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Old people don't get The Office, suggests study

Poor old people. There's just so much out there for them not to get: Digipets, those shoes with the wheels, Gwen Stefani. Okay, maybe I'm kind of an old person too, but not as old as the people who don't get why The Office is funny. A team of mean scientists rounded up about sixty people over the age of sixty and made them watch a beloved British sitcom. Awkwardness ensued: 

Psychologists found that older people were less adept at spotting Brent's gaffes, which include him abandoning a wheelchair-bound woman in a stairwell during a fire alarm and failing to realize he cannot dance.

Compared to younger participants, the older volunteers were also less able to identifying the varying emotions of the other characters.

Ted Ruffman, associate professor of psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said the implication was that the those who found faux pas difficult to spot were more likely to make them.

So there you have it: scientific proof that old people aren't as hip as you. Are you happy, Dr. Ruffman? Do you just feel so cool now? 

Comments ( 11 )

So, is this post supposed to be funny?

Gazbo commented on Feb 03 11 at 8:00 pm

Old people don't get Ray Rahman

jmh commented on Feb 03 11 at 8:15 pm

Fuck me. I hope there isn't some sudden tipping point after which that kind of stuff doesn't work any more. I'm 57 next month and I have the whole UK Office boxed set on DVD I haven't had time to watch yet. What if it's ineffective by the time I get around to it? Sheeit!

GeeBee commented on Feb 03 11 at 8:51 pm

Don't worry GeeBee, you already don't get iCarly . The thing is, the older you get, the less you care about what you "don't get" - and the folks who think it's reeeeal important.

Gazbo commented on Feb 03 11 at 9:36 pm

Hell, I thought that was Les Nessman from 'WKRP in Cincinnati'...

Tyr commented on Feb 04 11 at 12:11 am

They were probably Tea Partying Republicans. In that case, who cares whether they get it or not.

Twolane commented on Feb 04 11 at 9:47 am

I must be entering my old age at 24. I don't really find either versions funny.

J. commented on Feb 04 11 at 10:01 am

I think it is more likely that older people worked in offices with some people like this and it was considered normal. The previous generations had shit jobs and bosses that were not concerned with their opinions or their problems. They could either deal with it or quit.

AD commented on Feb 04 11 at 10:35 am

That's okay. You kids under 60 don't get Jack Benny, the Firesign Theater or Pogo, not to mention the Marx Brothers. And that stuff's still funny.

Jack commented on Feb 04 11 at 1:10 pm

I sent my 70yr old folks The Office seasons 1-4 for Xmas 2 years ago. Mom's reply: "We think Michael and Dwight are jerks. We like Jim and Pam, and the Temp and Creed are okay too." I'm not sure if this means they "get it" or not.

Concerned for Humor commented on Feb 04 11 at 5:56 pm

Well Jack, I'm 26, and I have several early albums from the Firesign Theater that I enjoy immensely.

Kitty commented on Feb 06 11 at 2:52 pm

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