Humor Ability Research Articles

Humor in autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review

ObjectivesHumor is essential to social relationships. Its use and understanding appear to be impaired in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The main objective was to review the existing literature on the detection, understanding and use of humor in persons with ASD. The secondary objective involved exploring assessment scales and specific intervention tools. MethodsA systematic review of the literature was carried out on all available French and English scientific papers about humor – including irony – in persons with ASD up to November 2021. We extracted 552 references and included 43 articles from six databases. ResultsStudies suggest that those with ASD can detect audiovisual and written humor. Understanding humor was impaired in writing and when using pure auditory stimuli and non-verbal cartoons. For irony, the results indicated a lower detection of quality and less understanding in speaking but not in writing. Regarding its use, in terms of expression, people with ASD use benevolent humor less often and do not consider humor as a key source of satisfaction with life, as opposed to the control group. ConclusionsIt appears that it would be worthwhile to develop standardized humor detection and assessment tools specific to persons with ASD. Practical strategies that focus on humor ability could be worth developing, either individually or in groups.

Explicit and implicit abilities in humor processing in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

ABSTRACT Sociocognitive impairment is well known in the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (RR-MS). The purpose of the present study was to assess explicit and implicit humor abilities in this population. Based on clinical observation and contrary to the current cognitive model, we hypothesized that implicit performances (happy facial expressions) would be better than explicit ones (humor judgment assessed by explicit humor comprehension, subjective feeling of amusement as a conscious appreciation of funniness, and verbal justifications of funniness). Twenty-five RR-MS patients and twenty-five healthy participants completed the tasks. Their face was filmed during humor ratings. Patients’ results suggest that 32% of them showed an impairment in explicit humor comprehension, with normal facial expressions. Both groups found great difficulty in justifying the cause of their amusement. All these results may suggest the existence of a supplementary implicit pathway in humor processing. The preservation of this implicit pathway may be advantageous for future remediation. Contrary to the current model, we found that the subjective feeling of amusement was preserved when comprehension was impaired. Further studies will be needed to clarify this component, and adjust the theoretical modeling.

Immune tolerance induced in the anterior chamber ameliorates corneal transplant rejection

The relevance of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in induction of tolerance against corneal allografts has been well established. However, whether Tregs can be induced in the anterior chamber and suppress local alloimmune response after corneal transplantation is largely unknown. In the current study we report that not only can alloantigen specific Tregs be generated in the anterior chamber during corneal transplantation, they also play important roles in suppressing allograft rejection. Allograft rejected mice exhibit reduced Treg induction in the anterior chamber and the ability of aqueous humor and corneal endothelial cells from allograft rejected mice to induce Tregs is compromised. Further analysis revealed that the expression of immune-tolerance-related molecules is significantly decreased. Finally, we demonstrate that increasing Treg cells specifically in the anterior chamber can effectively suppress allograft rejection and exhibits better efficacy in promoting corneal allograft survival than systemic administration of Treg cells. Our current study may provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of corneal transplant rejection.

Relative ability of aqueous humor from dogs with and without primary angle-closure glaucoma and ADAMTS10 open-angle glaucoma to catalyze or inhibit collagenolysis.

The objective of the study was to compare the ability of aqueous humor (AH) from dogs with primary angle-closure glaucoma (CPACG), companion dogs without overt evidence of CPACG, and Beagles with and without ADAMTS10 open-angle glaucoma (ADAMTS10-OAG) to catalyze or inhibit collagenolysis. Seventeen normal pet dogs, 27 dogs with CPACG, 19 Beagles with ADAMTS10-OAG, and 4 unaffected Beagles. A fluorescein-based substrate degradation assay was used to assess AH proteolytic capacity. Samples were then assayed using the same substrate degradation assay, with recombinant activated matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) added to measure protease inhibition effects. For the protease activity assay, relative fluorescence (RF) for AH from normal pet dogs was 13.28 ± 2.25% of control collagenase while RF for AH from dogs with CPACG was 17.47 ± 4.67%; RF was 8.57 ± 1.72% for ADAMTS10-OAG Beagles and 7.99 ± 1.15% for unaffected Beagles. For the MMP-2 inhibition assay, RF for AH from normal dogs was 34.96 ± 15.04% compared to MMP-2 controls, while RF from dogs with CPACG was 16.69 ± 7.95%; RF was 85.85 ± 13.23% for Beagles with ADAMTS10-OAG and 94.51 ± 8.36% for unaffected Beagles. Significant differences were found between dogs with CPACG and both normal pet dogs and dogs with ADAMTS10-OAG and between normal pet dogs and both groups of Beagles. AH from dogs with CPACG is significantly more able to catalyze proteolysis and inhibit MMP-2 than AH from normal dogs or dogs with ADAMTS10-OAG. Results suggest that pathogenesis may differ between CPACG and ADAMTS10-OAG.

Are more humorous children more intelligent? A case from Turkish culture

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intelligence and humor ability in a Turkish sample. The sample included 217 middle-school students with a wide range of intelligence measured by a Turkish intelligence test (ASIS). Humor ability was measured using the Humor Ability Assessment Form. Students were instructed to write captions for 10 cartoons that were as funny and relevant as possible. Seven experts rated the funniness of the captions and their relevance to the cartoons, yielding a total of 30,380 ratings (217 students × 10 cartoons × two criteria × seven experts). The findings showed that both general intelligence and the second-level components (verbal ability, visual-spatial ability, and memory) had high correlations with humor ability. Intelligence explained 68% of the variance in humor ability. Among the third-level factors, verbal analogical reasoning was the primary predictor of humor ability (β = 0.325, p < 0.001). Humor ability scores significantly differed across intelligence clusters, implying that highly humorous children may be highly intelligent.

Funny selves: Development of the Humor Efficacy and Identity Short Scales (HEISS)

Although humor is a universal feature of human communication, people vary widely in how they create and use humor. Guided by a broader model of creative self-beliefs, we developed the Humor Efficacy and Identity Short Scales (HEISS), a pair of 4-item scales measuring humor self-efficacy (“I can” beliefs reflecting confidence about one's ability to be funny) and humor identity (“I am” beliefs reflecting the centrality of humor ability to one's self-concept). Using a large sample of English speakers (n = 1842), an item response theory analysis found a suitable range of item difficulty, good item discrimination, and essentially zero gender-based differential item functioning. Three follow-up samples with English (n = 304, n = 400) and Polish (n = 385) speakers found conceptually consistent relationships with humor backgrounds and experiences (e.g., taking classes and holding jobs involving humor), with Big 5 personality traits, and with humor styles and playfulness. Taken together, these scales show promise for research on people's humor self-concepts and for studies of gendered aspects of humor use, creation, and appreciation.

Humor in Psychiatry: Lessons From Neuroscience, Psychopathology, and Treatment Research.

Humor is a ubiquitous human characteristic that is socially motivated at its core and has a broad range of significant positive effects on emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. Simultaneously, however, impairments in humor abilities have often been described in close association with the occurrence and course of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, social anxiety, or depression. In the past decade, research in the neuroimaging and psychiatric domain has substantially progressed to (i) characterize impaired humor as an element of psychopathology, and (ii) shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the role of humor in neuropsychiatric diseases. However, (iii) targeted interventions using concepts of positive psychology have revealed first evidence that a systematic training and/or a potential reactivation of humor-related skills can improve rehabilitative outcome in neuropsychiatric patient groups. Here, we sought to integrate evidence from neuroscience, as well as from psychopathology and treatment research to shed more light on the role of humor in psychiatry. Based on these considerations, we provide directions for future research and application in mental health services, focusing on the question of how our scientific understanding of humor can provide the basis for psychological interventions that foster positive attitudes and well-being.

A study on the Influence of Empathy Ability and Sense of Humor on the Communication Ability of Psychiatric Nurses

A study on the Influence of Empathy Ability and Sense of Humor on the Communication Ability of Psychiatric Nurses

El humor como hecho pragmático en español

En este artículo se analiza la habilidad metapragmática del humor en español. Considerando que se trata de un hecho pragmático (Ruiz Gurillo, 2006) como la metáfora o la ironía, se profundiza en las habilidades metapragmáticas que favorecen tanto su creación como su comprensión (Ruiz Gurillo, 2016). De este modo, el punto de vista del hablante/escritor ha de complementarse necesariamente con el del oyente/lector. Con el fin de ilustrar tales aspectos teóricos, se expondrán algunas de las habilidades metapragmáticas que pone en marcha tanto el cómico a la hora de producir monólogos humorísticos como el hablante de la conversación espontánea. El análisis de un género propiamente humorístico, el monólogo, de carácter planificado, público e interaccional se completa con el de un género no humorístico, la conversación espontánea, que es de carácter no planificado, privado y principalmente interactivo. Ello permite ilustrar algunos de los contextos en los que se usa y se infiere humor en español. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the metapragmatic ability of humor in Spanish. Taking into account that it is a pragmatic phenomenon (Ruiz Gurillo, 2006), such as metaphor or irony, this research delves into the metapragmatic abilities that promote not only its creation but also its comprehension (Ruiz Gurillo, 2016). Therefore, the speaker/writer’s perspective may be complemented with the listener/reader’s point of view. In order to illustrate these theoretical aspects, we will analyze some of the metapragmatic abilities that both comedians in monologues and speakers in conversation carry out while using humor. Firstly, a humorous genre, i.e. the monologue, will be described as a planned, public and interactional discourse. Secondly, a non-humorous genre, i.e. the spontaneous conversation, will be presented as an unplanned, private and interactive discourse. In sum, this research illustrates some contexts in which humor is used and inferenced in Spanish.

The Mediating Effects of Empathy Ability and Sense of Humor on the Relationship between Internalized Shame and Interpersonal Relationship Abilities of Engineering College Students

The Mediating Effects of Empathy Ability and Sense of Humor on the Relationship between Internalized Shame and Interpersonal Relationship Abilities of Engineering College Students

Differential Relationships of Light and Darker Forms of Humor with Mindfulness

This study proposes two links between facets of mindfulness and different forms of humor: First, the common benevolence should link mindfulness positively to light forms of humor and negatively to darker forms of humor. Second, similar cognitive mechanisms should underlie both mindfulness and humor ability (humor detection, comprehension, and production). Third, both are malleable, and we hypothesize that fostering humor and mindfulness may mutually influence each other, leading to innovative and practical interventions for settings such as the workplace. In three studies, the relationship of humor and mindfulness as outlined in the Humor Mindfulness Relationship Model was investigated. In Studies 1 and 2, the relationship of different forms of humor and mindfulness was investigated in a sample of health care professionals and a broad online sample. In Study 3, the effect of a mindfulness intervention on humor as a character strength was investigated, giving preliminary insights into the mutual malleability of both. Results confirmed the positive relationship among light forms of humor and mindfulness as well as negative relationships of darker forms of humor with mindfulness. The mindfulness intervention fostered humor as a character strength. These results indicate that humor and mindfulness may be fruitfully combined in positive interventions as well as in the vocational setting. Moreover, the results suggest initial evidence for the Humor Mindfulness Relationship Model.

The Effects of Mating Cues and Intrasexual Competition on Humor Production

The roles of mating cues and of intrasexual competition in humor production have not yet been assessed. Therefore, the present study explored the influence of implicit mating cues on humor enhancement. In two experiments involving 306 participants, using a priming methodology to examine sex differences and enhancement in humor production ability, participants were exposed to unattractive and attractive opposite-sex photographs, after which their humor production ability was rated. Studies differed in presentation durations of primes, and manipulation of intrasexual competition. The findings of Study 2 showed that, under conditions of intrasexual competition, men were superior to women in humor production ability and exhibited enhancement in humor ability following exposure to attractive women primes. The findings broaden the evolutionary cognitive framework in relation to sexual selection, differential parental investment, and social cognition.

Clever people: Intelligence and humor production ability.

Are smarter people funnier? Recent work suggests that cognitive abilities are important to humor production—the ability to generate funny ideas on the spot. Using the Cattell–Horn–Carroll model of intelligence, the present research examined both general and specific contributions of cognitive factors to humor ability. It extended past research by (a) measuring a broader range of cognitive abilities, including some that have not been assessed thus far, (b) assessing humor with a broader battery of tasks, and (c) using bifactor models to estimate both general and specific effects of intelligence on humor. A sample of 270 young adults completed measures of fluid reasoning (Gf), vocabulary knowledge (Gc), and broad retrieval ability (Gr) along with a battery of humor production tasks. All 3 specific factors correlated with humor ability, and a higher order model found a large effect of g on humor ability (s = .51 [.32, .70]). In a bifactor model, however, humor ability was predicted primarily by g and Gr but not Gf, suggesting that fluid intelligence’s correlation with humor ability found in past studies is carried by g. These findings illustrate both general and specific effects of intelligence on humor, and they expand the growing literature on the important role of intelligence in creative thought.

T202. HUMOR-SKILLS TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: EFFECTS ON SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING

BackgroundHumor can provide a method of coping with a variety of stressful situations. Training of humor-related skills has proven effective in clinical samples, although humor training in patients with schizophrenia is relatively rare.MethodsIn the present study, patients with schizophrenia have been randomly assigned to either a training of humor abilities or a training of social skills. Training effects on measures of psychopathology, psychosocial functioning and stress were compared between groups.ResultsPreliminary analyses revealed that level of negative symptoms, stress and psychosocial dysfunction were significantly reduced in the humor group over the course of the training.DiscussionThese results suggest that humor training may improve important clinical and functional outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.

YÖNETİCİLERİN KULLANDIĞI MİZAH TARZININ ARAŞTIRILMASI VE MİZAH KULLANIMININ ÖRGÜT ÜZERİNDEKİ NEGATİF VE POZİTİF ETKİLERİ: TÜRKİYE’DE ÖRNEK BİR ÇALIŞMA

When is used correctly by the leader, it positively affects employees; its misuse has a negative effect. Theory was developed for the purpose of bringing a perspective of laughing action into the management literature. Humor with sociological, psychological, recreational and communication functions, are an important administrative argument for the accomplishment of important tasks in organizations. According to the literature, used correctly and on time creates trust, provides a fast way to reach audiences about the desired subject, has significance for softening of the environment before talking about important issues, and helps leaders by offering topics to keep in mind. Researchers have focused on the use of as an effective tool in leader-employee communication. To identify negative and positive effects of such communication, “Humor Styles Questionnaire” developed by Martin et.al. (2003) that includes 32 subjects has been applied on managers (top-middle-lower) working in a factory operating in Manisa Province. Four primary determinants of this scale, which are divided into two as compatible and incompatible senses of are; self-enhancing humor, affiliative humor, selfdefeating and aggressive reveals different results in various researches. When general results are examined it has been found that used by leaders creates a negative or positive environment within the business climate. As a result, is important because it acts as a conductor to solving life's problems and even more in reaching secrets, interpreting world issues from different perspectives, learning from one's past and as an indicator of critical thinking. When viewed from this aspect, results of the research conducted on business operating electronic sector clarifies that, not only how a style, used by managers in an enterprise will affect organizational climate, but also if an administrator develops his humor ability”, what advantages does he have overall in the organization’s tasks.

Articulation of resistance in the discourse of the 1996/97 Serbian protests: Political struggle through culture and symbolic geography

The present article analyzes the discursive articulation of resistance to the regime of Slobodan Milosevic during the civil and student protests in Serbia in the winter of 1996/97. By applying critical discourse analysis to the opposition press of the time, we find that the rhetoric during the protests centered around the notions of civilization and culture. In variations of orientalism, balkanism and ?urbocentric exclusivism,? the ?Us? and ?Them? identifications were constructed through mutually interlaced semantic pairs: civilization - backwardness, culture - primitivism, Europe - Balkans/Orient, urbanity - rurality and democracy - communism. By drawing on existing research on the role of symbolic geography and cultural distinctions in the creation of social cleavages in the post-Yugoslav societies, our analysis presents how cultural traits and affiliations, ?urbanity? and individual characteristics, such as intelligence, critical ability and sense of humor, were used for the framing of protests, but also as means of political struggle in the protests. A detailed reconstruction of discursive strategies of reporting on the protests allows for a contemporary assessment of the limits of protest politics articulated in this way, and its comparison with a recent wave of mobilization of citizens of Serbia in 2016 and 2017.

The Persistence of Language: Constructing and Confronting the Past and Present in the Voices of Jane H. Hill. Edited by Shannon T. Bischoff, Deborah Cole, Amy V. Fountain, and Mizuki Miyashita. Culture and Language Use, no. 8. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2013. Pp. xxx + 440. $133.00.

<i>The Persistence of Language: Constructing and Confronting the Past and Present in the Voices of Jane H. Hill</i>. Edited by Shannon T. Bischoff, Deborah Cole, Amy V. Fountain, and Mizuki Miyashita. Culture and Language Use, no. 8. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2013. Pp. xxx + 440. $133.00.

Is Mr. Pickwick a Gentleman or a Comic Character?

The Pickwick Papers has been chosen for analysis for several reasons. First, it is the success of this novel that made Charles Dickens one of the best known writers in the Victorian age. Secondly and more importantly, The Pickwick Papers is Dickens’s first novel that has become the seed of his later novels. Thirdly, Dickens had the chance to show his great ability of humor in this novel. In terms of gentility, this novel on the one hand includes the comic gentlemen- such as Mr. Pickwick and his club members- and on the other hand it also includes the typical devious gentlemen such as Jingle, Dodson and Fogg who are extremely selfish and never get ashamed to deceive the others. Our main concern is to analyze the concept of the gentleman in Dickens’s works in terms of their positive and negative qualities. At the beginning of the novel we see that Mr. Pickwick is a snob who is the president of a club – which used to be a common habit among rich people in the Victorian time – and enjoys going to parties as well as going to the theatre and watching some sport activities. His innocence and naivety creates some comic misunderstandings and funny adventures. Later, he becomes a benevolent, kind and true gentleman with his comical qualities. His nature attracts the respect of the people around him and although he does not own a family himself his servant eagerly convinces him to live with them like their father. His sincere and gentlemanly behavior makes him a very popular and respectable person in the town they live. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2015.v5n1s1p131

Learning to be funny in Spanish during study abroad: L2 humor development

The present study examines an area of SLA that has to date received little attention: the development of L2 humor. Both creation and comprehension of humor in an L2 can be challenging for learners, even those with advanced proficiency (e.g., Bell, 2005; Shardakova, 2010). At the same time, learners at all proficiency levels have been shown to use L2 humor and research suggests that with increased proficiency and exposure to the language, learners can develop their L2 humor abilities (Bell, 2005; Davies, 2003, 2005; Shardakova, 2010). Previous research, however, has not examined the processes by which L2 learners develop their humor skills. Using a language socialization framework, the present article analyzes a case study of one study abroad student who developed his ability to be funny in Spanish conversations with age peers during one semester in Spain. Factors that may have been associated with a reduction in failed humor over time included developing friendships, eliminating deadpan humor, and revoicing the words, expressions, and ways of speaking in the L2 to which the learner was exposed during study abroad.

The dimensions of storytelling by retail salespeople

This paper explores storytelling in retail sales to develop a more nuanced understanding of the dimensions of retail storytelling and their importance in influencing consumer behavior. A mixed-method approach is taken to first qualitatively develop understanding of the structure of storytelling in a retail context and then quantitatively test the impact of various storytelling dimensions on consumer purchase intentions. Storytelling is common in retail sales encounters and consumers perceive multiple dimensions of storytelling. Some of these dimensions – story relevance, story humor, and storytelling ability – influence consumers' consumption behavior. This research begins to establish parameters for future examination of the use of storytelling in retail selling and informs managers of specific elements of storytelling on which to focus future training efforts.