"That's some positive energy": how social media users respond to #funny science content
        
        
            by
            
                
                
                Michael A. Cacciatore, 
            
                
                
                Sara K. Yeo, 
            
                
                
                Leona Yi-Fan Su, 
            
                
                
                Meaghan McKasy, 
            
                
                
                Liane O'Neill
            
                
                
                    
                        and
                    
                
                Sijia Qian
            
        
        
            
                Many scientists make use of social media and take various   approaches to humor in their posts to encourage online public   engagement, yet little is known about how publics respond to   particular types of online science humor. This study investigates   the behavioral effects of the presence of different types of science   humor, specifically anthropomorphism, wordplay, and the two   combined, shared by a scientist on Twitter. Individuals who   experienced higher levels of mirth after exposure to humorous   science content were more likely to leave a comment on the social   media post. Additionally, individuals' need for cognition moderated   the relationship between humor exposure and mirth, as well as the   relationship between mirth and leaving a comment.  These results and   future research are discussed.
            
        
        
        
            
                
                Volume 23 • Issue 01 • 2024