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    The document summarizes a research article that reviewed 54 studies on the use of humor in social engagement. It finds that humor can make serious issues feel less threatening and encourage participation from more diverse groups. Humor promotes attitude change and helps issues avoid being seen as "worthy but dull." Consistently serious messages about problems can cause compassion fatigue, while humor reduces stress and promotes hope. This encourages long-term engagement rather than burnout. Specifically, self-deprecating humor and irony serve as equalizers that make people feel less alone in issues and more willing to take action.

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    Pos Rar 2

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    60 views4 pages
    The document summarizes a research article that reviewed 54 studies on the use of humor in social engagement. It finds that humor can make serious issues feel less threatening and encourage participation from more diverse groups. Humor promotes attitude change and helps issues avoid being seen as "worthy but dull." Consistently serious messages about problems can cause compassion fatigue, while humor reduces stress and promotes hope. This encourages long-term engagement rather than burnout. Specifically, self-deprecating humor and irony serve as equalizers that make people feel less alone in issues and more willing to take action.

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    The document summarizes a research article that reviewed 54 studies on the use of humor in social engagement. It finds that humor can make serious issues feel less threatening and encourage participation from more diverse groups. Humor promotes attitude change and helps issues avoid being seen as "worthy but dull." Consistently serious messages about problems can cause compassion fatigue, while humor reduces stress and promotes hope. This encourages long-term engagement rather than burnout. Specifically, self-deprecating humor and irony serve as equalizers that make people feel less alone in issues and more willing to take action.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    60 views4 pages

    Pos Rar 2

    Uploaded by

    api-467840737
    The document summarizes a research article that reviewed 54 studies on the use of humor in social engagement. It finds that humor can make serious issues feel less threatening and encourage participation from more diverse groups. Humor promotes attitude change and helps issues avoid being seen as "worthy but dull." Consistently serious messages about problems can cause compassion fatigue, while humor reduces stress and promotes hope. This encourages long-term engagement rather than burnout. Specifically, self-deprecating humor and irony serve as equalizers that make people feel less alone in issues and more willing to take action.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 4

    Running head: HUMOR AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT 1

    Humor and Social Engagement:

    A Research Article Review

    Victoria Schlie

    Positive Psychology

    Dr. Haile
    HUMOR AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT 2

    Humor and Social Engagement: A Research Article Review

    John D. Cameron (2015) wrote the literature review and synthesis piece “Can poverty be

    funny? The serious use of humour as a strategy of public engagement for global justice” to

    advocate humor as an equalizing and unintimidating form of communicating serious information.

    In reviewing 54 studies and publications, Cameron notes that those in society with “negative or

    ambivalent attitudes” are more likely to join public discussion when humor is used, suggesting

    that they feel less of a threat of rejection for voicing their opinions (p. 275). At the same time,

    “cognitive responses to humour... promote changes in attitude” (p. 277). Humor, particularly

    self-deprecation and irony (p. 278), simultaneously invites diverse opinion without fear of

    rejection and gradually changes negative, disinterested attitudes to positive, invested ones.

    People are also less likely to categorize important information as “the ‘worthy but dull

    category,’” and therefore lack interest in it, when humor is employed in its conveyance (p. 276).

    In fact, Cameron points to psychological research that describes “‘compassion fatigue’ and

    ‘psychological numbing’ that stem from predominantly negative, crisis-oriented representations”

    of global information (p. 276). The consistently heavy seriousness of serious issues can

    ultimately wear down an emotional and interested response to them. Using humor to convey

    serious issues can benefit both the affected and unaffected individuals through “the reduction of

    stress and the promotion of hope” (p. 279). Consistently conveying information in seriousness

    and sobriety leads to an increased sense of hopelessness for the situation while “humour is an

    effective means of promoting a sense of hopefulness, arguably a key factor in sustaining

    long-term engagement” and avoiding burn out (p. 279). Not only are people more likely to

    initiate engagement in serious, important issues when humor is used, they are more likely to

    maintain investment and contribution.


    HUMOR AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT 3

    In relation to positive psychology, these studies reveal both humanity’s need for hope for

    flourishing and altruism and our need to be accepted by others (conversely: paralyzing fear of

    rejection). Positive atmospheres and moods (i.e. humor) encourage positive and sustainable

    responses, whereas negative atmospheres and moods (i.e. hopelessness and sobriety) encourage

    disinterest and fearful responses. Although this piece focused on humor’s role in social justice

    engagement, the effects of humor apply to other topics as well. Any subject that is deemed

    important and serious (education, social expectations, finances, etc.) can be more effectively

    conveyed through a discerned use of humor. Therefore, teachers and informers of any important,

    weighty subject can promote discussion, investment, critical thought, remembrance, and

    application of the subject in their informees by utilizing humor. Cameron does admit that humor

    has risks of establishing superiority or belittling an issue (p. 280), but that irony and

    self-deprecating humor, when used with discretion, are well worth the risks (p. 275).

    Self-deprecating humor and irony serve as equalizers for all humans, conveying that the informer

    is not superior to the informed, that all opinions are reasonable for discussion, and that the

    informer recognizes both the idea of shared hardship among all people and shared happiness and

    hope among all people. These effects reveal that humans desire normalization and are

    encouraged to take personal action when they know they are not alone in a particular situation or

    feeling. On a cognitive, scientific level, this review affirms that humans form stronger memories

    of and care more about issues they had an emotional response to. While ‘psychological numbing’

    reduces the chance of memory and concern, positive experiences of happiness and laughter can

    promote these.
    HUMOR AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT 4

    Reference

    Cameron, J. D. (2015). Can poverty be funny? The serious use of humour as a strategy of public

    engagement for global justice. ​Third World Quarterly​, 36(2), 274-290.

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