Humor as an abrasive or a lubricant in social situations: Martineau revisited
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Leslie Janes
Leslie Janes obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada and has been a faculty member at Brescia University College, an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario, since 2003. She has conducted research on many topics, including social cognition, attitudes, and humor.
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James Olson
James Olson obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo and has been a faculty member at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, since 1978. He served as Chair of the Psychology Department from 1998 to 2003. He has conducted research on many topics, and has published more than 100 articles and chapters and has co-edited fifteen books. He has served as an Associate Editor of three scientific journals, including the
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology from 1995 to 1998. He is currently the co-editor of the seriesAdvances in Experimental Social Psychology .
Abstract
In Martineau’s seminal chapter on the social functions of humor, he postulated some of the ways in which disparagement humor shapes social behavior. This research paper discusses three research studies that compared the effects of other-deprecating humor and self-deprecating humor on the observer and examines how they relate to Martineau’s theory. In our research, we hypothesized that people who observe ridicule of others experience “jeer pressure.” This inhibiting effect on behavior was expected to result in conformity to others’ opinions, fear about failing or standing out, and conventional thinking. In the first two studies, participants observed videotapes containing self-ridiculing humor, other-deprecating humor, or non-ridiculing/no humor. Participants then completed tasks assessing conforming, fear of failure, and creativity. Results of both studies showed that participants who observed ridicule of others were more conforming and more afraid of failing than participants who observed self-deprecating humor or the control condition. Study 3 examined the effects of ridicule of others versus self-deprecating humor on creativity using a more sophisticated creativity measure, and less caustic humor. Results supported the hypothesis that observing self-deprecating humor would result in higher levels of creativity compared to the other-ridicule condition. Implications of these findings for Martineau’s model are discussed.
About the authors
Leslie Janes obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada and has been a faculty member at Brescia University College, an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario, since 2003. She has conducted research on many topics, including social cognition, attitudes, and humor.
James Olson obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo and has been a faculty member at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, since 1978. He served as Chair of the Psychology Department from 1998 to 2003. He has conducted research on many topics, and has published more than 100 articles and chapters and has co-edited fifteen books. He has served as an Associate Editor of three scientific journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology from 1995 to 1998. He is currently the co-editor of the series Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.
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©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- The social consequences of disparagement humor: Introduction and overview
- Disparagement humor and prejudice: Contemporary theory and research
- Sexist humor and social identity: the role of sexist humor in men’s in-group cohesion, sexual harassment, rape proclivity, and victim blame
- Put-Down Humor Directed at Outgroup Members Increases Perceived – but Not Experienced – Cohesion in Groups
- Hung out to dry: use and consequences of disparagement humor on American Idol
- Sexist humor as a trigger of state self-objectification in women
- Humor as an abrasive or a lubricant in social situations: Martineau revisited
- It’s just a (sexist) joke: comparing reactions to sexist versus racist communications
- Gender disparaging jokes: An investigation of sexist-nonstereotypical jokes on funniness, typicality, and the moderating role of ingroup identification
- The rhetoric of disparagement humor: An analysis of anti-semitic joking online
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- The social consequences of disparagement humor: Introduction and overview
- Disparagement humor and prejudice: Contemporary theory and research
- Sexist humor and social identity: the role of sexist humor in men’s in-group cohesion, sexual harassment, rape proclivity, and victim blame
- Put-Down Humor Directed at Outgroup Members Increases Perceived – but Not Experienced – Cohesion in Groups
- Hung out to dry: use and consequences of disparagement humor on American Idol
- Sexist humor as a trigger of state self-objectification in women
- Humor as an abrasive or a lubricant in social situations: Martineau revisited
- It’s just a (sexist) joke: comparing reactions to sexist versus racist communications
- Gender disparaging jokes: An investigation of sexist-nonstereotypical jokes on funniness, typicality, and the moderating role of ingroup identification
- The rhetoric of disparagement humor: An analysis of anti-semitic joking online
