Science and Humor
My First Humorous Yet Awkward Lecture to Science Students in the 1990s
Why humor is needed in communicating science and other complex topics
This is a trip down memory lane to the era of my youth when I was a young, passionate, and very serious lecturer. Imagine a classroom filled with students, some nodding off like kittens and me, trying to ignite the spark of curiosity in their sleepy eyes.
I was starting to feel like a failure. I had all this knowledge to share, but it was like talking to a brick wall. Then, one day, my wise mentor, my metaphorical angel, bestowed upon me the most ingenious advice: “Inject humor into your lectures, dear friend!”
Oh, how skeptical I was at first. How could humor possibly awaken the slumbering minds of my students?
However, being a devoted scientist, I decided to study humor scientifically. I read every scientific paper on humor's effects on the brain, especially the cognitive system. I also researched its effect on the limbic system. I will share a summary of my research in another article.
I also studied the impact and implications of humor for physical and mental health. Humor lowered my stress and enhanced my joy. I had many euphoric moments with humor. I…
