As we traveled the world for our book The Humor Code, we noticed humor has a local flavor. The jokes that get laughs at a comedy club in Denver seem unlikely to fly in the office of the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, and the torturous game shows that the Japanese find so amusing would likely fall flat with a sitcom producer in Los Angeles.
This observation inspired perhaps our most controversial question:
“What are the funniest cities in the United States?”
To answer this question, Pete turned to his Humor Research Lab (HuRL). The HuRL team, helmed by Adrian Ward and Caleb Warren, created the Humor Algorithm (HA) to rank the 50 funniest cities in America – the most comprehensive analysis of humorous cities ever attempted.
Why does California have all the lawyers and New Jersey have all the hazardous waste dumps?
New Jersey got first choice.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
