A recently released study, scrutinizing over 500 scientific convention speeches delivered across a two-year timeframe, sought to ascertain if researchers possessed comedic talent—a notion amusing in itself, albeit potentially not the most efficient use of resources. The outcomes largely aligned with predictions: a significant two-thirds of comedic attempts either garnered polite chuckles or complete silence. Only a mere 9% successfully landed well enough to provoke widespread laughter among the audience. Predictably, the loudest guffaws arose from technical mishaps, like malfunctioning slides or cutting-out microphones. (Indeed, nothing unites a crowd more swiftly than observing another’s predicament.)
Every person who has endured a convention on any theme, in any setting, recognizes that researchers do not hold an exclusive claim to comedic flops. Successfully deploying humor proves difficult before any group that has not been previously engaged. Even Saturday Night Live designates its opening segment a “cold open” precisely because the viewers have yet to laugh, rendering that inaugural chuckle the most arduous to secure.
Approximately 40% of the presentations simply bypassed humor altogether, a cautious strategy that likely contributes to a more drawn-out afternoon. More compellingly — according to scientific insight — this renders the speeches less unforgettable. “Despite the tremendous volume of fascinating substance at conferences, remaining attentive can be challenging. And by attentive, I specifically mean awake,” a physician-scientist remarked to Nature, which also interviewed one of the study’s remarkable eight(!) co-authors.
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