Citation

Robert J. W. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 1975; 32(3): 503-509.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1975, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/h0077083

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Studied laughter in groups as a function of cognitive similarity of group members. 204 male and female college students used a ranking procedure to indicate agreement with 5 statements concerning aggression. Later, 60 females and 47 males from the sample met in same-sex groups. The task of group members was to tell one another funny stories, jokes, and anecdotes. Overt laughter in the group session was tallied. For males, groups containing a greater number of dyads that were cognitively similar with respect to their initial ranking of stimuli laughed more frequently than groups containing fewer cognitively similar dyads; for both sexes, cognitive similarity tended to be associated with a pleasant group atmosphere, fewer awkward silences, and a more relaxed style of interaction. Results suggest that laughter in informal groups is related to communication efficiency. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)