Sarcastic, depressing, apathetic, absurdist, even nihilistic are some of the words used to describe Gen Z’s style of humour.
Yet, within the indifferent irony, destructive memes and satirical tweets coming from the generation succeeding millennials and coming before Generation Alpha lies an authoritative psychological method of comfort. Insights suggest gallows humour and dark humour are used by Gen Z (For reference, we take Gen Z to include those from teenage years to late 20s) as a way to alleviate the pressures and anxieties of modern living. Their unpredictable comedic take on life is often raw but relatable and is driven by the continuing mental health crises and societal threats that govern our world.
According to a Morning Consult report, 4 per cent of those belonging to the Gen Z cohort said they use humour, which is often dark or ironic, to discuss serious global issues. This is the first wave of digital natives, and their ability to express their concerns with peers globally has allowed them to shift their humour to the more morbid side of things.
Insights suggest that TikTok videos tagged with #darkhumor and #GenZhumor have collectively surpassed 30 billion views. This form of expression clearly works, gathering the attention of teenagers and twentysomethings who navigate rising national and international concerns. According to APA Monitor, psychologists have noted a sharp rise in what’s termed “adaptive gallows humour” among this generation, especially when dealing with the information overload and difficult prospects related to eco-anxiety and political instability.
READ MORE
“Gen Z’s embrace of dark and gallows humour can be understood in the context of the world they have grown up in,” says Dr Charlotte Armitage, author of Generation Zombie: Why devices are harming our children and what we can do about it. “This is a generation raised under the shadow of climate crisis, global instability, economic precarity and a digital landscape saturated with news of disaster. Mortality and uncertainty are not distant abstractions for them but daily background noise. Humour offers a way to metabolise that constant dread.”
There are many reasons why someone might lean towards the darker side of humour, distancing being one. “On a cognitive level, humour creates distance from trauma by reframing a situation,” says Armitage. “In hospitals, for instance, staff often resort to grim jokes because they allow them to look at unbearable realities without being paralysed by them.
“The fun comes from relief, the sudden shift from fear or seriousness to absurdity produces laughter. Importantly, this isn’t about trivialising suffering but about finding a release valve.”
This seems perfectly reasonable. How often has any of us tried to make light of a difficult situation, to make it seem as though it isn’t happening at all? It’s escapism at its most hilarious. That is, if you can find that kind of thing funny at such dark moments.
[ From the archive: Comedy and mental health: ‘It’s like low calorie therapy’Opens in new window ]
If anything, gallows humour may crack the facade of the unknown. Dark wit can create an abnormal shift in a moment, which Armitage believes can make it gratifying, from a psychoanalytic perspective.
“Gallows humour is pleasurable because it takes something that terrifies us, such as death, loss, or suffering, and renders it laughable,” says Armitage. “Sigmund Freud described humour as a ‘triumph of narcissism’, where the ego declares itself unbroken even in the face of horror. By joking about mortality, we symbolically conquer it. It is the ultimate psychic sleight of hand. Turning dread into amusement.”
[ Saunas, cinemas and listening to albums: 25 ways to get off your phoneOpens in new window ]
Let’s not forget the social element to any kind of humour. With dark humour there’s an added layer. According to Armitage, it signals resilience, solidarity and even bravery, allowing people to show that they have seen the abyss, but it hasn’t swallowed them.
“The laughter itself is subversive,” she says, “a declaration of psychological freedom in situations where real control is absent”. In that sense, gallows humour is not merely fun, it is a profound act of defiance against helplessness. By laughing at what terrifies them, young people regain psychic control over overwhelming realities. Instead of collapsing under anxiety, they turn it into material for memes and jokes.
And Gen Z are leading this element of rebelliousness with a collective defence, “armoured against despair” with reams of material any stand-up comedian would relish. Dark memes skim their online world, raw and unfiltered comedy avoid sugar coating reality, and stark acknowledgment of the pain of the world offers peace of mind.
“Social media thrives on rapid-fire, shareable humour that often leans toward the outrageous or taboo,” says Armitage. “Gallows humour fits this ecology perfectly, standing out in a crowded, attention-driven space. It also allows young people to form communities around a shared sense of existential unease. In essence, Gen Z has not invented gallows humour, but they have repurposed it as a generational language of survival in an era defined by uncertainty.”
Gallows humour is a coping mechanism which can have benefits when used appropriately in transforming fear, pain or despair, allowing a person to confront the reality without letting it become overwhelming.
While humour can bring relief, it should not become a substitute for meaningful action or emotional engagement
— Dr Charlotte Armitage
“Of course, humour is not a cure-all,” says Armitage. “It does not eliminate trauma, nor does it replace the need for deeper emotional processing. But it can create a psychic ‘breathing space’, allowing people to return to pain with greater resilience. So while it is indeed a coping mechanism, it is far more than a curiosity; it is a vital human strategy for surviving, and sometimes even thriving, in the face of suffering.”
However, as Armitage says, like any psychological defence, gallows humour has its limits. Dark humour can go too far. “When used excessively or insensitively, it can backfire, harming both individuals and communities,” she says. “Humour becomes unhealthy when it shifts from sublimation to avoidance. If someone exclusively responds to pain with dark jokes, they may be deflecting rather than processing difficult emotions. Over time, this can lead to emotional disconnection, cynicism or even a hardening against genuine empathy.”
What about the audience? The joker may benefit from a certain level of relief in pursuing darker themed comedy, but those listening or watching may not find comfort in the gallows end of humour, considering it does require a certain mindset for certain darker themed comedy to tickle the funny bone.
“Socially, gallows humour risks alienation when the audience is not ready or willing to laugh,” says Armitage. “A joke that offers relief for one person may feel offensive or retraumatising to another. In clinical or caregiving contexts, for example, the line between bonding and cruelty can be thin. When humour trivialises suffering rather than acknowledging it, it ceases to be healing and becomes wounding.”
A 2023 report from APA indicated that 91 per cent of those between ages 18 and 21 have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom due to stress in the past month compared to 74 per cent of adults. They are a generation defined by mental health crises and geopolitical conflicts and are known as the lockdown generation. Is it any wonder their humour is dark, leading to separation and desensitisation?
“There is also the danger of normalising despair,” advises Armitage. “Constant immersion in dark jokes, particularly online, can foster a culture where hopelessness is treated as inevitable and unchangeable. While humour can bring relief, it should not become a substitute for meaningful action or emotional engagement.
“In short, gallows humour is a sharp tool, it is invaluable in the right hands, but harmful if used without care.”
