A recently released survey comprising over 500 science conference presentations over two years aimed to assess whether scientists possess a sense of humor, which is amusing in itself, if not the most effective use of time. The findings were somewhat predictable: two-thirds of humor attempts received either mild chuckles or complete silence, with only 9% resonating sufficiently to ignite laughter among most attendees. The most significant laughter, unsurprisingly, stemmed from technical glitches, such as malfunctioning slides and microphones cutting out. (Nothing unifies an audience faster than witnessing someone else’s mishap.)

Anyone who has endured a conference on any subject, anywhere, recognizes that scientists are not the only ones who can flop. Humor is challenging to execute in front of an audience that hasn’t been warmed up. Even SNL refers to its opening segment as a “cold open” — the audience hasn’t laughed at anything yet, making that initial laugh the most difficult to achieve.

Approximately 40% of the presentations completely steered clear of humor, which is a safe approach but likely leads to an even longer afternoon. More fascinating — according to science — is that it renders talks less memorable. “Despite the vast array of engaging content at conferences, it can be tough to remain focused. And by focused, I mean awake,” one physician-scientist mentioned to Nature, which also interviewed one of the study’s eight(!) co-authors.