Are Aggressive Cartoons Really Funnier? A Replication

Stefan Stieger and Anton K. Formann

SAGE Open, 2014, vol. 4, issue 4, 2158244014553587

Abstract: Research has found that more aggressive cartoons are perceived as funnier. The current study ( N = 106; 16 cartoons) examined this finding in more detail by additionally including painfulness and cleverness rankings of cartoons, and by examining possible moderating effects of different humor styles, self-esteem (explicit, implicit), and social desirability. Aggressive or painful cartoons were not perceived to be funnier, but were rated as having a cleverer punch line. Effects were only weakly correlated with participants’ humor styles, but were independent of self-esteem and social desirability. This suggests that aggressive cartoons are not in general perceived to be funnier than non-aggressive ones, and that there may be other moderators influencing this effect (e.g., the type of cartoons, definition of aggression and funniness, cultural aspects).

Keywords: aggression; cartoon; humor styles; self-esteem; initial preference task; social desirability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:4:y:2014:i:4:p:2158244014553587

DOI: 10.1177/2158244014553587

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