Why is humour effective in learning? Neuroscience shows that humour does far more than entertain us. When we laugh, our brains become more engaged, release dopamine, lower stress hormones such as cortisol and strengthen the formation of long-term memories. Research has found that learners exposed to humour remember significantly more information than those who are not. Humour is not a distraction from learning. It is one of the brain’s most effective learning tools.
When most people think about workplace learning, they probably do not picture themselves eagerly opening an eLearning module with a cup of tea and a smile.
More often, they picture someone being told they have “a quick piece of mandatory training” to complete after doing something they probably should not have done. Perhaps Bob helped himself to Francis’s lunch from the fridge. Perhaps somebody made an anonymous complaint. Either way, someone has been gently encouraged to reflect on their behaviour through a 25-minute workplace sensitivity course.
That perception is part of the problem.
Learning is often seen as something that happens when we have made a mistake, need correcting or have a policy explained to us in increasingly corporate language. Anyone working in HR or L&D knows that it could not be further from the whole truth. Great learning should inspire curiosity, build confidence and help people grow. It should not feel like detention with a company logo.
That is where humour comes in.
If your brain had to choose between remembering a page of bullet points and remembering the hilariously awkward manager who accidentally insulted their entire team in a Video Arts film, it would not hesitate.
We are not suggesting PowerPoint has never changed anyone’s life. We are simply saying it has some very stiff competition.
At Video Arts, we have spent more than 50 years creating learning that people actually want to watch. Long before neuroscience caught up, we believed that people learn better when they enjoy themselves.
Today, science tells us exactly why.
Your Brain Does Not Just Watch a Joke. It Solves One.
People often think humour is passive. Someone tells a joke, you laugh, and that is the end of it.
In reality, your brain has been remarkably busy.
Unlike simply hearing information, humour forces your brain to work. Every joke is essentially a tiny puzzle waiting to be solved.
It begins with something unexpected.
Your brain notices that reality does not quite match your expectations and immediately starts trying to make sense of it. Neuroscientists call this incongruity. It is the moment when something feels slightly wrong, and your brain wants to resolve it.
This is when your prefrontal cortex becomes highly active. Instead of switching off, your attention increases. You become engaged because your brain is trying to work out what happens next.
As the joke lands, your working memory begins connecting the pieces together. When everything finally clicks, your brain rewards you.
Laughter Gives Learning a Chemical Advantage
When something genuinely makes us laugh, our brains release dopamine.
Most people recognise dopamine as the brain’s “feel-good” chemical. That is only part of the story.
Dopamine also plays an important role in learning and memory. It tells the brain that an experience is important and worth storing for later. It encourages us to pay attention and helps strengthen the memories we create.
That is a useful trick if you are trying to teach someone how to manage a difficult conversation, recognise unconscious bias or avoid clicking on a suspicious phishing email.
Why Humour Helps Learning Stick
If all of this sounds a little theoretical, the research is reassuringly practical.
One particularly interesting study from researchers at Loma Linda University set out to answer a simple question. Can laughter improve learning, even if the learning itself is not funny?
To find out, one group of participants watched a humorous video before they began learning. A second group spent the same time sitting quietly. After that, both groups completed the same learning activity.
The only difference between them was that one group had laughed first.
When researchers tested what participants could remember later, the results were striking. The group that had watched the humorous video showed more than double the improvement in delayed recall compared with those who had not.
A few minutes of laughter were enough to make the information significantly more memorable.
That is a remarkable finding. It suggests that humour is not simply a nice way to begin a training session. It can actively prepare the brain to learn more effectively.
If a two-minute funny video can have that much impact, imagine what happens when humour is thoughtfully woven throughout the learning experience itself.
Boredom Has Chemistry Too
Of course, if laughter can help learning, the opposite is also true.
Boredom is not simply uninspiring. It changes the way our brains respond.
When we are disengaged for long periods, our bodies produce higher levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. Cortisol is incredibly useful if you are trying to escape danger. It is much less helpful if you are trying to remember your organisation’s safeguarding policy.
Higher levels of cortisol make it more difficult for the brain to consolidate memories and recall information later. In other words, dull training does not just feel forgettable. It becomes biologically harder to remember.
The same Loma Linda University research found that participants who watched a humorous video before learning had lower levels of cortisol than those who did not.
Humour does not simply make training more enjoyable. It creates better conditions for learning.
Perhaps “death by PowerPoint” is more scientific than we realised.
So, What’s the Punchline?
Perhaps we have been looking at humour in workplace learning the wrong way.
For years, it has often been treated as something optional. A nice way to keep learners entertained. A way of breaking the ice before getting to the “real” learning.
The science suggests otherwise.
Humour captures attention. It reduces stress. It helps our brains decide what is worth remembering. In other words, it is not separate from effective learning. It is one of the reasons effective learning happens in the first place.
So this International Joke Day, there is more to celebrate than a good punchline. Every laugh is a reminder that our brains are wired to learn through moments that engage us, surprise us and make us feel something.
The best workplace learning does not simply tell people what they need to know.
It gives them a reason to remember it.
Feeling funny? Get in touch with us to discuss your learning needs.
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