Should we use humor to talk about issues?

Laughter is the most social of human expressions. When hearing someone laugh, we cannot help but laugh or smile ourselves. It is sociable in a way that ideally invites a similar response among others. That’s also the reason why canned laughter often works and is used in sitcoms.

But it’s also social as it’s one of the best ways to bond with each other. When we laugh together, our brains release a healthy hormone cocktail. Laughter is like exercising, meditating and having sex at the same time. It enables people to loosen up and start feeling a connection.

Laughter may seem incongruous, but it might be precisely what we need at this moment. Serious causes are often best communicated with a dose of laughter.

“You can address major issues such as mental health, sustainability, and politics without courting controversy and dividing your audience.”

– Brenda Milis, Principal of Consumer and Creative insights, Adobe

Take for example Liquid Death, the water brand with its commitment to sustainability “death to plastic” and its cheeky, in-your-face approach to marketing, has carved out a unique identity in the beverage world. Or MACMA, an Argentinian non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women with breast cancer, bypassed censorship and communicated about proper breast self-examination to detect early breast cancer with their ad Man Boobs for Boobs. Or Vow, specialized in the production of cultured meat, created the first “Mammoth Meatball” to spark conversations about the future of food. 

Why is humor a good way to talk about issues? Tim Fransen, philosopher, psychologist, writer, and cabaret performer, argues that our lives are inextricably linked with tragedy – we are mortal, vulnerable, and live in a world full of conflicting values. Humor provides us an alternative lens through which we can view our unavoidable failures and shortcomings. It can foster a sense of solidarity with our fellow “bumblers” in life, and help us recognize our shared human experience.

By using humor to address serious topics, we’re not making light of them, but rather find a way to process and cope with difficult realities. It supports us in making heavy subjects more approachable, facilitates discussions, and even promotes healing. How can your brand enable people to laugh and loosen up about topics of taboos or anxieties that we often want to run away from?