Psychology of Humor (eBook)

Front cover 1
Title page 4
Copyright page 5
Table of contents 8
Foreword 14
Preface 16
Acknowledgements 18
1 Introduction to the Psychology of Humor 20
THE UNIVERSALITY OF HUMOR AND LAUGHTER 21
WHAT IS HUMOR? 24
The Social Context of Humor 24
Cognitive-Perceptual Processes in Humor 25
Emotional Aspects of Humor 26
Laughter as an Expression of the Emotion of Mirth 28
THE MANY FORMS OF HUMOR 29
Jokes 30
Spontaneous Conversational Humor 31
Unintentional Humor 33
PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF HUMOR 34
Cognitive and Social Functions of the Positive Emotion of Mirth 34
Social Communication and Influence 36
Tension Relief and Coping with Adversity 38
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMOR 39
Etymology of Humor 39
Changing Views of Laughter 40
Wit versus Humor 42
Evolution of the Concept of Sense of Humor 43
HUMOR AND PSYCHOLOGY 45
CONCLUSION 48
2 Theories and Early Research I: Psychoanalytic and Superiority Theories 50
PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY 52
Overview of the Theory 52
Empirical Investigations 55
Evaluation 60
SUPERIORITY/DISPARAGEMENT THEORIES 62
Overview of the Theories 63
Implications of Superiority/Disparagement Theories 66
Empirical Investigations 68
Evaluation 72
CONCLUSION 74
3 Theories and Early Research II: Arousal, Incongruity, and Reversal Theories 76
AROUSAL THEORIES 76
Overview of the Theories 76
Empirical Investigations 78
Evaluation 81
INCONGRUITY THEORIES 81
Overview of the Theories 81
Empirical Investigations 85
Evaluation 91
REVERSAL THEORY 94
Overview of the Theory 94
EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS 98
Evaluation 99
CONCLUSION 100
4 The Cognitive Psychology of Humor 102
HUMOR, INCONGRUITY, AND SCHEMAS 104
Schemas, Frames, and Scripts 104
Applications of Schema Theory to Humor 105
LINGUISTIC APPROACHES TO HUMOR 108
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF SCHEMAS IN HUMOR 111
Semantic Distance 111
Semantic Priming Techniques 114
COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN CONVERSATIONAL HUMOR: IRONY AND SARCASM 116
EFFECTS OF HUMOR ON COGNITION 120
Creativity 120
Memory 122
COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES TO HUMOR 124
HUMOR AS COGNITIVE PLAY 127
CONCLUSION 129
5 The Social Psychology of Humor 132
HUMOR AS SOCIAL INTERACTION 133
INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF HUMOR 135
Self-Disclosure, Social Probing, and Norm Violation 136
Decommitment 137
Social Norms and Control 138
Status and Hierarchy Maintenance 139
Ingratiation 140
Group Identity and Cohesion 141
Discourse Management 142
Social Play 143
TEASING 143
SOCIAL ASPECTS OF LAUGHTER 147
HUMOR, SOCIAL PERCEPTION, AND INTERPERSONAL ATTRACTION 150
Social Perception 150
Interpersonal Attraction 151
Humor as a Desirable Trait in Friendship and Mate Selection 153
HUMOR AND PERSUASION 155
HUMOR, ATTITUDES, AND PREJUDICE 158
HUMOR AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS 162
HUMOR AND GENDER 166
CONCLUSION 169
6 The Psychobiology of Humor and Laughter 172
THE NATURE OF LAUGHTER 173
Laughter and Emotion 174
Acoustics of Laughter 175
Laughter Respiration and Phonation 178
Facial Expressions of Laughter and Smiling 179
AUTONOMIC AND VISCERAL CONCOMITANTS OF MIRTH 181
LAUGHTER IN NONHUMAN ANIMALS 184
The Play Face 184
Laughter and Smiling in Apes 185
"Laughter" in Rats? 187
PATHOLOGICAL LAUGHTER 188
LAUGHTER AND THE BRAIN 190
TICKLING AS A STIMULUS FOR LAUGHTER 192
THE NEURAL BASIS OF COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN HUMOR 195
Humor and Brain Injury 195
EEG Studies 198
Brain-Imaging Studies 200
EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES OF HUMOR AND LAUGHTER 204
CONCLUSION 207
7 Personality Approaches to the Sense of Humor 210
WHAT IS SENSE OF HUMOR? 211
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN HUMOR APPRECIATION 214
Theoretically-Based Content Approaches 215
Early Factor Analytic Studies 216
Ruch's Factor-Analytic Investigations 219
Personality Correlates of the 3WD Dimensions 221
SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF SENSE OF HUMOR DIMENSIONS 224
Svebak's Sense of Humor Questionnaire 225
The Situational Humor Response Questionnaire 227
The Coping Humor Scale 229
The Humor Styles Questionnaire 229
The State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory 233
SENSE OF HUMOR AS AN ABILITY 235
SENSE OF HUMOR AS STYLES OF HUMOROUS CONDUCT 238
HOW MANY DIFFERENT SENSES OF HUMOR EXIST? 240
PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONAL HUMORISTS 242
CONCLUSION 244
8 The Developmental Psychology of Humor 248
SMILING AND LAUGHTER IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD 249
HUMOR AND PLAY 253
HUMOR AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 257
McGhee's Four-Stage Model of Humor Development 258
The Role of Incongruity and Resolution in Children's Humor 260
Humor and Cognitive Mastery 262
Cognitive Development of Irony and Sarcasm 263
HUMOR AS EMOTIONAL COPING 266
INTERPERSONAL ASPECTS OF HUMOR IN CHILDREN 268
Social Influences on Humor Appreciation and Laughter 269
Teasing Among Children 269
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN CHILDRENÌS SENSE OF HUMOR 271
Genetic Factors in Sense of Humor 272
Family Environment Factors in Sense of Humor Development 275
Personality and Behavioral Correlates of Children's Sense of Humor 278
HUMOR AND AGING 282
CONCLUSION 285
9 Humor and Mental Health 288
HUMOR AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING 289
Experimental Investigations of Humor and Emotions 289
Correlational Studies of Trait Humor and Emotional Well-Being 292
Distinguishing Potentially Healthy and Unhealthy Humor Styles 295
HUMOR, STRESS, AND COPING 301
Experimental Investigations of Humor as a Stress Moderator 302
Correlational Studies of Sense of Humor and Coping Styles 304
Humor in Coping with Specific Life Stressors 306
Sense of Humor as a Stress Moderator 310
Process Approaches to Investigating Humor in Coping 314
INTERPERSONAL ASPECTS OF HUMOR IN MENTAL HEALTH 316
Humor as a Facilitator of Healthy Relationships 318
Interpersonal Aspects of Coping Humor 322
CONCLUSION 324
10 Humor and Physical Health 328
POPULAR BELIEFS ABOUT HUMOR AND HEALTH 329
HOW MIGHT HUMOR AFFECT HEALTH? 332
HUMOR AND IMMUNITY 336
Experimental Investigations 336
Correlational Studies 340
HUMOR AND PAIN 342
HUMOR, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND HEART DISEASE 345
HUMOR AND ILLNESS SYMPTOMS 346
HUMOR AND LONGEVITY 348
CONCLUSION 350
11 Applications of Humor in Psychotherapy, Education, and the Workplace 354
HUMOR IN PSYCHOTHERAPY AND COUNSELING 355
Humor-Based Therapies 356
Humor as a Specific Therapeutic Technique 358
Humor as a Therapist Skill 360
Research on Humor in the Therapeutic Process 362
Risks of Humor in Therapy 365
Conclusion 368
HUMOR IN EDUCATION 368
Descriptive Studies of Teachers' Use of Humor in the Classroom 370
Teachers' Use of Humor and the Classroom Environment 371
Teachers' Use of Humor and Students' Learning 373
Effects of Humor in Tests and Exams 375
Effects of Humor in Textbooks 376
Caveats in the Use of Humor in Education 377
Conclusion 378
HUMOR IN THE WORKPLACE 379
Social Functions of Humor in the Workplace 380
Humor as a Reflection of Organizational Culture 384
Humor in Negotiation and Mediation 385
Humor in Leadership 386
Conclusion 387
GENERAL DISCUSSION 388
References 392
Indices 440
Subject Index 440
Author Index 450