A recent study published in American Psychologist sheds light on how cultural norms affect humor production. Researchers found that people from cultures with strict social norms tend to be less skilled at creating funny material compared to those from more relaxed cultures.
The study, led by Yi Cao and Li-Jun Ji, examined the concept of “cultural tightness,” which refers to a society’s strict enforcement of its social norms and rules. The researchers hypothesized that cultural tightness would restrict humor production because creating a joke carries a higher social risk than simply laughing at one.
To test this idea, the scientists conducted six separate studies involving participants from China and the United States. They found that Chinese participants rated themselves lower in humor production compared to American participants. In addition, Chinese students generated captions with lower ratings for funniness than their American counterparts.
The researchers also discovered that cultural tightness had a significant impact on humor production, but not on appreciation. This means that people living in tightly cultured societies don’t lack a sense of humor; they simply tend to be more reserved in expressing it due to social expectations and norms.
To further explore this dynamic, the scientists conducted experiments to see if altering people’s immediate mindset could change their humor production. They found that participants who read about a strict society produced less funny joke completions than those who read about a relaxed society, regardless of whether they were from China or the United States.
The researchers emphasize that cultural norms play a significant role in shaping how people express humor. This insight is crucial for cross-cultural communication, where humor differences are often misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Source: https://www.psypost.org/cultural-tightness-reduces-a-persons-ability-to-be-funny