Funny Boys, Reluctant Girls? The Interaction Between Gender Stereotypes and Humour in Children

Studies suggest that men and women with stronger gender stereotypes are more likely to report that men make funnier jokes than women. However, the extent to which this perception is influenced by social context remains unclear. Here, we attempted to provide initial evidence for this question by analysing the interaction between gender stereotypes and the perception and production of humour in 10- to 12-year-old children ( N = 137) in Western Europe. The children rated the funniness of verbal jokes (humour perception) and created humorous jokes themselves (humour production). In humour perception, we found an effect of gender but no significant effect of gender stereotypes. Boys attributed the funniest jokes more often to boys than girls did. Overall, humour production was not significantly associated with gender stereotypes. However, children who rated themselves as being more feminine produced funnier jokes. In summary, this study did not find clear evidence that gender stereotypes influence how 10- to 12-year-old children perceive and produce humour.