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25th January 2017
05:40pm GMT

Photo: Tubey Toons
After looking at the cartoons, the participants were then asked if they a) understood the joke, b) thought it was good and c) found it surprising, vulgar or interesting.
Then the participants were given general tests to assess their intelligence and emotional stability, amongst other personal attributes.
The study found that people who found the dark humour funny scored more highly on intelligence tests.
"Black humour preference and comprehension are positively associated with higher verbal and nonverbal intelligence as well as higher levels of education," the authors of the study said.
But, the same people scored less highly on tests for emotional stability.
As with any study like this, you have to take it with a pinch of salt - 156 people is not a great sample size, and what constitutes a good joke, dark or otherwise, is entirely subjective.
On the other hand, if your friends don't share your dark sense of humour, they probably won't be smart enough to know what a 'sample size' is, so you'll be alright.Explore more on these topics: