What exactly makes someone funny? Is it comedic timing? Punch lines? Rubber chickens and whoopee cushions?
None of the above, apparently… it has more to do with our hardwired response to certain facial characteristics.
According to Dr. Anthony Little, psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland and an expert in how we perceive facial features, it’s a collection of specific facial characteristics linked to our perception of others. In other words, without even realizing it, we find a certain type of face more comedically fascinating.
After scanning 179 facial features of twenty comedians, Dr. Little found the winning combination most likely to produce a laugh: round face, small forehead, large eyes, high cheekbones, wide nose, and big lips. Not exactly alpha-male characteristics, right? In The Independent, he explains, “The features most likely to mark out male comedians for success are predominately soft and feminine.” Little goes on to explain why: “In the same way that infants are pre-programmed to respond to the warmth and approachability of a mother’s face, soft, feminine features put us at ease and encourage us to relax. This is conducive to laughter.”
These seemingly subtle details are just a few of the communication factors that fascinate us instantly, and instinctively.
So who has the “perfect comedy face?” Using his research, Little reports optimal humor characteristics in comedian Ricky Gervais, star the of British television comedy series The Office. His face, above all others, prepares us to laugh.
While brevity might be the soul of wit, apparently Gervais is the face.
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That’s interesting. Now we just need an app that will scan an aspiring comedian’s face and let them know pronto if there’s any hope. Could save them years of angst, therapy and rehab.
Hmmm, not sure about that. There are certain people I look at and can’t help but start laughing; like myself. But then I know me.