Humor, specifically visually-presented humor, can draw someone's attention to a piece of information. By devoting attention to a correction, people's misconceptions learned from fake news can be reduced. 

Humor and Attention

In order to "get the joke" more cognitive resources may be dedicated to a humorous message than a not humorous one.  The increases processing of the message can lead to more critical thinking regarding its message. 

Humor and Cognitive Resources

Humor is associated with being more likeable. In media messaging, a source is viewed more favorable, in general, when it employs humor. Likeability is positively associated with perceived credibility, so using humor is one way to appear more knowledgeable about a topic. 

Humor and Source Evaluations

Humor can be a useful tool for correcting misinformation because:
- It can draw one's attention to otherwise unacknowledged issues
- It can enhance source evaluations
- Can increase the cognitive resources used to comprehend the message

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Humor is prevalent in many types of communication about current events and  science. Examples include late night talk shows (The Late Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers), comedy shows (Saturday Night Live), and other media communications. 

Humor in Media Messaging 

Yeo, S. & McKasy, M. (2021). Emotion and Humor as Misinformation Antidotes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(15). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2002484118

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