Recent quotes:

April Fools hoax stories could offer clues to help identify 'fake news' -- ScienceDaily

The researchers found that April fools hoax stories, when compared to genuine news: Are generally shorter in length Use more unique words Use longer sentences Are easier to read Refer to vague events in the future Contain more references to the present Are less interested in past events Contain fewer proper nouns Use more first person pronouns

Wriggly, giggle, puffball: What makes some words funny? Researchers are cracking the science of humor, one word at a time -- ScienceDaily

"We started out by identifying these six categories," said Westbury. "It turns out that the best predictor of funniness is not distance from one of those six categories, but rather average distance from all six categories. This makes sense, because lots of words that people find funny fall into more than one category, like sex and bodily functions -- like boobs."

Do lovers always tease each other? Study shows how couples handle laughter and banter -- ScienceDaily

The researchers observed that provoking others to laugh at you primarily has positive effects: "Women reported more often that they tended to be satisfied with their relationship and felt more attracted to their partner. They and their partners also tended to be equally satisfied with their sex life," Brauer continues. Being afraid of being laughed at, on the other hand, tended to have negative effects: people who have this fear are less content in their relationship and also tend to mistrust their partner. This also has consequences for the partner: men said more frequently that they did not really feel satisfied with their sex life if their partner was afraid of being laughed at.