Science Proves Ricky Gervais Has Britain's Funniest Face

Date: 11th November 2006

Ricky Gervais has the ‘perfect face for comedy’ according to new scientific research published yesterday. The research proves that although Gervais started his celebrity life as a pop star, comic prowess has always been his destiny.

Commissioned by Jongleurs Comedy Clubs to help understand why certain comics get better reactions than others, and conducted by Dr Anthony Little of the University of Stirling, the UK’s leading facial perception expert, the ‘Jongleurs Comedy Report’ demonstrates that there is a clear link between a comedian’s career success and their physical appearance. Using unique computer software, 179 different aspects of each of the nation’s top 20(1) comedians’ faces were mapped and then blended to produce a composite portrait. The result showed a clear resemblance to Gervais’ face (see picture).

The study goes a long way to explain why we find some comics funny before they even speak. It reveals that we find a combination of a round face, small forehead, wide nose, big lips, large eyes and high cheekbones absolutely hilarious. And whilst the investigation revealed that our nation’s favourite funny people have many of these common characteristics, it is Ricky Gervais’ face that has the strongest representation of the prototypical funny face.

Dr Little, from the Universtiy of Stirling’s Department of Psychology, says: “The features most likely to mark male comedians out for success are predominantly soft and feminine. The face is a strong indication of character and yesterday’s study appears to explain why comedians of a certain appearance would have been drawn to their career.

“The characteristics of a feminine face imply that the person may be agreeable and co-operative, which can be causal in our first impressions of comedians as being friendly and funny. In the same way that infants are pre-programmed to respond to the warmth and approachability of a mother’s face, soft, feminine features put us at ease and encourage us to relax. This is conducive to laughter and enjoyment.”

Although not a feature of the original study, Dr Little also carried out a separate investigation into the comedy phenomenon “Borat” – the current alter-ego of Sacha Baron Cohen. Baron Cohen would appear to be the exception to the comedy rule as, in comparison Ricky Gervais, his facial traits are distinctly masculine and serious - characteristics that create a dominant, authoritative and serious appearance.

Little explains: “Cohen’s atypical comedy face may be the reason why his routine depends on disguise and alter-egos. Borat’s costume, exaggerated accent and feigned slow-wittedness help create a false sense of superiority in his interviewees.The humour lies not in making the respondent laugh, but in convincing them that Borat is serious, if harmless and ill-informed.”

Understanding why certain comics get better reactions than others is important to Jongleurs as it helps ensure they constantly book the UK’s best stand-up comics. Jongleurs founder, Maria Kempinska said: “We’re always looking to find out what makes our customers laugh so these insights are fantastic. I’m sure Ricky will be pleased to know he can add the honour of having Britain’s funniest face to his collection of credits.”

Jongleurs was also keen to use the findings to determine whether certain high-profile individuals might have faces that would help them cut it in the world of stand up comedy. Strong candidates for a life cracking gags include Conservative leader David Cameron and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

David Cameron is a strong candidate for comic proficiency, due to his round and wide facial shape, large eyes and soft features. And despite Rooney’s angular and masculine jaw, the overall configuration of his face - rounded with his features clustered in the centre around a snub nose - give him a boyish appearance, which is approachable rather than threatening.

Someone who should definitely stick to his day job is England manager Steve McClaren. McClaren’s serious, masculine and dominating face (rectangular with a low brow ridge) means it’s unlikely that he’d last long on the comedy circuit. Dr Little suggests he would actually be more suited to taking on the role of “heroic actor” if his paymasters at the Football Association ever tire of him.

Little adds: “Typically masculine facial traits, such as chiselled jaws and high foreheads are regarded as less amusing and their owners are less likely to succeed in a comedy career. Faces of heroic actors are narrower than comedians’, with greater definition, smaller eyes and prominent jaws. Overall their appearance is very masculine, compared to the gentle, feminine qualities of the comedy face.”

With this in mind, how suitable is Daniel Craig for his new role as James Bond? His casting divided opinion, yet does his face betray heroic potential?

Little explains: “Daniel Craig’s face is closer to that of a heroic actor than that of a comedian, yet it does possess some feminine aspects. He is well suited to play Bond since it’s a role that demands a little spoof and light-heartedness as well as dashing masculine heroism.

“It is likely, however, that a comedian would struggle to play a heroic role convincingly. Due to their appearance, it would be difficult for them to appear believable in situations where dominance and powerful sincerity is important. Daniel Craig would be a flop as Bond if he possessed all of the ‘face for comedy’ traits.”

One final question though still remains unanswered from the Jongleurs study. Could some famous faces benefit from a comedy make-over? Would, for example, Tony Blair be more popular if he had a more comic face?
Dr Little concludes: “Its impossible to say, but what the research does highlight is that there is a genuine connection between a person’s facial characteristics, other’s perceptions of what this says about their personality and the career path that they are more inclined to take. Having found the perfect face for comedy, there may be the perfect face for business, politics and so on. There is great potential for further research.”

To view other work by Dr Little log onto: www.alittlelab.com

http://www.commanddev.stir.ac.uk

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