Review Hit: Humour Boosts Trust in Science

Recent research shows that using humour on science social media posts boosts credibility and trust

I know you’ve done a lot on communication skills — what do you recommend when using humour?

Yes, I have done a lot on communications skills over my professional life, and research on communication still fascinates me. The question with humour does come up quite often and my general advice is, use humour if you are comfortable but be careful of cultural differences.

This research published at the end of April was interesting because it looked at scientists and how they communicate.

Can scientists be humorous?

The cheek! Of course, they can. Remember, by some descriptions I am also a scientist. I also know a lot of humorous scientists — they are after all very normal people not some sort of cold ultra-rational geeks that may be portrayed in popular literature.

And what did using humour do to their communication?

Alexandra Frank et al. of the University of Georgia in the USA conducted experiments on social media by posting on various topics and using different types of posts, straight facts, or with various forms of humour such as satire.