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Abstract

Two experiments tested Berlyne's prediction that subjects' preexisting arousal states affect their appreciation of humor. Seating orientation was varied to effect changes in arousal. In Exp. 1, 18 female undergraduates rated 10 tape-recorded jokes for humorousness while seated either side-by-side or face-to-face with a female stranger. As predicted, jokes were rated more highly in the more arousing side-by-side condition. However, no difference in subjects' rated mirth was observed. In Exp. 2, 32 female and 32 male undergraduates rated the 10 jokes while seated in either arrangement with a same-sex stranger. Despite methodological improvements in the mirth measure and evidence of its reliability, again no differences for mirth were observed. As predicted, female subjects rated jokes more highly when side-by-side but (opposite to prediction) so did males. These results support Berlyne's theory but suggest that heightened arousal in the side-by-side condition may have been related to the physical distance between subjects rather than to seating orientation per se.

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Effects of Seating Orientation on Appreciation of Humor

Abstract

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References