Humor Content Preferences and the Relief of Experimentally Aroused Aggression

Prerost, Frank J.; Brewer, Robert E.

doi:10.1080/00224545.1977.9713321

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…TENSION RELIEF Humor's stress-reducing benefits are widely recognized (Dienstbier 1995;Lefcourt & Martin 1986;Martin & Lefcourt 1983;Schacter & Wheeler 1962;White & Winzelberg 1992). While empirical findings about the precise relationship between humor and stress remain complicated (e. g., Kuiper & Martin 1998) and controversial (see review in White & Winzelberg 1992) evidence does suggest that when aroused, individuals laugh more (Schacter & Wheeler 1962) and interpret humorous stimuli as more funny (Cantor) Bryant & Zillman 1974;Prerost & Brewer 1977). Laughing appears to reduce psychological stress (White & Winzelberg 1992).…”

Section: Definitions Of Humormentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting A Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions

2001

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humor is a quintessentially social phenomenon, since every joke requires botha teller and an audience. Here we ask how humor operates in task-oriented group discussions. We usetheories about thefunctions ofhumor togenerate hypotheses aboutwhojokes, when and in what situations. Then we useeventhistory techniques to analyze humor attemptsand successes in six-person groups. Our results combine to suggest an image of jokingasa status-related activity, with men, highparticipators, frequentinterrupters, and those who arefrequently interrupted allshowing status-related patterns of humor use. Wefind substantial time dependence in humor use, in whichhumor may serve to form a status hierarchy earlyin a group's developmentand to dissipate task-related tension later in the discussion. We usethese results, in conjunction with core insights on status and emotion from thegroup processes literature, to develop a newtheory of humor usein task-oriented groups. The new theory generates predictions about the contentof humor episodes, which we examine with additionaldatafrom ourgroup discussions. Consistent with the theory, we find that a higher proportion of men's humor is differentiating, whilea higher proportion ofwomen's humor is cohesion-building. We find the samegeneral pattern with our otherstatusvariable, participation.allof the fun out of the subject. Accepting that risk, we follow up on a long-dormant thread in the literature on small group interaction that discusses when and how humor is important in task-group discussions (Bales & Slater 1955). We begin by reviewing the wide-ranging literature that has developed on humor. Then we discuss the implications of this literature for group interaction, deriving predictions about the actual distribution of humor use among group participants and the timing of joke-telling during a task-oriented conversation between strangers. We test these predictions by examining the actual distribution and timing of humorous episodes during conversations in 29 task-oriented groups. We use our findings to develop a new theory about the relationship between status, affect and humor. Finally, we take a deeper look at our data to look for patterns that support or contradict our new theoretical predictions.

show abstract

Section: Definitions Of Humormentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting A Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions

2001

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A percepção da função intencional da anedota, em conjunto com seus impactos potenciais (negativos, neutros ou positivos), influenciam a avaliação sobre o nível de ameaça que as anedotas representam (e.g. Prerost e Brewer, 1977). Tal proposição tem respaldo nas primeiras análises de Freud sobre humor e sua relação com o inconsciente (Freud, 1938).…”

Section: Apreciação Ou Reação Ao Humorunclassified

“…Os resultados do estudo projetivo e das discussões dos grupos sugerem que as respostas dos consultores variam, em boa medida, de acordo com sua apreciação da função, intenção e impacto potencial das anedotas (Prerost e Brewer, 1977). Tal apreciação, por sua vez, é influenciada por posturas individuais e por mediadores situacionais (Branscombe et al, 1999;Pistole e Shor, 1979;Prevost, 1980).…”

Section: Analisando As Reações Dos Consultores àS Críticasunclassified

See 1 more Smart Citation

Rindo do que? Como consultores reagem ao humor crítico e à ironia sobre sua profissão

Wood¹,

Caldas²

2005

Organ. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

RESUMOurante a última década, seguindo o rápido crescimento de seu setor, os consultores e as firmas de consultoria passaram a sofrer diversas críticas. Este artigo procura sumarizar as críticas vindas de acadêmicos, jornalistas e, especialmente, aquelas presentes em textos humorísticos e irônicos. Por meio de uma investigação colaborativa, na qual utilizaram-se técnicas de projeção e de análise de conteúdo, foram analisadas as reações a anedotas de uma amostra de consultores de quatro organizações. Os resultados sugerem que esse grupo de profissionais é sensível às críticas, embora apresente uma tendência a racionalizar, de maneira defensiva, as críticas encontradas, no lugar de utilizar as mensagens e os sentidos implícitos para reflexão e auto-desenvolvimento. ABSTRACTuring the last decade, following the rapid growth of its industry, consultants and consulting firms have been exposed to several critiques. This paper summarizes the critiques coming from scholars, journalists and, specially, those coming from comic and ironic texts. Through a collaborative investigation, in which a mixed methodology of projective techniques and content analysis was used, the reactions to jokes about consultants from a sample of consultants from four professional services organizations were analyzed. The results suggest that this group of professionals is sensitive to critiques, but tends to rationalize, in a defensive manner, the critiques, instead of using the messages and meanings for reflection and self development.

show abstract

“…Hostile humour elicits modeling or triggers aggressive cues (Berkowitz, 1970). Prevost and Brewer (1977) examined aggressive humour and divided aggressive humour into threatening and non-threatening forms. They found the non-threatening form more effective than the threatening form.…”

Section: Humour: Aggression Relief or Release?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of humour in psychotherapy

Banmen¹

1982

Int J Adv Counselling

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humor Content Preferences and the Relief of Experimentally Aroused Aggression

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

Getting A Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions

Getting A Laugh: Gender, Status, and Humor in Task Discussions

Rindo do que? Como consultores reagem ao humor crítico e à ironia sobre sua profissão

The use of humour in psychotherapy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About