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Comedy or Immaturity?
How and Why Boys Use Humor to Communicate
By Gina Roberts-Grey
If you've ever attempted to communicate with an adolescent boy, you're well aware they interject a significant amount of humor into a conversation. Making jokes about bodily functions and noises, contorting their faces into silly expressions and serving as the clown of the classroom or dinner table are typical behaviors of boys as young as 3 and as old as 18.
Although boys often develop the ability to tactfully place their humoristic viewpoints and commentaries, a son's dependency on silliness can be frustrating. No one wants their son to be the one who cracks a joke during a religious service or intentionally loses control over his bodily functions at a family dinner party. While a boisterous burp or flatulent entrance is usually embarrassing to an adult, this seemingly ill-placed behavior is genuinely entertaining to a young man.
Do you question if your son's overtly humorous displays are a sign of immaturity? Are you concerned he may not understand the importance of utilizing his manners or that certain situations require a serious attitude? Amidst the frustration, lack of patience or embarrassment at some of your son's humor-based behavior, you may find yourself wondering why he acts this way.
In 2004, Alexander Kozintsev, professor of anthropology at Lomonosov Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia, led a team of research students who studied how humor affects the communication of adolescent males ages 9 to 18. Their findings detailed that both pre-pubescent and post-pubescent males utilize humor in a variety of facets of their lives. "From trying to deliver the funniest joke, to making the funniest bodily noise, boys used humor when communicating with peers 68 percent more than girls in similar social situations," Kozintsev states in his findings.
Boys use humor as a guide through various social scenarios or to ease themselves into uncomfortable situations. Humoristic "ice breakers" help them gauge how they'll be received by a sibling or peer. "Boys feel awkward or uncertain about initiating a conversation with an unfamiliar peer and rely on humor to boost their confidence," Kozintsev cites.