About
Humor can feel universal, until the joke crosses a language, a culture, or a relationship. In this five-part Word & World program, we explore why some jokes travel easily while others fall completely flat. From puns and wordplay to shared cultural references, social conventions, stereotypes, and the unwritten rules about who gets to joke with whom, Humor Across Cultures looks at what laughter reveals about the way we communicate. The program concludes with the live session Humor in the Wild, where we put these ideas to the test with real jokes that depend on language, cultural knowledge, convention, and context. Because when people laugh together, they may be sharing much more than amusement.
You can also join this program via the mobile app. Go to the app