The Indication of Sexual and Aggressive Similarities through Humor Appreciation

Abstract

Freudian theory and subsequent research indicate a connection between sexual and aggressive motivation. The present study investigated this proposed connection by examining humor preferences during an induced aggressive mood. Appreciation of neutral, sexual, and aggressive humor was examined under conditions of aggression arousal. A total of 90 male and 90 female university students participated in one of two 2 × 3 factorial designs that crossed arousal with humor type. Ss in arousal conditions rated all humor as funnier than Ss in neutral conditions, and sexual humor was rated as being funniest. Males and females showed complex significant differences in humor preferences.