Humor Studies and Applications
Humor Studies and Applications is a research topic within Social Psychology. Science Explorer counts 9.3k research works in it since 1952. 18.2% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the psychological, social, and health-related aspects of humor and laughter. It covers topics such as humor styles, the impact of humor on psychological well-being, gender differences in humor perception, the use of humor as a coping mechanism, the role of humor in social interactions, and the therapeutic benefits of laughter. Additionally, it delves into the influence of internet memes and political satire on public discourse and examines the relationship between humor and various health outcomes.
- Humor Styles Questionnaire
- Psychological Well-being
- Social Interaction
- Laughter Therapy
- Gender Differences
- Internet Memes
- Political Satire
- Coping Mechanisms
- Emotional Intelligence
- Health Outcomes
- Research works
- 9.3k fractional, since 1952
- In the world top 10%
- 1.7k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 18.2% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +61% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Humor Studies and Applications research?
By volume, the United States and China publish the most (419 and 190 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 419 works
- 2 China 190 works
- 3 United Kingdom 170 works
- 4 Türkiye 165 works
- 5 Indonesia 105 works
- 6 India 105 works
- 7 Germany 101 works
- 8 Spain 77 works
- 9 Australia 73 works
- 10 Brazil 64 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Humor Studies and Applications research?
By volume in 2022–2025, University of Amsterdam publishes the most Humor Studies and Applications research, followed by University of Alicante and University of Groningen.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 University of AmsterdamNetherlands 11 works
- 2 University of AlicanteSpain 10 works
- 3 University of GroningenNetherlands 10 works
- 4 Hacettepe UniversityTürkiye 8 works
- 5 University of TorontoCanada 8 works
- 6 UNSW SydneyAustralia 8 works
- 7 KU LeuvenBelgium 8 works
- 8 Flinders UniversityAustralia 6 works
- 9 University of NottinghamUnited Kingdom 6 works
- 10 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong 6 works
Who are the leading researchers in Humor Studies and Applications?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Humor Studies and Applications include Björn W. Schuller, Louis‐Philippe Morency and James W. Pennebaker.
- 1 Björn W. Schuller United Kingdom 3.4k citations
- 2 Louis‐Philippe Morency United States 2.4k citations
- 3 James W. Pennebaker United States 1.9k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Humor Studies and Applications research done?
The largest centres of Humor Studies and Applications research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Istanbul (Türkiye), Ankara (Türkiye) and London (United Kingdom). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Ankara.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
Where it is the local speciality
- AnkaraTR · 29.8 works3.7×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Humor Studies and Applications than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Humor Studies and Applications?
Among universities, judged by research, University of Amsterdam, University of Groningen and University of Alicante score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of AmsterdamNetherlands | 67.3 | 19.4% | 8.7× | 11 | +112.8% |
| 2 | University of GroningenNetherlands | 67.1 | 33.2% | 8.4× | 10 | +30.4% |
| 3 | University of AlicanteSpain | 57.6 | 5.0% | 15.8× | 10 | +256.3% |
| 4 | Hacettepe UniversityTürkiye | 24.1 | 22.0% | 6.7× | 8 | — |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Humor Studies and Applications research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 61% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Humor Studies and Applications.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.