Effects of Sexist Humor on Tolerance of Sexist Events

The results of three experiments supported the hypothesis that exposure to sexist humor increases tolerance of sex discrimination among people high in hostile sexism. The results of Experiment 1 revealed that for participants high in hostile sexism, exposure to sexist jokes led to greater tolerance of a sexist event in comparison to exposure to neutral jokes or nonhumorous sexist communications. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 suggest that the activation of a noncritical mindset presumed to be a natural byproduct of humorous communication is critical for sexist humor to increase tolerance of sex discrimination. When sexist jokes were interpreted in a serious, critical manner, either as a result of explicit instructions (Experiment 2) or contextual cues such as the group membership of the joke teller (Experiment 3), the effects of sexist humor were nullified among participants high in hostile sexism.

Social consequences of disparagement humor: a prejudiced norm theory

In this article we introduce a "prejudiced norm theory" that specifies the social-psychological processes by which exposure to disparagement humor uniquely affects tolerance of discrimination against members of groups targeted by the humor. Our theory posits that a norm of tolerance of discrimination implied by disparagement humor functions as a source of self-regulation for people high in prejudice. For people high in prejudice, this norm regulates the effect of exposure to disparagement humor on tolerance of subsequently encountered discriminatory events. Our theory contributes to the literature on prejudice and discrimination by delineating the processes by which disparagement humor creates a normative climate of tolerance of discrimination, as well as variables that accentuate and attenuate its effects.