: Men, on the other hand, are more competitive than women with their humor, noted Pat Sandy, Program Director for Funny Card Planning at American Greetings. “Men want to have fun, but just as we play to win when it comes to sports, we actually want to be funnier than the next guy as well with the jokes we tell and the cards we give,” said Sandy. The research also found that men tend to like more “slapstick” humor, and that they don’t mind taking a few jokes at their own expense, when the moment is right. “Men take humor and jokes far less personally than women,” Sandy added. “That explains why most men love physical comedy and simple slapstick gags, for example, while most women don’t find that type of humor funny at all.” Interestingly, the rules can shift when women send cards to men. For instance, a woman might send a funny card with a slightly “mean” joke to a brother or male friend because she knows that’s the type of humor he likes, and that he won’t be offended by it. “As you can imagine, creating cards for all situations, including women to give to other women, men to give to other men, and when cards are exchanged between the sexes, is a challenging task, but thanks to this deep dive we took into what’s funny, we have a much clearer picture of what works and what everyone is looking for,” said Lulow. The new collection of funny cards from American Greetings can be found at participating drug chains, grocery stores and super centers nationwide as well as in American Greetings and Carlton Cards retail stores. Visit www.americangreetings.com/retailers for store locations. About American Greetings Corporation |
