Gender Dysphoria is the concept of one’s gender identity within oneself clashing with their perceived or performed gender presented to the outside world. This is a common phenomenon, particularly in the trans and non- binary communities, where this dissonance causes intense discomfort. Common triggers for dysphoria include improper pronoun use, wearing clothing that misaligns with an individual’s gender identity, defining gendered features that contrast one’s identity, and seeing oneself in the mirror/ photos (amongst many others). Gender is a social construct built around societal roles, expectations, and precedents for various demographics. When trans people are faced with triggers that typically align with their sex assigned at birth, or directly contrast their gender identity, dysphoria occurs. With gender roles being so nuanced in modern society, researchers have delved into the minutia of these dynamics. A recent study conducted by Carnegie Mellon’s psychology department has highlighted a direct link between one’s humoristic abilities and the relative dysphoria incurred.
It’s common knowledge that women are not funny. Between royal fools, comedy playwrights, standup comedians, and even workplace banter, humor has always been a man’s job. Given that humor is so blatantly aligned with masculinity, research has shown that trans women experience unprecedented levels of dysphoria when viewed as funny. After several experiments, studies have demonstrated that the more raucous the laughter following a trans woman’s statement is, not only is she more likely to experience dysphoria, but the dysphoria she experiences will be more intense than the typical bouts. One subject stated, “They had a group of us in a room and we were told to crack jokes. When people laughed at what I was saying, I became acutely aware of my penis. The fact that they viewed me as someone intelligent enough to devise wit and produce effective comedy was disheartening because they clearly didn’t view me as a real woman.” Gender euphoria, conversely, is the feeling of elation that one experiences when their gender identity is affirmed. A secondary study dove into this concept and found an interesting statistic. Women have historically had to deal with subpar sexual experiences, whether it be due to poor performance on their partner’s behalf, stigma and guilt surrounding sexual topics and behavior, and a host of other factors. As a result, a common aspect of a woman’s sexual journey is faking orgasms. This study found that faking orgasms brings trans women extreme levels of gender euphoria. Subjects have reported that they “feel validated by being displeased in bed” and that “faking an orgasm makes [them] feel just like a real woman” which leads researchers to believe this could be a massive breakthrough in the field. Science is always looking to improve the world, whether it be through innovating technology, providing a better understanding of the world, reducing the harm in our communities, and more. These studies are at the cutting edge of LGBTQ+ research in order to improve the experiences of our queer peers. With the new discoveries these researchers have unearthed, we now have new ways to do so. The teams that have worked on these studies posit that for the betterment of the trans community, we need to foster more environments where our trans women can both laugh and cum less.
