People who enjoy sick jokes ‘are actually more intelligent’, researchers find

Telling really horrible jokes can go down pretty badly at social gatherings – or on social media – but it could be a sign you’re smart.

Research from the University of Vienna showing that sick joke fans tend to score higher on verbal and nonverbal intelligence.

People who enjoy gross-out jokes also tend to be better-educated – and score lower on tests for aggression and disturbed moods.

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The researchers got 159 adults to rate ‘sick’ cartoons – and then measured them using standard intelligence and psychological tests.

One cartoon showed a doctor saying to an expectant couple, ‘To begin with, here is the good news: Your child will always find an excellent parking space.’

The researchers write, ‘These results support the hypothesis that humour processing involves cognitive as well as affective components and suggest that these variables influence the execution of frame-shifting and conceptual blending in the course of humour processing.’