title: Is the last "man" standing in comedy the least funny? A retrospective cohort study of elite stand-up comedians versus other entertainers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to confirm, in a large, diverse cohort of elite Stand-up Comedians and other entertainers, that there is an inverse association between comedic ability and longevity.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective cohort study included 200 Stand-up Comedians (13% women), 113 Comedy Actors (17.5% women), and 184 Dramatic Actors (29.3% women) listed in the top 200 in each category in a popular online ranking website. Longevity within each group was examined adjusting for life expectancy by year of birth and within-group ranking score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stand-up Comedians were younger than Comedy Actors (median birth year 1962 versus 1947: p<0.001) and Dramatic Actors (1962 versus 1946: p<0.001). Overall, 36/200 (18.0%), 33/114 (29.0%) and 56/184 (30.9%) of Stand-up Comedians, Comedy Actors and Dramatic Actors, respectively, had died (p=0.011). There was a significant gradient (p=0.011) in the age of death, with Stand-up Comedians dying at a younger age (67.1±21.3years) than their Comedy Actor (68.9±15.4years) and Dramatic Actor (70.7±16.6years) counterparts. Stand-up Comedians (38.9% versus 19.6%) were more likely to die prematurely compared to Dramatic Actors; p=0.043, OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.01 to 3.87). Independent of year of birth, for Stand-up Comedians alone, higher comedy rank was associated with shorter longevity (hazard ratio 0.938, 95% CI 0.880 to 0.999 for a 10-rank difference; p=0.045).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data reaffirm an adverse relationship between comedic ability and longevity, with elite Stand-up Comedians more highly rated by the public more likely to die prematurely.
authors.affiliation: Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Centre of Research Excellence in Health Service Research to Reduce Inequality in Heart Disease, Australian Catholic University, Level 5, 215 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. Electronic address: Simon.Stewart@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Centre for Primary Care and Prevention, Australian Catholic University, Level 5, 215 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. Electronic address: Joshua.Wiley@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Joshua F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.affiliation: Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Centre of Research Excellence in Health Service Research to Reduce Inequality in Heart Disease, Australian Catholic University, Level 5, 215 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. Electronic address: Cressida.McDermott@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Cressida J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.affiliation: Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Centre for the Heart and Mind, Australian Catholic University, Level 5, 215 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. Electronic address: David.Thompson@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002321:Career Choice; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004324:Drama; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Comedy; Entertainers; Mortality