Sense of humour in Brazil

You need thick skin as an expat for Brazil, not sure as to sense of humor when trying to navigate all the regulations and policies will help. It does make you laugh inside, but showing a "sense of humor" when someone that does not your culture will not help you!
There are various cultures though out Brazil and what you may think is humorous, may not be to a Brazilian.
When I try to look up a simple expression I normally would say, it is very different in Portuguese. Just look at an American film title on a TV! In Portuguese does not even come close to the original title.
Have not heard a good joke (or just did not understand)

Here are some unscientific observations, after 40+ years of laughing with -- and sometimes being laughed at -- by Brazilians:

-- Brazilian humor is often accessible to North Americans (more so than French or German humor, for example) because it's more similar, although often a bit less hard-edged.

-- Brazilians like physical humor -- a lot.  Pratfalls, dropped dishes, broken windows, doors, furniture, etc. are always good for a belly laugh, as long as it's clear nobody was hurt.

-- A lot of Brazilians like wordplay.  Portuguese doesn't lend itself to punning, as English does, so puns are rare, and wordplay often depends on words that are ambiguous in a certain context, reversals of normal word order, meaning changes that result from opening a normally closed vowel, or vice versa, and so on.  Unless your Portuguese is really good, nine times out of ten you'll just have to smile and nod and try to play it off.  Even if your Portuguese IS very good, that will probably only improve your averages to about five in ten.

-- Brazilians tend to be sensitive to "punching down" in humor.  Making fun of your boss or the mayor is generally okay; making fun of the waiter in a restaurant, though, or anyone perceived as a social inferior, can be problematical.

-- As in any country, beware of political jokes until you know where your audience's sympathies lie.  The same goes for jokes about soccer teams, only moreso!

-- Family members, especially female ones, most especially MOTHERS, are always off-limits.

-- Self-deprecating humor is always welcome, although your Brazilian friends may end up a little offended on your behalf and defending you -- to you! 

I don't understand Latin humor whatsoever. Brazilian, Mexican, Chilean, Peruvian, etc.

I get together with the Mexican side of my "North American Family" and they're watching a Mexican (supposed) comedy in Spanish and I'm left wondering what the hell they find so hilarious. What I'm watching is so inane, asinine, and stupid I want to cry, not laugh. Watching hurts. Now, Señor Wences (Marionettes and painted hand puppets) was funny. Hilarious.

Down here, one of my family's favorite games is to try and not laugh while my stepson-in-law tries to make everyone laugh. Everyone is practically peeing and puking they're laughing so hard and I'm left there wondering what's so funny. I'm not allowed to play that game anymore.

When someone here in Brazil asks me "what do you miss most about your home country? (Australia)", sense of humour would have to be right up near the top.

That is not to say that I never think the typical "Brazilian sense of humour" is funny - it certainly can be - although there are also many things people find hilarious that I find overly 'basic' or just not funny enough to warrant such a reaction.

I agree that Brazilians love physical humour. They are also crazy about internet 'meme' humour. I've never heard a group of people talk so much about memes!

Brazilian humour reminds me more of North-American style humour than the British style, though it is definitely not the same. In most cases I would imagine Brazilians would likely find an American sitcom (Friends, for example) funnier than a British one.

In my opinion, Brazilians often struggle to find more absurd or dark humour funny (which for me is a bit of a shame, to be honest). There are many jokes I could make here that would generate a strong reaction of shock, or someone commenting "nossa que pesado!" that nobody would bat an eyelid at back home. Some of them can be quite good at getting sarcastic humour though, much better than North Americans in that regard.

Also interesting to me is the lack of a genuine translation in Portuguese for the English word "wit", well as far as I know anyway. It often shows, although that's not necessarily something that only applies to Brazilians.

With all that said, I have managed to come across people with a similar sense of humour to me, but they are very few.

This appears to be a very, very old post, however it got my attention. I can definitely say that the most popular form of comedy in Brazil is physical comedy. I have been know to make a joke or two and I can usually make one or a group of Brazilians' laugh, not being fluent in Portuguese, but being an expert in physical comedy. When you can make a group of Brazilians in the waiting room of the hospital laugh you know you have hit the sweet spot.

Roddie in Retirement

@Bhavna They do not have any sense of humor. Stay far away from it as they're  all mostly way too oversensitive. Anything they find funny is in portuguese  n makes zero sense in translation.

Humor in Brazil is predominantly tailored to the cultural nuances and sensibilities of Brazilians, making it challenging for foreigners to fully grasp and appreciate. There are numerous aspects of Brazilian culture, such as football, customs, and politics, that are deeply ingrained and may not lend themselves easily to foreigners attempting to make jokes about them. It is often best for foreigners to respectfully observe and appreciate these cultural elements from a distance, finding amusement in their own personal ways without attempting to engage in humor that may not be fully understood or appreciated by the local population.

@Bhavna  Brazilians are way over sensitive. They don't  have a very good sense of humor especially  when it comes from north American  humor. You can't  translate alot of their jokes that they do find funny.

@Cserebogar Funny you should mention that. I recently had elective surgery on my elbow to get rid of a tennis ball size bump on my elbow.  The doctor charged me R$1,000 to get rid of the bump. We just unwrapped the gauze around the bump, but it was still there. I joked that if we had paid R$2,000 maybe we could have gotten it down to the size of a golf ball.

Even though I am not fluent, they all understood and were rolling with laughter. 

Funny is Funny. Knowing that I can be funny no matter the language or location gives me supreme confidence not to worry about their sensitivity etc. Know your audience and learn how to bond with them. You will get more success that way then you will by ridiculing them.

Roddie in Retirement

@roddiesho, thank you for sharing your joke.

At the risk of over-analyzing and spoiling it, I find that romance based cultures tend to enjoy some self-deprecating humor.  Anything that suggests that expending more effort or resources would achieve greater or better results would typically evoke a chuckle.

Of course, there are exceptions - like futebol, women beauty products, etc... that I will never joke about... under penalty of extreme harm or even death...

@Pablo888 Thanx,

Apparently, I got the medication wrong. I didn't start taking the Proflam (for inflammation) until several days after I took the Medicamento Generico because, i wanted to take one medication at a time. This messed up its effectiveness. But I still stand by my joke.

Roddie in Retirement

Brazilians do not have a sense of humor. They are very sensitive. They seem to take everything literally.

@Kat2202 My wife just hosted a massive kids party with trapoline, games, food  etc. I was so proud of her and happy for the people in the community. I retired here because my family is here, and I love the country and the people. They are warm and friendly...though I can't imagine being here if I did not like it.

Roddie in Retirement

@Kat2202 exactly my point. Completely  diff mindset. Shit they think is so funny we shake  our heads at.

06/08/24  This seems like a good place to repeat one thing that I wrote above:

"Brazilians tend to be sensitive to "punching down" in humor.  Making fun of your boss or the mayor is generally okay; making fun of the waiter in a restaurant, though, or anyone perceived as a social inferior, can be problematical."

North Americans tend to regard everyone as a social equal, and not to be seriously offended by the jokes that they make at each other's expense.  Brazilians in general are much more status conscious, and one of the corollaries of the Brazilian myth that "all foreigners are rich" is that expats are assumed by most Brazilians to be Upper Class -- except by the real elites, with whom most expats will seldom interact.  So almost any joke made by an expat at the expense of a Brazilian, even someone the expat considers a friend. runs the danger of being read as disrespect directed by a social superior at a social inferior.  This is not a matter of individual sensitivity; it's a violation of a strong cultural taboo that Brazilians almost unconsciously observe among themselves. 

    @Pablo888 Thanx,
Apparently, I got the medication wrong. I didn't start taking the Proflam (for inflammation) until several days after I took the Medicamento Generico because, i wanted to take one medication at a time. This messed up its effectiveness. But I still stand by my joke.

Roddie in Retirement-@roddiesho

Thank you for the explanation.  Now I get the joke.

@Cserebogar and @Kat2202 My experience with Brazilians is different from yours. I think they have great senses of humor. We laugh with each other all the time (but not *at* each other). Films with Paulo Gustavo and Leandro Hassum have me rolling on the floor laughing.

I am wondering if your choice of the word "sensitive" to describe Brazilians is because you employ sarcasm as your chosen form of humor. Sarcasm by definition has an element of malice. North American comedians plied their trade with it since at least the 1950s (e.g. Don Rickles) which contributed, IMO, to desensitization. I, myself, am sensitive to it. So it wouldn't surprise me that a different culture could be offended by it.

Many good points about cultural differences were made above, about which I am mindful. Instead of trying to impose my cultural norms on my host country, I make a conscious effort to learn and adapt to theirs.

North Americans tend to regard everyone as a social equal...        -@abthree

Really? Lol. Perhaps you haven't visited lately.

And I wouldn't be inclined to lump "North Americans" (those living in the U.S. Canada, Mexico and a host of other countries) together.

Physical comedy crosses all boundaries. No explanation or translation needed.

@ibdegen Good Point!

I admit to liking Seinfeld, but most of the big laughs came from the Michael Richards physical comedy on the show. That style is very popular in Brazil, and I admit to watching the Novelas for it.

It also helps that I am not bad at the Physical Comedy, so I don't worry as much as most about the pronunciation. If you cross your legs, grab your xxxx and yell "banheiro.", even the sensitive ones know what you are looking for.

Roddie in Retirement

@jonesio Comedy is my thing, so I hate to veer off topic, but my wife and I retired from Maryland, and I get ALL the news alerts of what's going on every minute ---- Car Jackings, Home Invasions, School shootings etc.

What surprised me was a broadcast of the PGA Memorial Tournament. It ended and my streaming flipped to the News in North Carolina --- No shootings, violence etc. on the newscast. In DC it almost always led the news.

Roddie in Retirement

This is ca stirr up posting. 

It takes years too draw into the local sense of humor.  Just give time. There's no point in making sudden adjustments to your sense of humor. 

Was searching for Brazilian jokes and found the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq0BrSyYIM8

A brazilian born comedian in New York.... very funny....