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Science

Memes About COVID-19 Helped Us Cope With Life in a Pandemic, a New Study Finds (npr.org) 18

Does a meme a day keep the doctor away? Not quite, but it looks like it might help, according to one recent study. From a report: Researchers with Pennsylvania State University and the University of California Santa Barbara found that memes helped people cope with life during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published this week in the Psychology of Popular Media journal. Researchers found that those who viewed memes -- a type of humor they described as funny or cute pictures that reference pop culture -- reported "higher levels of humor" and more positive feelings, according to a news release from the American Psychological Association, which publishes the journal.

They surveyed 748 people online last December: 72% of those who responded were white, 54% identified as women, 63% didn't hold a college degree, and their ages ranged from 18 to 88, the release states. They were shown a variety of meme types, with different kinds of photos and captions, and asked to rate the cuteness, humor and emotional responses prompted by the materials, as well as how much the memes in question made them think about COVID-19. Those who viewed memes that specifically referenced the pandemic felt less stress than those who viewed non-pandemic-related memes. They also felt more capable of coping with the COVID-19 crisis and were better at processing information, according to the study. And they were also less likely to be stressed about the pandemic than those who didn't view memes related to COVID-19 at all, researchers concluded.

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Memes About COVID-19 Helped Us Cope With Life in a Pandemic, a New Study Finds

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  • This new world of info is insane.

    I can see if there is a lot humorous, but most are couched in anger, no humor at all. Yet hidden as if funny.

    The poor souls that need this to survive.
    • What this survey found is that people who seek out humor have "higher levels of humor" where "higher levels of humor" indicates that they are likely to seek out humor.

      In another stunner, the survey found that people who make jokes about the pandemic tend to take the pandemic less seriously than people who don't like the jokes.

    • Most memes seems like angry political jabs from all sides of the spectrum. Very exasperating having to weed through some this nonsense, where they've become essentially a bona-fides for your edginess and political cred.

      In reality, it just makes these people look like parrots.
  • Not trying to troll too much, but there was a record high amount of memes about Trump during his tenure. There aren't one tenth as many about Biden now. So I guess it did help most of the sane world cope with that shit taste in the mouth.
    • by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Friday October 22, 2021 @03:50PM (#61918805)

      there was a record high amount of memes about Trump during his tenure. There aren't one tenth as many about Biden now.

      That says a lot about which bubble you live in.

      Most of my friends and co-workers are lefties. Most of my extended family are righties. I see plenty of memes for both.

    • Pudding Cup just pulled a Cornholio pose in the middle of a Town Hall. He* has done more things to assist Russia and harm Europe and Asia(Except the CCP) in his first 9 months than Trump did in four years. Then you've got the CCP launching a nuke-capable hypersonic vehicle and what is this admin's response? "We welcome stiff competition". Stiff competition, in a nuclear fucking war? Are you fucking serious.

      *I say he, but the reality of the matter is his handlers have done so, as his methed out melting brain

      • Ask yourself what a Russian stooge would do, then compare/contrast with what Biden-Harris are doing.
  • I always get a laugh when I see a meme or story about another anti-science idiot biting the dust, and most especially the ones who were out front lying about covid being a hoax.

  • I had NO idea that this was true, amazing! Next thing I'll learn is that water is wet and fire is hot, I know, crazy right?

  • Porn and Hentai.

    Question: what is this "pandemic" you guys are talking about?

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