HRC 2027

Counter reset: 0 days since Dr. Shelby Miller accidentally called the Humor Research Conference the “Human Research Conference” in an email. In fairness, humans are funny.

That said, you should have received an email yesterday with information about requesting a certificate of attendance and/or a presenter certificate for the conference. Please complete the request form by March 15. Certificates will be emailed after the deadline (and they will say “Humor Research Conference,” not “Human").😂

⏰ The conference begins in one hour!

We kick off at 9:00 a.m. (cst) with our first keynote, Mirella Manfredi: The Neuroscience of Humour: Insights into Diversity of Minds.

You can find today’s schedule and the Book of Abstracts on the conference website (www.etamu.edu/humor). If you registered for the conference, you should have already received the Zoom link in the email you used when registering.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

⏰ The HRC Pre-Conference begins in one hour!
Here is today’s schedule (all times in CST):

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Running the JIGS (Joke-like Incongruity Gathering System), or how to operationalize the GTVH
Anne-Sophie Bories, Nils Couturier, Petr Plechác

10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Comedy practices applied to contemporary scene
Damián Montesdeoca

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Humor, Health, and Wellness: Exploring the Physical, Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Benefits of Humor
Steven M. Sultanoff

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
How to reliably create, and assess verbal humor tests
Luca Bischetti

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
The Science of Cringe: Embarrassment, Comedy & Social Risk
Bennett Nestok

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
An Introduction to Gesture Annotation with the NEUROGES System in Humor Research
Haomei Meng-Briscoe

Registered participants received the Zoom link to access the pre-conference at the email address used when registering for the conference. Please check your inbox (and spam folder if needed). Need to register still? Go to www.etamu.edu/Humor

We look forward to seeing you soon!

2026 Humor Research Conference - East Texas A&M University The Humor Research Conference (HRC) is a student-organized, international, multidisciplinary, all-plenary online event dedicated to the study of humor in all its facets.

Don't forget to watch and comment on the pre-recorded presentations. Today, we have added the panel presentations for Making Italian Humour Research Great Again.

The three-part panel includes:
🔵Italian Brainrots: A Cultural Pandemic of Surrealist Humor (Luca Bischetti)
🔵Italian Humor as Cultural Negotiation (Jennifer Monroe)
🔵Pasta, Punchlines & Platform Culture (Delia Chiaro)

You can access these presentations by visiting etmau.edu/humor and selecting “Pre-Recorded Presentations” from the menu.

Our pre-recorded sessions are now available for viewing!
You can access them in two ways:

🔵Visit our conference webpage at etamu.edu/humor and click on the “Pre-Recorded Presentations” tab.

🔵Go directly to the YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLklTfRft_QQrRZqMquRCigfMfecC-Kyjn

All pre-recorded presentations are hosted on the conference’s YouTube channel, where you can use the comment section to leave questions and comments for the presenters. We encourage you to post your questions in advance.

Presenters will participate in a live Q&A session on Sunday, March 8, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. (CST/CDT). This is a great opportunity to engage with them and continue the conversation.

Our first pre-conference session begins in one hour! If you’re registered for the conference, you should have received the Zoom link(s) for today’s events at the email address you used to register.

If you haven’t registered yet, visit www.etamu.edu/humor

We’re just 6 days away from our first pre-conference day on March 1, with our second taking place on March 6.

Access to the pre-conference is included with free conference registration. Make sure you register this week so you’re on the email list and receive all the details for joining the pre-conference sessions.

Register at www.etamu.edu/humor

We’re just 6 days away from our first pre-conference day on March 1, with our second taking place on March 6.

Access to the pre-conference is included with free conference registration. Make sure you register this week so you’re on the email list and receive all the details for joining the pre-conference sessions.

Register at www.etamu.edu/humor

Check out the newest additions to our conference Book Exhibit:

The Coloniality of Language in Digital Humour by Beatriz Carbajal-Carrera (De Gruyter Brill, 2026) https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111635156/html

Why So Serious? An Interdisciplinary Approach to Humour and Play in Satirical Discourse by Stephen Skalicky (De Gruyter Brill, 2025)
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110753462/html

Have a book you’d like featured at our Conference Book Exhibit?
Submit it now at etamu.edu/humor

The conference schedule and book of abstracts are now live!

Visit etamu.edu/humor to explore the Pre-Conference, Schedule, and Book of Abstracts pages.

The conference is free, but registration is required to secure access. Be sure to register through the Registration page on the conference site!

📢 Conference Update + Reminder
The 16th Annual Humor Research Conference has been extended to include an additional pre-conference day.
Updated schedule:
• Pre-conference sessions: March 1 and March 6
• Main conference: March 7–8

📬 Want the quickest way to stay up to date on conference announcements? Join our humor mailing list—especially helpful if you’re not on Facebook often or tend to miss posts. Be sure to complete the sign-up process by confirming your email address when you receive the confirmation email.

👉 Sign up at this link: https://mailman.tamuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/humor?_gl=1*ex0o93*_gcl_au*MTE5MDEzNzA4My4xNzY0Nzc5OTcz*_ga*MTA0NDY4MDAxMC4xNzQ3MTU5MjAy*_ga_WMPJF2FXDN*czE3Njg0NDQ3NTMkbzYyJGcxJHQxNzY4NDQ2MjA1JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

Send a message to learn more

📢 Registration is now open: www.etamu.edu/humor

The conference is completely free—no registration fee required.

Presenters: Please register by Friday, February 27. General attendee registration will remain open throughout the conference.

A full conference schedule will be released in about one week.