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Despite its long history in communication, scholars continue to debate whether humor enhances or undermines persuasive attempts. In order to better understand the conditions under which the effects of humor vary, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies across the domains in which humor has been popularly used over time (k = 93). Results indicate that humor has only a weak influence on persuasion in general (r = .15). However, stronger effects are recorded for studies in education (r = .35) and marketing (r = .18), as well as for messages that incorporate related-humor (r = .28), use parody (r = .28) or surprise (r = .19), and measure effects on knowledge (r = .31). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Nathan Walter, U of Southern California
Michael J. Cody, U of Southern California
Larry Zhiming Xu, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, U of Southern California
Sheila Teresa Murphy, U of Southern California