The influence of humor on performance in task-based interactions

This dissertation examines the influence of humor on performance in task-based interactions. It consists of three elements: a theoretical model, an empirical test of one mechanism of the model, and a quasi-experimental observational study. The theory paper starts with the three social functions of humor suggested by the literature (facilitate communications, reduce stress and build cohesion), and explains how and when humor might have these effects. It breaks humor down into its three components: Humor carries information, generates affect and draws attention.; The first study explores the link between humor-generated affect and the social function of communications. Pairs of subjects where shown a humorous or neutral video, and then asked to complete a communications intensive task. This exogenous humor manipulation successfully generated positive affect, but had no effect on task performance, suggesting that humor's influence on communications may depend on more than just the affect it generates. Surprisingly, the humor manipulation reduced the pair's capability of working together, a finding explained by an extension of the mood maintenance hypothesis.; In the second study, pairs of MBA students were videotaped carrying out an integrative bargaining exercise. The videotapes were analyzed using an iterative, grounded theory approach to determine the intended social functions of the humor and laughter that occurred. The social functions were then used to predict performance. Videotape analysis revealed that humor and laughter were used for eight social functions: soften, emphasize, reject, agreement, stress-related, post-deal relationship repair, task-specific (humor only), and fun. Laughter of agreement and fun showed a positive relation with pair performance (joint gains), while laughter to reject and for post-deal repair showed a negative relation. The results for humor were similar but weaker, appearing only in the “agree” and “post-deal repair” categories. At the individual level, humor to soften, for fun, and laughter to soften were positively related to ratings by the partner, while laughter to emphasize was negatively related. Moreover, individuals who used more task-specific humor did better in the negotiation. These findings provide some of the first rigorous empirical evidence of a relationship between humor and performance in interactions.