Humor Helps Memory—But Not in Older Adults

What is it about?

Humor is known to enhance memory in young adults, but does it work the same way as we age? In two studies, we found that older adults don’t benefit from humor in the same way. In fact, although they may find humorous content highly enjoyable, older adults tended to remember humorous images less well than neutral ones. This effect likely occurs because aging makes it harder to connect surprising or unusual details—an important part of what makes something funny. This suggests that while humor is enjoyable at any age, its memory benefits may fade with time.

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Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is the first to show that humor’s memory benefits fade with age, even though older adults still enjoy humor. It’s important because humor is often used in education and health to boost memory. Our findings suggest that these strategies may not work the same for older adults, and that age-related memory changes—especially in linking details—need to be considered in future interventions.