Abstract
Humor is an essential aspect of human experience, yet surprisingly, little is known about how we recognize and understand humorous utterances. Most theories of humor emphasize the role of incongruity detection and resolution (e.g., frame-shifting), as well as cognitive capacities like Theory of Mind and pragmatic reasoning. In multiple preregistered experiments, we ask whether and to what extent exposure to purely linguistic input can account for the human ability to recognize one-line jokes and identify their entailments. We find that GPT-3, a large language model (LLM) trained on only language data, exhibits above-chance performance in tasks designed to test its ability to detect, appreciate, and comprehend jokes. In exploratory work, we also find above-chance performance in humor detection and comprehension in several open-source LLMs, such as Llama-3 and Mixtral. Although all LLMs tested fall short of human performance, both humans and LLMs show a tendency to misclassify nonjokes with surprising endings as jokes. Results suggest that LLMs are remarkably adept at some tasks involving one-line jokes, but reveal key limitations of distributional approaches to meaning.
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Dr. David Lowemann, M.Sc, Ph.D., is a co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Human Potential, where he leads the charge in pioneering Self-Enhancement Science for the Success of Society. With a keen interest in exploring the untapped potential of the human mind, Dr. Lowemann has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding.
Armed with a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in his field, Dr. Lowemann has consistently been at the forefront of research and innovation, delving into ways to optimize human performance, cognition, and overall well-being. His work at the Institute revolves around a profound commitment to harnessing cutting-edge science and technology to help individuals lead more fulfilling and intelligent lives.
Dr. Lowemann’s influence extends to the educational platform BetterSmarter.me, where he shares his insights, findings, and personal development strategies with a broader audience. His ongoing mission is shaping the way we perceive and leverage the vast capacities of the human mind, offering invaluable contributions to society’s overall success and collective well-being.
