The Effect of Mortality Salience on the Evaluation of Humorous Material

ABSTRACT

The motivational aspects of humor are considered from the perspective of terror management theory, testing the hypothesis that exposure to the mortality salience manipulation will result in an alteration in participants' appreciation of humorous material. Participants rated several comic strips, indicating how funny they found the jokes. The differential relevance of various forms of jokes to the process of terror management was also examined by having participants rate their appreciation of jokes that address issues of varying applicability to existential concerns. Results indicate that mortality salience results in an exacerbation of the evaluation of humorous material, and that jokes' relative centrality to terror management processes produces differing evaluative responses. Theoretical and practical implications are examined.

Keywords:

• humor
• terror management theory
• death
• mortality salience

Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by the Redeemer University College Internal Research Grant Program. The author wishes to thank Chad Paddock and Darryl Quinlan for their assistance in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Charles H. Hackney

Charles H. Hackney is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Briercrest College and Seminary. His research interests include terror management theory, the psychology of religion, and the positive psychology movement.