Seeing the funny side: Humor in pro-environmental communication

Our review, drawing from various fields such as communication, psychology, marketing, and environmental studies, delves into the potential for humor in pro-environmental messaging to mobilize social change. The review examines different forms of humor, including satire, stand-up comedy, and scripted entertainment programming, and their impact on audience responses. We also highlight the possible drawbacks of using humor and factors that moderate its effects. Overall, the evidence paints a mixed picture whereby pro-environmental humor is largely successful in influencing proximal cognitive outcomes (attention, perceptions) but has more limited influence on distal outcomes (behavior) with the greatest benefits seen among low-interest groups. The need for more diverse samples and robust experimental designs is emphasized to fully comprehend the efficacy of humor in effecting environmental change.