Differential effects of affective arousal and valence on humor appreciation in female university students

Hugo Carretero-Dios; Elena Delgado-Rico; Raúl López-Benítez; Alberto Acosta

doi:10.1515/humor-2023-0028

Article

Differential effects of affective arousal and valence on humor appreciation in female university students

Hugo Carretero-Dios
Hugo Carretero-Dios, Ph.D., University of Granada, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Methodology of Behavioural Sciences at Granada University. His research focuses on psychometric analyses and how humor has an impact on psychological variables.
, Elena Delgado-Rico
Elena Delgado-Rico, Ph.D., Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Psychobiology at Universidad Internacional de La Rioja. His research focuses on executive functions, emotions and adolescents.
, Raúl López-Benítez
Raúl López-Benítez, Ph.D., University of Valladolid, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Valladolid University. His research examines how humor is related to psychological processes, as emotion or cognition.
and Alberto Acosta
Alberto Acosta, Ph.D., University of Granada, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Granada University. His research focuses in the study of psychological processes such as emotion and cognition.

Published/Copyright: March 28, 2023

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From the journal HUMOR Volume 36 Issue 2

Abstract

The aim of this experimental study was to clarify whether affective states with different arousal and valence levels influence the perceived funniness and aversiveness shown as a response to humor stimuli. We used the International Affective Picture System, IAPS (Lang, Peter J., Margaret M. Bradley & Bruce N. Cuthbert. 1999. International Affective Picture System (IAPS): Technical manual and affective ratings. Gainesville, FL: The Center for Research in Psychophysiology, University of Florida) and followed a mixed factorial design. Affective state differed between four groups: 1) neutral group; 2) negative valence-moderate arousal group; 3) positive valence-moderate arousal group; and 4) negative valence-high arousal group. We measured pre- and post-perceived funniness and aversiveness in response to humorous material. Participants were 80 psychology students who were randomly assigned to one of four induction conditions. The results showed that, regardless of the type of valence, affective states with moderate arousal levels did not affect humor appreciation. However, the perceived funniness response was significantly lower in the negative valence-high arousal group. Perceived aversiveness responses were not affected by valence or arousal level. Results are discussed in relation to several current theories on the role of affective state in humor appreciation.

Keywords: arousal; aversiveness; funniness; humor appreciation; IAPS; valence

Corresponding author: Hugo Carretero-Dios, Department of Methodology of Behavioural Sciences, Centro de Investigación Mente, Cerebro, y Comportamiento (CIMCYC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Granada, Campus Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain, E-mail: hugocd@ugr.es

About the authors

Hugo Carretero-Dios

Hugo Carretero-Dios, Ph.D., University of Granada, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Methodology of Behavioural Sciences at Granada University. His research focuses on psychometric analyses and how humor has an impact on psychological variables.

Elena Delgado-Rico

Elena Delgado-Rico, Ph.D., Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Psychobiology at Universidad Internacional de La Rioja. His research focuses on executive functions, emotions and adolescents.

Raúl López-Benítez

Raúl López-Benítez, Ph.D., University of Valladolid, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Valladolid University. His research examines how humor is related to psychological processes, as emotion or cognition.

Alberto Acosta

Alberto Acosta, Ph.D., University of Granada, Spain, is a Professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Granada University. His research focuses in the study of psychological processes such as emotion and cognition.

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Received: 2022-03-28

Accepted: 2023-02-21

Published Online: 2023-03-28

Published in Print: 2023-05-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2023-0028

Keywords for this article

arousal; aversiveness; funniness; humor appreciation; IAPS; valence