The psychology of humor : an integrative approach

465 Pages·2007·2.69 MB·English

by  Rod A Martin

FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page i
The Psychology of Humor:
A I A
n ntegrative pproach
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page ii
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page iii
The sychology
P
of Humor:
An Integrative
Approach
ROD A. MARTIN
Department of Psychology
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada N6A5C2

AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON
NEWYORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
FM-P372564.qxd 25/8/06 11:30 AM Page iv
Elsevier Academic Press
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495, USA
84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights
Department in Oxford, UK: phone: [phone], fax: [phone],
E-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request on-line via
the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Customer Support” and
then “Obtaining Permissions.”
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
APPLICATION SUBMITTED
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 13: 978-0-12-372564-6
ISBN 10: 0-12-372564-X
For all information on all Else vier Academic Press publications
visit our Web site at www.books.elsevier.com
PRINTED IN the United States of America
07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Working together to grow
libraries in developing countries
www.elsevier.com | www.bookaid.org | www.sabre.org
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page v
To Myra, who keeps me laughing
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page vi
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page vii
CONTENTS
FOREWORD xiii
PREFACE xv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii
CHAPTER 1
Introduction to the Psychology of Humor 1
The Universality of Humor and Laughter 2
What Is Humor? 5

The Social Context of Humor 5
Cognitive-Perceptual Processes in Humor 6
Emotional Aspects of Humor 7
Laughter as an Expression of the Emotion of Mirth 9
The Many Forms of Humor 10
Jokes 11
Spontaneous Conversational Humor 12
Unintentional Humor 14
Psychological Functions of Humor 15
Cognitive and Social Functions of the Positive Emotion of Mirth 15
vii
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page viii
viii
CONTENTS
Social Communication and Influence 17
Tension Relief and Coping with Adversity 19
A Brief History of Humor 20
Etymology of Humor 20
Changing Views of Laughter 21
Wit versus Humor 23
Evolution of the Concept of Sense of Humor 24
Humor and Psychology 26
Conclusion 29
CHAPTER 2
Theories and Early Research I: Psychoanalytic and
Superiority Theories 31
Psychoanalytic Theory 33
Overview of the Theory 33
Empirical Investigations 36
Evaluation 41
Superiority/Disparagement Theories 43
Overview of the Theories 44
Implications of Superiority/Disparagement Theories 47
Empirical Investigations 49
Evaluation 53
CHAPTER 3
Theories and Early Research II: Arousal, Incongruity,
and Reversal Theories 57
Arousal Theories 57
Overview of the Theories 57
Empirical Investigations 59

Evaluation 62
Incongruity Theories 62
Overview of the Theories 62
Empirical Investigations 66
Evaluation 72
Reversal Theory 75
Overview of the Theory 75
Empirical Investigations 79
Evaluation 80
Conclusion 81
FM-P372564.qxd 15/8/06 2:16 PM Page ix
ix
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 4
The Cognitive Psychology of Humor 83
Humor, Incongruity, and Schemas 85
Schemas, Frames, and Scripts 85
Applications of Schema Theory to Humor 86
Linguistic Approaches to Humor 89
Psychological Approaches to the Study of Schemas in Humor 92
Semantic Distance 92
Semantic Priming Techniques 95
Cognitive Processes in Conversational Humor: Irony and Sarcasm 97
Effects of Humor on Cognition 101
Creativity 101
Memory 103
Computational Approaches to Humor 105
Humor as Cognitive Play 108
Conclusion 110
CHAPTER 5
The Social Psychology of Humor 113
Humor as Social Interaction 114
Interpersonal Functions of Humor 116
Self-Disclosure, Social Probing, and Norm Violation 117
Decommitment 118
Social Norms and Control 119
Status and Hierarchy Maintenance 120
Ingratiation 121
Group Identity and Cohesion 122
Discourse Management 123
Social Play 124
Teasing 124

Social Aspects of Laughter 128
Humor, Social Perception, and Interpersonal Attraction 131
Social Perception 131
Interpersonal Attraction 132
Humor as a Desirable Trait in Friendship and Mate Selection 134
Humor and Persuasion 136
Humor, Attitudes, and Prejudice 139
Humor and Intimate Relationships 143
Humor and Gender 147
Conclusion 150