Humor in conflict discussions: Comparing partners' perceptions

Abstract

This study assessed romantic partners' perceptions of their own and each others' humor usage during a conflict discussion. Forty-eight married and dating couples were recorded discussing conflict topics that both partners cited as sources of disagreement in their relationships. Both partners then viewed the videotaped interaction and reported on the humor used by each of them in the interaction. Humor was identified by at least one participant in all couples, with a total of 412 instances of verbal humor identified by participants across 336 minutes of recoded interaction. Partners identified the same instances as humor attempts about 34% of the time. A mix of actor and partner variables predicted participants' relationship satisfaction and their perceptions of conflict escalation and progress. The implications of these findings for advancing the understanding of humor in conflict, as well as the utility of this methodology for further study of humor in dyads, are discussed.