The Psychology of Humor: An Integrative Approach

by Rod A. Martin

Research on humor is carried out in a number of areas in psychology, including the cognitive (What makes something funny?), developmental (when do we develop a sense of humor?), and social (how is humor used in social interactions?) Although there is enough interest in the area to have spawned several societies, the literature is dispersed in a number of primary journals, with little in the way of integration of the material into a book. Dr. Martin is one of the best known researchers in the area, and his research goes across subdisciplines in psychology to be of wide appeal. This is a singly authored monograph that provides in one source, a summary of information researchers might wish to know about research into the psychology of humor. The material is scholarly, but the presentation of the material is suitable for people unfamiliar with the subject-making The Psychology of Humor suitable for use for advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses on the psychology of humor-which have not had a textbook source. 2007 AATH Book Award for Humor/Laughter Research category!

Genres: Psychology, Humor, Nonfiction, Social

464 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did it! Being a textbook, this was pretty intense reading and I feel pretty proud of myself for completing it. It may well be the ONLY textbook I have EVER read cover to cover (because my brother wrote it).
This is a very extensive look at all the research that has been done on humour and suggests areas where more research is required. It also looks at the generally accepted notions of humour and the science (or lack thereof) behind it. It seems there is no simple answer because (as with most areas of psychology) there are so many different ways in which humour can be used with beneficial and detrimental outcomes.
Overall, a good read for those interested in the many aspects of the psychology of humour (although I think I'll suggest a re-writing in non-textbook format for those of us who aren't psych majors!).

[Jaleesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for a class I was taking and actually ended up liking it. I will definitely go through and read through it again in the future.

[mavromou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro cumple con lo que promete, es una mirada integral del concepto del humor desde una perspectiva psicológica, en cuanto a lo emocional, cognitivo y de comportamiento.

Es ideal para el que quiera tener una visión amplia del tema, entender las primeras teorías y su evolución como así también las áreas de aplicación.

En mi estudio relacionado con la creatividad fue de gran ayuda dado que además de exponer las ideas y conceptos que trata el libro, hay referencias académicas que sostienen y permiten ampliar el conocimiento y enterarse de distintos autores que tratan o estudiaron distintos temas relacionados...

Podría decirse que el libro brinda el estado del arte en materia del estudio psicológico del humor.

[Mélanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm desperately trying to crank out a journal manuscript on the sociology of economists' laughter, and I found this overview to be REALLY nice. It does a great job of laying out not just the psychology stuff, but also the philosophy, social psychology, and sociology that I'm more familiar with (including stuff like Christie Davies and Michael Mulkay). If you want to academically analyze humor, I'd say definitely start here.

[Mariia Lyshen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Насправді не дочитала, але планую точно повертатися. Інформативно та хóроше. Біблія психології гумору (або я не знаю, із чим порівняти)