Funny Teachers: Humor Boosts Student Engagement & Learning

A lighthearted classroom atmosphere, punctuated by instructor humor, may significantly improve student engagement and emotional response to coursework, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. Researchers found that students who perceived their instructors as funny reported more positive emotions about the course and fewer negative feelings, even if the humor itself wasn’t universally appreciated.

The study, published in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, involved audio recordings from over 45 instructors across various institutions. Researchers analyzed the recordings for instances of humor and then surveyed students to gauge their perceptions of their instructors’ comedic abilities. The key finding wasn’t whether the researchers themselves found the humor effective, but rather whether the students did.

“If a student thought their instructor was funnier, they had more positive emotions about the course and fewer negative emotions about the course as well,” explained Trevor Tuma, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Georgia and a coauthor of the study. “We wouldn’t have seen that if we had only relied on whether we as researchers thought the instructor was funny or not.”

The research builds on a growing body of work examining the impact of instructor language on student learning. The types of humor employed varied, ranging from self-deprecating remarks to jokes about course material or laboratory equipment. Researchers observed that positive emotional responses are linked not only to improved learning during a course but also to a greater likelihood of continued study in the subject matter.

“People might gaze at emotions and say, ‘Oh, you know, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is they’re learning,’” said Erin Dolan, a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Georgia and another coauthor of the study. “But emotions influence our learning and our motivation to continue with a subject.”

However, the study also highlighted the subjective nature of humor. Student responses varied considerably, suggesting that what one student finds amusing, another might not. This variability underscores the importance of instructors being mindful of their audience and the context in which humor is used.

“Humor is subjective. It’s going to depend on the type of humor. It’s going to depend on the context. It’s going to depend on your relationship with that instructor,” Tuma said. “So we encourage instructors to be really thoughtful about what kinds of humor they leverage and when humor might be most appropriate. If humor is not received well, it may not be effective, and it even might have a negative effect.”

The findings align with observations about the differing dynamics of lectures and laboratory courses. While lectures often take place in large auditoriums, fostering a sense of distance between instructor and students, smaller lab settings can facilitate more personal interactions. According to a 2024 article from the UNC Writing and Learning Center, lab courses offer a more experiential learning environment, allowing students to directly apply theoretical concepts. A 2025 Reddit discussion among students at Cal Poly Pomona indicated that, while not always the case, many courses pair the same professor for both the lecture and lab components, potentially creating a more consistent and familiar learning environment.

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has also explored the relationship between lecture and laboratory instruction, noting that labs provide a different learning environment than traditional lectures. The University of Georgia researchers caution that humor, while potentially beneficial, is not a guaranteed success and requires careful consideration.