Measurement approaches to the sense of humor: Introduction and overview

Abstract

There has been a renaissance of research interest in the "sense of humor" in recent years, partly äs an attempt to define the concept but more strenuously to provide Instruments for its measurement. A quick count of recent publications shows an average of two to three new sense of humor- instruments per year — or one every four to six months. This intensity of research is unparalleled in the history of humor research and contrasts sharply with 25 years ago when the renewal of interest in humor feil into a period where cognitive approaches dominated the Zeitgeist in psychology, and the long tradition of personality research in humor was at a point of Stagnation. As an indicator, the "classic" anthologies Psychology of Humor (1972, edited by Jeffrey Goldstein and Paul McGhee) and Humor and Laughter (1976, edited by Tony Chapman and Hugh Foot) contained no chapter on personality and humor. Perhaps even more striking, "sense of humor" did not appear among the index terms in the former. In the latter, the index guides the reader to Lawrence LaFave's suspicion that the sense of humor is merely a "myopic illusion" (LaFave, Haddad, and Maesen 1976: 79).

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