In addition, hostile humor may be arousing, and arousal has been identified as
a contributing factor in aggression. In short, although Freud may be correctabout the tension-reducing capabilities of hostile humor, we should be cautious
about using that kind of humor when dealing with an angry audience.
Level of Tension and Funniness
Observe a group of listeners the next time a good storyteller tells an obscene
joke. Skilled joke tellers elaborate on the details. They allow the tension level
to build gradually as they set up the punch line. Listeners smile or blush
slightly as the joke progresses. According to Freud, this long buildup creates
greater tension and thus a louder and longer laugh when the punch line fi-
nally allows a tension release.
Freud said that the more tension people experience before a punch line, the
funnier they ’ll find the joke. In other words, a nervous and slightly frightened
person is more vulnerable to a funny joke than someone who is calm and there-
fore tensionless. Again, this prediction may not sound right at first. Shouldn ’ta
relaxed person enjoy a funny story more than someone who is anxious?
This prediction was tested in a study in which people were asked to work
with a laboratory rat (Shurcliff, 1968). Participants in the low-tension
condition were asked to hold the rat for 5 seconds. They were told, “These rats
a r eb r e dt ob ed o c i l ea n de a s yt oh a n d l e ,a n dId o n ’t think you will have any
trouble. ”In the moderate-tension condition, people were asked to take a small
sample of the rat’ s blood. They were told the task was easier than it looked.
Participants in the high-tension group were given a bottle and syringe and asked
to take two cubic centimeters of blood from the rat. The experimenter empha-
sized how difficult the task was and warned that the rat might bite.
The punch line occurred when participants reached into the cage and
discovered a toy rat. Consistent with Freud ’s theory, participants in the
high-tension group thought the situation was funnier than participants in the
other conditions (Figure 4.3). The pleasure they derived from the release of
tension apparently led to their enjoyment of the joke.
Interpreting the Findings
Although inconsistencies exist, researchers have uncovered some evidence in
support of Freud’ s theory of humor. People often find jokes and cartoons fun-
nier when they contain sexual and aggressive themes. We also appear to en-joy hostile humor more when it is aimed at someone we dislike. Hostile
humor may reduce tension, although this does not necessarily reduce hostility,
and jokes are funnier when the listener ’s tension level is built up before the
punch line. Less direct tests of Freud ’s theory also suggest that laughter serves
important psychological functions. For example, several studies find evidenceto support the widely held belief that laughter is an effective means to combat
daily tension and stressful events (Krokoff, 1990; Kuiper & Martin, 1998;Kuiper, McKenzie, & Belanger, 1995; Lefcourt, Davidson, Prkachin, &
Mills, 1997). Some psychologists have even incorporated humor into their
therapy procedures (McGuire, 1999).84 CHAPTER 4 The Freudian Approach