Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology Volume 4 Issue 1 Article 7 2008 Gender and the Appreciation of Physically Aggressive "Slapstick" Humor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/intuition Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation (2008) "Gender and the Appreciation of Physically Aggressive "Slapstick" Humor," Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/intuition/vol4/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. et al.: Slapstick Humor Intuition 2008 Vol 4, 27-32 Gender and the Appreciation of Physically Aggressive "Slapstick" Humor Terri Jorgensen, Allen Quist, Katie Steck, Kristen Terry, & Mark Taylor ABSTRACT This study investigated gender differences in violent music videos and television shows than do the appreciation ofslapstick humor. Participants included young women (Shayovits, 2006). 28 male and 29female undergraduates at Brigham Young Another form of entertainment in which gender University. Participants rated three humorous video clips (slapstick, wordplay, and non-sequitur) using afive question, differences appear is in physically aggressive humor. seven point Likert-type rating scale. The results ofthe study When asked to rate the perceived pain and funni­ supported our hypothesis that men would rate slapstick humor ness of aggressive cartoons, men and women rated as fannier than women would. This suggests that gender dif the perceived pain similarly, but women rated the ferences in physical aggression influence perception ofhumor. most painful cartoons as less funny than did men (Barrick, Hutchinson, & Deckers, 1990). Similarly, here are significant gender differences in physi­ women have shown an inverse relationship between Tcal aggression. In 2004, men were almost ten joke cruelty and joke appreciation (Herzog, Harris, times more likely than women to commit murder & Kropscott, 2006). Other studies have failed to find (U.S. Department of Justice). Moreover, men con­ significant gender differences (Henkin & Fish, 1986; sistently report more physical aggression on ques­ McCauley, Woods, Coolidge, & Kulick, 1983). tionnaires and measurement scales (Burton, Hafetz, Although previous studies have explored gender & Henninger, 2007). In addition to being more differences in appreciation of cruel and painful hu­ overtly aggressive, men are more likely to participate mor, no studies specifically deal with gender differ­ in activities with physically aggressive undertones. ences in appreciation of slapstick humor. Slapstick For example, men play more contact sports such as humor is physical, "pie in the face" humor. It is char­ lacrosse, football, ice hockey, and wrestling (Con­ acterized by an exaggerated display of violence that nell, 2000). Men are also more likely to be soldiers is not accompanied by realistic consequences (Tib­ or police officers (Connell, 2000). betts, 1973). An understanding of slapstick humor Gender differences in physical aggression may af­ is important because exposure to aggressive humor fect entertainment preferences (Fenigstein, 1979). may increase overt aggression (Baron, 1978; Baron, Entertainment preferences, especially more violent 1974). In this study, we examined whether men or preferences for males, appear early in life. By age women would find slapstick humor funnier. Instead two, some boys already demonstrate a preference of having participants rate cartoons, as several past for masculine toys such as tanks, planes, toy guns, studies have done, we had them rate a short video and male action figures (Singer & Singer, as cited in clip. A video clip, as opposed to cartoons, can more Goldstein, 1998, pp. 62-63). Boys typically prefer accurately display the exaggerated violence that violent video games like Grand Theft Auto, Counter characterizes slapstick humor. Based on previous Strike, and Call of Duty, over less aggressive games studies of gender differences in physical aggression, (Lemmens, 2006). Boys are also more likely than entertainment preferences, and specifically humor girls to enjoy a game's aggressive elements (Cantor, appreciation, we hypothesized that men would rate as cited in Goldstein, 1998). Gender differences a slapstick video clip as funnier than women would. continue into adolescence as young men prefer more 27 Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2008 1 28 Intuition,Intuition: Fall 2008 The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, Vol. 4 [2008], Iss. 1, Art. 7 Method were instituted in order to disguise the real intent of our study. The dip types and the participants' gender were independent variables, while the mean ratings of each dip Participants were the dependent variables. Participants were 28 men and 29 women under­ graduates attending Brigham Young University, between Procedure the ages of 18-25. Most were recruited from psychology Each participant sat in front of a computer that had courses and received extra credit for their participation. the three dips downloaded onto the desktop. After sign­ All participants signed an informed consent. The study ing the informed consent, each received a packet with was approved by the Institutional Review Board. instructions informing them of the order they were to watch the clips. This order was determined by an online Materials random number generator. After reading the instruc­ The instruments were three video clips and a rating tions on the first page, participants circled whether they scale for each dip. The first clip depicted a violent scene were male or female. This packet also included the rat­ from Happy Gilmore in which actors Bob Barker and ing scales, which participants filled out immediately after Adam Sandler engage in a brawl on a golf course. The viewing each dip. Participants were excused once their fighting that occurs in this dip is extended, exaggerated, packet had been collected. Though there was no formal and neither party seems to suffer any consequences such debriefing, participants who inquired were explained the as fatigue or the presence of blood. Also, while fighting, details of the study. the pair begins to tumble down the golf course hill. This tumble is intended to be humorous. The aforementioned characteristics of the dip were intended to represent slap­ Results stick humor. The second dip illustrated wordplay humor, which the researchers define as quick whit and a play on words. Ratings of funniness and aggression were analyzed us­ It involved a scene from the television show Scrubs, in ing a repeated measures ANOVA with the following inde­ which the doctor gives his old Spanish dictionary to the pendent variables: Humor type (slapstick, wordplay, non nurse because he claims he already mastered the language. sequitur) and gender (males, females). Our alpha level The nurse thanks him in Spanish and he replies, "You're was set at 0.05. welcome-a." By the doctor's vocabulary, it shows that he There was no Gender main effect for the funniness rat­ did not, in fact, know Spanish. This dialogue represented ings of the dips [F (1, 55) = 1.381; p = 0.245] indicating a play on words. The final dip was from the movie Zool­ that the overall averages of the funniness ratings of the ander. This particular dip shows Ben Stiller watching a three dips did not differ by the participants' gender. This video intended to brainwash him. The delusions that fol­ analysis was performed to make certain that there were low are random images and ideas whose haphazard con­ not any significant differences in overall funniness ratings nectedness displays non sequitur humor. The nonsensical of the dips between the genders. content was intended to represent non sequitur humor. There was a Clip main effect for the funniness ratings The wordplay and non sequitur humor dips were used as of the dips [F (2,110) = 6.945; p = 0.001]. The funniness controls because neither dip had a physically aggressive ratings of the individual dips were different depending element. A physically aggressive element is a central ten­ upon the dip type: the slapstick dip rated as the funniest, ant of slapstick humor. the word play dip rated the second funniest, and the non We constructed a Likert-type rating scale of five items sequitur dip rated as the least funny. Thus the clips dif­ to accompany each dip. Participants rated how funny, fered in how funny the participants found them. clever, physically aggressive, entertaining, and offensive There was a Clip x Gender interaction for the fun­ each dip was on a seven-point scale; one being low and niness ratings [F (2, 11 O) = 3.186; p=0.045] (see figure seven being high. The researchers only analyzed the funni­ 1). There was a significant difference between how men ness and physical aggression ratings. The other questions and women rated the individual dips. This difference was https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/intuition/vol4/iss1/7 2 - -- -------------------- -- -- ------ - -----~------ et al.: Slapstick Humor Slapstick Humor 29 Figure 1 Figure 2 Clip x Gender interaction for funniness ratings Clip x Gender interaction for aggressiveness ratings " 7 6 6 ~ 5 "o 5 :il :il C ; 4 : 4 111Male E ~ 1 ., C • Female ~ 3 3 C ·i., 'c: E § 2 Cl LL :2 0 0 Slapstick Word play Non-sequitor Slapstick Word play Non-sequitor Clip Clip found looking at the linear component. This differs from Discussion the finding of no Gender main effect in that the Clip x Gender interaction analyzed the individual clips' funni­ The purpose of this study was to examine whether ness rather than the overall funniness. men and women would rate the funniness of slapstick There was a significant linear component for the funni­ humor differently. Specifically, we hypothesized that men ness ratings of the clip [F(l,55) = 16.411; p = 0.000] with would rate the slapstick clip funnier than women would.