Humor and Persuasion, Essay Example

Persuasion implies to the efforts of changing the view of a person or something and it is a very important aspect of communication. Humor is one of the tactics that are applied in communication with the intention of persuasion. The use of humor in persuasion is attributed to constructive results and it can also be a source of potential risk at the same time (Lyttle, 2001).

Humor entails emotions and plays a crucial role in persuasion. The results of using humor are initiating amusement to a person and it can also initiate laughter. When people are made to laugh, their mood and happiness are enhanced and this makes to be comfortable when communicating to them. The use of humor in persuasion also attracts the attention of the listener hence creating rapport making the message to be memorable (eruptingmind, 2011). Humor is also important in stress and tension alleviation and this makes the people to be more persuaded to attend to the communication. Humor is commonly used in introduction, summary and highlighting the most important points in the communication which then add some impact to the listener (eruptingmind, 2011). Humor is also used in the statement of facts.

However, humor can be a source of risk in communication. Overusing humor can cause resistance among the listeners and attribute it to irrelevance. The listener may also attribute such a persuasion with fun and therefore lack the seriousness of the communication. Knowing when to use humor is important because if not carefully used, it may offend the listener (Cline & Kellaris, 1999). Some discussion topics do not require the use of humor such as controversial topics. Offending the listener through excessive humor will make them shut down and make it impossible to deliver the message. This shines a negative light that pose risk future success in getting the attention of the listener.

Some theories have been proposed in persuasion to explain how humor can support or limit the effectiveness of persuasion. Mere Exposure Theory is one of the theories associated with persuasion. The Mere Exposure Theory is best applicable in situations of people who are repeatedly exposed to an issue. The repeated exposure enhances a favorable attraction to the issue (Seiter & Gass, 2004). The use of Mere Exposure Theory makes humor to be extremely useful because the persuasion is made more memorable thus associating the issue with positive thoughts. This makes them to remember the experience in the future and they therefore become more persuaded.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory is another theory that explains how humor can support or limit the effectiveness of persuasion. It associates the holding of dissonant cognitions such as perceptions, beliefs as well as attitudes to an aversive psychological state (Seiter & Gass, 2004). The use of this theory facilitates in the persuasion of people towards creation of dissonance without offending the people. This increases the trust without unintentional offending.

Social Judgment Theory is used in evaluation of persuasive information and their effect in the occurrence of persuasion (Seiter & Gass, 2004). Much energy is required in this theory and therefore it is associated with limited influence in persuading people. However, successful use of Social Judgment Theory creates rapport and wins the confidence of the listener.

To conclude, humor is important in persuasion and it is commonly incorporated in pursuation with either positive or negative effects. It is therefore prudent to identify situation where humor will be effective in persuasion and avoid situations where it can result to negative consequences.

References

Cline, T.W., & Kellaris, J.J. (1999). The joint impact of humor and argument strength in a print advertising context: A case for weaker arguments. Psychology & Marketing, 16(1), 69-87. Retrieved from the ProQuest database.

Eruptingmind. (2011). How Mood Affects Persuasion. Retrieved January 7, 2011, from http://www.eruptingmind.com/how-mood-effects-persuasion/.

Lyttle, J. (2001). The effectiveness of humor in persuasion: The case of business ethics training. The Journal of General Psychology, 128(2), 206-217. Retrieved from the ProQuest database.

Seiter, J. S., & Gass, R. H. (2004). Perspectives on Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining. Boston: Pearson Education.