Myrna Tellingheusen loves going to church, judging her neighbors, and, naturally, after all these years of experience, she’s never wrong.
Of course, in real life, many of us would probably steer clear of someone like her. But online, her impeccable one-liners never fail to give us a good chuckle.
Now, maybe grandma humor isn’t exactly your cup of tea. Fair enough—though Myrna would definitely gossip about you over fruitcake and tea with her friends.
Still, how much you enjoy her jokes might actually say something about your age group. Science suggests that each generation tends to lean toward its own style of humor.
A survey by Ipsos found that Millennials and Gen Z gravitate toward darker humor, Baby Boomers prefer political comedy, and Gen X favors straightforward jokes over clever wordplay. At the same time, Millennials also stand out for their love of classic punchlines.
So, do you recognize yourself in any of those preferences? The platform you use could also be a clue to which generation you belong to when it comes to humor. For example, 81% of Gen Z reportedly get their laughs from TikTok, which means some may have missed out on Myrna’s sharp tweets. If that’s the case, consider this their chance to catch up.
Hopefully, Gen Z will appreciate Myrna’s sass, or else they risk being heavily judged on X—though to be honest, she’s probably already doing it. Then again, Gen Z has plenty of fun mocking Millennial humor. And they’re not the only critics: even they admit to being baffled by Gen Alpha, with its mysterious obsession with “67” (and no, that’s not Myrna’s age). If you know what it means, do share.
What seems clear, though, is that the humor gap between younger and older generations is getting wider. Gen Z jokes often leave older audiences scratching their heads. Why?
Clare Heupel, writing for The Statesman, argues it comes down to the internet. “There has not been a time when Gen Zers did not have access to the internet,” she says. “Though this may seem like a convenience to older generations, who only see having access to the internet as access to an infinite amount of information, it presents new issues that prior generations have never faced.”
