A team of psychologists conducted a study which allowed them to take a closer look at the effects and benefits of gallows humour (which they defined as the “kind of humour that treats sinister subjects like death, disease, deformity, handicap or warfare with bitter amusement and presents such tragic, distressing or morbid topics in humorous terms”).

To do this, they asked 156 participants to rate their comprehension and enjoyment of 12 black humour cartoons taken from The Black Book by Uli Stein.

Those partaking in the study then completed a series of verbal and non-verbal IQ tests, before answering a series of questions about their mood, aggressive tendencies, and educational background.

Got a dark sense of humour? You're probably a genius