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To be humorous or not?: To be humorous or not?: Different views from the East Different views from the East
and the Westand the West
Feng JiangFeng JiangCity University of Hong KongCity University of Hong Kong
[email protected]@cityu.edu.hk26 Feb, 201126 Feb, 2011
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What is Humor? What is Humor?
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Function of HumorFunction of Humor
• Improves our health condition (Fry, 1994; Hubert, et al., 1993; Kuiper, et al., 1993)
• Enhance our cognitive and emotional responses (Martin, 2001; 2007)
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Cross-cultural comparisonCross-cultural comparison• Chinese undergraduates use less humor to cope
with stress than their Canadian counterparts (Chen & Martin, 2005)
• Chinese undergraduates thought themselves as being less humorous than American undergraduates (Liao, 2001)
• For “good sense of humor”,– Chinese : “aggression-disruption.” – Canadian: “sociability-leadership” (Chen, Rubin, &
Sun, 1992).
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QuestionQuestion
• Is this behavioral difference due to their different attitudes toward humor?
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However…However…
• More recent attitudinal surveys showed:
– Chinese people value humor very much (Hao, Yue, Qi, & Lan, 2007; Hao, Yue, Qi, & Qin, 2007; Yue, 2008; 2009).
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• These surveys did not involve cross-cultural comparison directly.
• They focused on explicit attitude toward humor only.
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Views on humorViews on humor• Chinese
– Taoism• Values humor as an attempt of having witty,
peaceful and harmonious interaction with the nature (Liao, 2001; Yao, 1989; Yue, 2008; 2009)
Laozi Zhuangzi
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• Chinese– Buddhism
• Encourages humor as a symbol of
lighting up. (Hyers, 1989; Yue,2008)
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• Chinese– Confucianism
• Emphasize social hierarchy and interpersonal relatedness. (Bond, 1996)
• Ren (moral principle)
• Junzi (the person who obey moral principle)
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• American– Plato & Aristotle:
• Natural and pure-hearted expression
– A part of their personality (Mindess, et al., 1985)
– A positive characteristic of creativity (Sternberg, 1985)
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• “Humor is ubiquitous in American society and nothing escapes from becoming its target. Humor in its numerous techniques and forms is directed at the population through all conceivable channels – newsprint, magazines, books, visual and plastic arts, comedy performances, and amateur joke-telling contests, as well as many types of artifacts such as T-shirts, watches, bumper stickers, greeting cards, sculptures, toys, and so forth” (Apte, 1987)
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HypothesesHypotheses
• Implicit attitude– Chinese: negative– American: positive
• Explicit attitude– No difference between China and America
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MethodsMethods
• Participants – 53 Chinese undergraduates– 33 American undergraduates
• Measures– Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures – Questionnaires measures
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Target words: humor vs. seriousness
Attribute words: pleasant vs. unpleasant
Word materialsWord materials
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Logic of IATLogic of IAT
• It assesses implicit attitudes by having people rapidly categorize stimulus words using two response key.
• Shorter reaction time suggests the stronger connection between two concepts (e.g., “humor and pleasant”)
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Implicit attitudesImplicit attitudes• IAT effect
Chinese:t(52)=6.82, p<0.001
Americans:t(32)=6.36, p<0.001
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Explicit attitudeExplicit attitude
• Explicit attitude toward humor– No significant difference (t=1.75, p=.084, ns)
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ConclusionConclusion
• Appreciation of Humor (Both American and Chinese Explicit Attitudes)– Deprivation-based preferences
– Globalization
• Devaluation of Humor (Chinese Implicit Attitude Only)
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Future directionsFuture directions
• Is it the same pattern in public and private settings?
• Whether jokes or humor are socially less desirable in East Asian than in American culture? If it is, how?
• How might the these norms be changing with time and exposure to Western media in the process of globalization?
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Thank you!