The involvement of sense of humor in the development of social relationships

Abstract

This investigation sought to understand the impact of sense of humor on relationship development. High and low sense of humor subjects were paired with moderate sense of humor partners and were instructed to interact for 30 minutes. A post‐interaction questionnaire tapped attributional confidence and the desire to interact in the future. Results indicated that a high, rather than a low, sense of humor facilitated the reduction of uncertainty and also served to reduce social distance between interactants. These findings provide support for the facilitative nature of humor in the development of interpersonal relations. Indeed, sense of humor is an engaging personality trait that has direct implications for social relationships.