COGNITIVE APPRAISALS AND INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN SENSE OF HUMOR - MOTIVATIONAL AND AFFECTIVE IMPLICATIONS

This research examined how sense of humor relates to the cognitive app raisals that individuals make for various events and situations they e ncounter. In Study 1, participants described both a pleasant and stres sful event that had occurred to them in the past month. As predicted b y several humor theorists, results showed that more humorous individua ls changed their perspective more often for stressful events, and foun d such changes to be beneficial. Participants in the second study prov ided cognitive appraisals both before and after completing two drawing tasks. Higher levels of humor were associated with more positive chal lenge appraisals for both drawing tasks, and lower threat appraisals p rior to the first task. In further accord with a positive enhancement effect for humor, this study also found that higher levels of task mot ivation and positive affect were evident for those individuals with a greater sense of humor. The findings from Study 2 also provided empiri cal support for several of the basic underlying relationships that are fundamental to cognitive appraisal theory. Discussion focused on the enhancing effects of sense of humor, along with a need to further inte grate individual difference research with cognitive appraisal theory. It was also recommended that future research focus more specifically o n the multidimensional aspects of sense of humor. These aspects should then be considered relative to other more general personality constru cts, such as extraversion and emotionality.