Humor and the Incongruity Hypothesis

Abstract

Summary The method of constant stimuli was used to investigate the effects of an incongruity between an expected and an actual comparison weight (Co) on humor responses of 90 male and female college students. Humor increased as a function of the incongruity between the expected Co and the actual Co. The heaviness of the actual Co determined the degree of incongruity. Humor also increased with the number of judgments prior to the presentation of the incongruous Co. The number of prior judgments was assumed to lead to the development of the expected Co.