In general, why are men funnier than women?

Daniel S

I would ride myself cos im a sexy man wrote: »

Dawn French can be really good, she was great in Vicar of Dibley although that was not stand up.

Ive never seen her stand up.

I'd be surprised if she could.

OutlawPete

The-Rigger wrote: »

And what point did I go nuts?

When you started banging seven gram rocks.

Planemo

Wibbs wrote: »

Testosterone. Yep apparently that's a lot of it. One theory has it that young males compete with each other to be humorous for the sake of the ladies and the funnier the guy the more testosterone he has, the more socially confident he tends to be and the more socially valued which makes the ladies wanna ride him. Plus test exposure in the womb makes men's brains different to women's in structure. Fewer connections between the hemispheres for a start. Another theory has it that this makes men more adept at abstract thought which is a fair chunk of the business of comedy.

This. If you're an average/below average looking man, you can still punch above your weight if you have a good sense of humour. Whereas the solution for women who aren't stunners is to slather on fake tan, wear clothes that are a size too small and stay in a club long enough to be a 'last resort'.

Tina Fey is funny though.

im invisible

The-Rigger wrote: »

Ellen is a top bloke.

eddie izzard is one funny lady

Poor Craythur

Wibbs wrote: »

Testosterone. Yep apparently that's a lot of it. One theory has it that young males compete with each other to be humorous for the sake of the ladies and the funnier the guy the more testosterone he has, the more socially confident he tends to be and the more socially valued which makes the ladies wanna ride him. Plus test exposure in the womb makes men's brains different to women's in structure. Fewer connections between the hemispheres for a start. Another theory has it that this makes men more adept at abstract thought which is a fair chunk of the business of comedy.

So, I was kinda right with my first post in this thread! I've have observed a competitiveness in men with being funny for years.

Jesus Wept

OutlawPete wrote: »

When you started banging seven gram rocks.

Winning!

Bullseye1

There are funny women but they are generally more mature than men. Men hold on to more of their childhood and IMO this is why there are a higher number of funny men to women. So yes men are generally funnier.

Tar.Aldarion

Sure some women comedians can make you laugh, but it's only more of a chuckle really. I would never be in stitches from one. Usually when asking for a good female comedian I will have never heard of the answer, look her up and understand why I've never heard of her. It's a different story for people just being funny though, although I think more men might be funnier in general (to my comedic tastes) women can be just as funny if not funnier.

krudler

women can be funny but I rarely find female comedians funny for some reason, a lot of their material is too similar, men are idiots, babies, perdiods, weight etc etc. there are some funny ones, and then theres people like Tina Fey who have razor sharp comic timing and are good comedic actresses. I dunno, its odd cos there's a few girls I know who can make me laugh, but definitely more guys.

Bullseye1

Sarah Silverman and Joan Rivers can be funny.

Agricola

Females comedians material often has too much emphasis on being in relationships with men and rearing children.

Can you imagine if some of the top male comedians focused primarily on gags about their wives and kids? Snore.

Poor Craythur

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Sure some women comedians can make you laugh, but it's only more of a chuckle really.

Really?

brummytom

RayM wrote: »

Victoria Wood
Miranda Hart
Josie Long
Jo Brand
Laura Solon
Linda Smith
Sandi Toksvig

I actually agree with those, apart from Josie Long, Jo Brand ('Has anyone noticed I'm fat and old? I hate men waaaah') and Laura Solon. That being said, Victoria Wood's most recent stuff has been God awful, but she used to be great. The best on that list has to be Linda Smith though, a huge loss



I think the good female comedians are the ones whose acts aren't completely centred on the fact that they're a woman. The same goes for Black/Asian/Gay/Lesbian comedians whose only jokes seem to be about their ethnicity/sexuality etc. Stephen K Amos is the one that really springs to mind there, and Andi Osho and Shappi Khorsandi a lot of the time.

DeVore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E25ebRjx8w0

Very funny woman and a ventriloquist to boot.

DeV.

Poor Craythur

I have very funny female friends but they tend to be funny in a more low-key sort of way, no showboating, ya know? One in particular is always coming out with funny, effortless witticisms but she's very unassuming.

My friends say though that I get really as competitive as men in groups and can often hold my own with them. Don't know if that's true though. I mean, they're my friends, they're not going to tell me I'm unfunny. But I do make jokes that men seem to like more than women.

Tar.Aldarion

Poor Craythur wrote: »

Really?

Never more than a second or two of laughter.

The guy

I would ride myself cos im a sexy man wrote: »

I've seen one blonde female comic on mock the week that was good. Dunno her name though.

Then again there was an asian woman and another black woman comedian on the bbc a few times lately, both I felt were terrible.

In fairness plenty of people on mock the week aren't funny and the one who are just recite the routines they use in their stand-up (I'm looking at you Frankie Boyle).

Wibbs wrote: »

Testosterone. Yep apparently that's a lot of it. One theory has it that young males compete with each other to be humorous for the sake of the ladies and the funnier the guy the more testosterone he has, the more socially confident he tends to be and the more socially valued which makes the ladies wanna ride him. Plus test exposure in the womb makes men's brains different to women's in structure. Fewer connections between the hemispheres for a start. Another theory has it that this makes men more adept at abstract thought which is a fair chunk of the business of comedy.

The video with Christopher Hitchens somebody posted earlier in the thread said the same thing, women don't need to be as funny as men so don't tend to be.

I would love to see a female standup who had jokes which were similar to Mitch Hedberg.

cassid

I think it can very depending on your sense of humour. I have funny female friends and we would have a good laugh when together, but if you are out with a "couples" night, sometimes I would prefer to join the blokes as they are funnier. I work with just men, have just men and boys in my home so I suppose my sense of humour could have changed over time ?

krudler

the worst case ever for unfunny women is Maeve Higgins, christ...

"I'm awful kooky and from Cark like!, can you believe RTE gave me my own show about two kooky sisters from Cark like who cook like!"

fcuk off and die.

krudler

DeVore wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E25ebRjx8w0

Very funny woman and a ventriloquist to boot.

DeV.

she's hawt too

desaparecidos

Poor Craythur wrote: »

ALL, seriously?

More than 50%, therefore all.

XxMCRxBabyxX

Poor Craythur wrote: »

Name a funny female comedian: Josie Long, Sarah Millican, Bridget Christie
Name a funny female actress. Dunno about this, I mean, it's the script that's funny, not the actor/actress
Name a funny female boardsie. Lots and lots!!!!

None of those are funny imo.

Sarah Millican annoys me so much! I never find her funny!

dark crystal wrote: »

Personally, I find Joan Rivers very funny.

She is one of the few out there along with Tina Fey who are actually quite funny.

Many female comedians try too hard to be funny and it ends up having the reverse effect

dark crystal wrote: »

However, I accept that men don't 'get' women's humour, as it's more gender specific, whereas men's humour encompasses a much wider range of topics.

Men can also generally deliver a punchline much better than a woman.

Tbh even women often don't 'get' the women's humour that you find in stand up! Comedy is just not a woman's game.

Poor Craythur

It's well accepted that women like funny men.

A question for the men - do you find funny women (that you meet in every day life) attractive? Is it an attractive quality to you? Or do you find it off-putting?

hondasam

I don't know what to make of that question but there is a lot wrong with it.

Captain_Generic

Poor Craythur wrote: »

It's well accepted that women like funny men.

A question for the men - do you find funny women (that you meet in every day life) attractive? Is it an attractive quality to you? Or do you find it off-putting?

Maybe I'm hanging around with the wrong women but I've always noticed the funniest girls are the less attractive ones. I have this theory that they develop a much better personality because they can't rely on their looks to get them through social situations. The hottest girls on the other hand tend to be the most boring, because they never had a reason to develop a personality........at all

brummytom

Poor Craythur wrote: »

It's well accepted that women like funny men.

A question for the men - do you find funny women (that you meet in every day life) attractive? Is it an attractive quality to you? Or do you find it off-putting?

I like girls with a good sense of humour, but I wouldn't like one that competitively tried to be funny. If that makes any sense?

PrincessLola

This thread just feels like an excuse to tell women to push off back to the kitchen and remember its a mans world. Seriously, f*ck this thread.

OutlawPete

PrincessLola wrote: »

This thread just feels like an excuse to tell women to push off back to the kitchen and remember its a mans world.

Please don't turn this thread into another "it's anti-women" and "women feel uneasy and intimidated to post in AH" thread.

I for one am sick of that shite.

Comments like the above will just lead to yet another row and the thread will inevitably get locked.

We discuss both sexes here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056206585

KnifeWRENCH

enfant terrible wrote: »

although I would say the female comics on Arrested development were the weakest of the cast Lindsay, Maeby, Lucille compared to GOB, Tobias, Buster, Michael, George Michael and the narrator guy.

Have to disagree here. None of the cast of Arrested Development was weak! And in terms of supporting characters, both Kitty and Maggie Lizer were hilarious.

As for original topic, men tend to be better stand ups but I have no idea why that is. And that's only one area of comedy; I think women can be just as funny as men but the stand up environment just doesn't seem to suit their kind of humour.

Tina Fey is one of the funniest people on the planet. Maybe there's a reason she doesn't do stand up.

XxMCRxBabyxX

PrincessLola wrote: »

This thread just feels like an excuse to tell women to push off back to the kitchen and remember its a mans world. Seriously, f*ck this thread.

You do realise half the people agreeing with this thread are women?!

I hate people who feel the need to call sexism over every little thing.

It is a well accepted fact that men tend to be funnier than women. Discuss the topic instead of trying to make accusations against things that are not there

enfant terrible

Captain_Generic wrote: »

Maybe I'm hanging around with the wrong women but I've always noticed the funniest girls are the less attractive ones. I have this theory that they develop a much better personality because they can't rely on their looks to get them through social situations. The hottest girls on the other hand tend to be the most boring, because they never had a reason to develop a personality........at all

Yes its explained here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzz4QtbTu6M

Bullseye1

PrincessLola wrote: »

This thread just feels like an excuse to tell women to push off back to the kitchen and remember its a mans world. Seriously, f*ck this thread.

Is this Joan Burton?

BraziliaNZ

Apologies if someone has said this already haven't read the 9 pages - but -
It's probably simply because we have to be funny to get laid, they don't.

DeVore

Let's say 1 in 100 comedians are really really funny. Exceptional. That's a made up figure but let's just roll with it for the moment.

How many male comedians are there? Therefore how many funny male comedians are there?


How many female comedians are there? Therefore how many funny female comedians are there?

The answers to those questions will explain why there seems to be fewer exceptionally funny female comedians.


DeV.

OutlawPete

See, I think men are funnier than women because of nature in many ways but also for how the sexes interact with each other from a young age and the consequences of just what the interaction entails. I remember distinctly when I was around 14/15 wondering why girls were suddenly no longer messing and becoming sooo serious, while boys were getting even more "immature" as time went on if anything.

My own theory is that the attention girls start to get off boys around that age makes them like that, which is why we have the cliché/phenomena of "only unattractive girls are funny", or still funny to be more precise. Of course, the converse is also true of boys. The better looking they are, the less they have to try and be funny and so you will generally never see stunningly handsome comedians.

Poor Craythur

hondasam wrote: »

I don't know what to make of that question but there is a lot wrong with it.

What problems do you have with the question?

Eve_Dublin

Your judging the levels of humour of each sex based on how many stand up comedians there are? Perhaps women have less inclination to get on stage and have their egos massaged by getting people to laugh at them. Some of the most egotistical people I've ever met in my life have been comedians (I've met quite a few). Not everyone funny gets on stage by the way. Not everyone feels the need to make a career out of their supposed talents. Not everyone who plays guitar brilliantly is making albums, for example. In fairness, there's only a handful of truely hilarious comedians who are consistantly hilarious throughout their careers anyway. In the real world, however, I know loads of hilarious women...particularly in Ireland.

Poor Craythur

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Apologies if someone has said this already haven't read the 9 pages - but -
It's probably simply because we have to be funny to get laid, they don't.

Yes, either funny, an Adonis or rich. One of the three.

Poor Craythur

DeVore wrote: »

Let's say 1 in 100 comedians are really really funny. Exceptional. That's a made up figure but let's just roll with it for the moment.

How many male comedians are there? Therefore how many funny male comedians are there?


How many female comedians are there? Therefore how many funny female comedians are there?

The answers to those questions will explain why there seems to be fewer exceptionally funny female comedians.


DeV.

I think it's interesting to consider why fewer women get into stand-up comedy. I think, for one, that women are less keen to allow themselves to be completely free of vanity which I think stand-up requires. I also think women in general are more low-key and wry in their humour and this probably doesn't translate well to stand-up. I reckon it's suited to comedy writing though. And lastly, I do sometimes sense that some men can be a bit more hostile towards female comediennes, for whatever reason, and will tend not to give them a fair chance. This might be why so few break through on the national and international stage.

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Your judging the levels of humour of each sex based on how many stand up comedians there are?

Eve, I think De Vore actually kinda sticking up for women there, saying well of course if there's more male comedians out there, of course there's going to be more funny ones that you can list.

Eve_Dublin

Just to add, in fairness, I do know more funny men than women but I know enough funny women to make it valid that women are just as capable of being funny as guys...but a funny woman is not always well received for various reasons. Some men are intimidated by that. I remember one of my ex got in a stomp because I was being "too funny" one night and he couldn't keep up.

OutlawPete

Poor Craythur wrote: »

A question for the men - do you find funny women (that you meet in every day life) attractive? Is it an attractive quality to you? Or do you find it off-putting?

I find it a major turn-on if women are even *trying* to be funny, whether they are or not wouldn't matter to be much at all tbh, as just the effort to be funny and to attempt to make you laugh would be more than enough to tell me that are not in fact a narcissist from hell.

Eve_Dublin

Poor Craythur wrote: »

And lastly, I do sometimes sense that some men can be a bit more hostile towards female comediennes, for whatever reason, and will tend not to give them a fair chance. This might be why so few break through on the national and international stage.

Absolutely. Women have a much harder time winning over the crowd. I've heard stories first hand. I know a guy who organises a very popular English comedy night here where they bring over female comedians from English speaking countries and he says he's hesistant to get female comedians because people will be automatically hostile towards them. People (both male and female) are expecting male comedians to be funny but are expecting female comedians to not be funny...I salute any woman who puts herself in that position and it's probably why so few do.

DeVore

I was pointing out the pitfalls of "listing off funny comedians". You have to normalise the results for gender bias in the sample pool.... if you want the scientific terms

I was explaining why "not being able to list as many funny female comedians as males" might not be as illuminating as you might think.


But by all means continue to misunderstand me and accuse me of bias, ironically. :rolleyes:


DeV.

OutlawPete

Here's two women who always seem down to earth and very funny in interviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ohMsvRrW0

Eve_Dublin

DeVore wrote: »

I was pointing out the pitfalls of "listing off funny comedians". You have to normalise the results for gender bias in the sample pool.... if you want the scientific terms

I was explaining why "not being able to list as many funny female comedians as males" might not be as illuminating as you might think.


But by all means continue to misunderstand me and accuse me of bias, ironically. :rolleyes:


DeV.

Sorry....I wasn't referring to your post but looked like I was as it was right under yours! I don't think I read it 'till after I wrote that. I was referring to other posters in here. I got your point and agreed with it.

Poor Craythur

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

I remember one of my ex got in a stomp because I was being "too funny" one night and he couldn't keep up.

Jeez, what a baby! Not your fault he couldn't keep up!

Eve_Dublin

Poor Craythur wrote: »

Jeez, what a baby! Not your fault he couldn't keep up!

It was bizarre. Now in fairness, I've never come across anyone else like that, so it was probably unfair to mention it.

DeVore

Funny women attract me because usually "funny" shows a certain level of intelligence,wit and self-confidence.... traits I like in a lady.
For some reason the message to young women is "men dont like that"... whereas almost all of my mates would find that attractive.

DeV.

Poor Craythur

DeVore wrote: »

Funny women attract me because usually "funny" shows a certain level of intelligence,wit and self-confidence.... traits I like in a lady.

Yep, I know a few guys who find funny women attractive pretty much for the reasons you said.

It does turn other men off but what can ya do? If a woman is naturally funny, she shouldn't suppress it, she'll probably end up attracting men on her wavelength by being her natural, funny self.

EDIT: A guy once dumped me because he thought I was too clever and had too much to say for myself. He was pretty old-fashioned and seemed a bit intimidated.

Madam

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Apologies if someone has said this already haven't read the 9 pages - but -
It's probably simply because we have to be funny to get laid, they don't.

How true:)