Published by: Fruchtzwerg (Karma: 7914.43) on 16 July 2008 | Views: 4810
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- Up-to-date coverage of research on humor and laughter in every area of psychology - Research findings are integrated into a coherent conceptual framework - Includes recent brain imaging studies, evolutionary models, and animal research - Draws on contributions from sociology, linguistics, neuroscience, and anthropology - Provides an overview of theories of humor and early research - Explores applications of humor in psychotherapy, education, and the workplace - Points out interesting topics for further research and promising research methodologies - Written in a scholarly yet easily accessible style - 2007 AATH Book Award for Humor/Laughter Research category
From the Back Cover Most of us laugh at something funny multiple times during a typical day. Humor serves multiple purposes and though there is a sizable and expanding research literature on the subject, the research is spread in a variety of disciplines. Until now there has been no systematic integration of that literature into a single book. The Psychology of Humor reviews the literature, integrating disperse findings from across subdisciplines in psychology, as well as related fields such as anthropology, biology, computer science, linguistics, and sociology. The book begins by defining humor, followed by a discussion of theories of humor, and then begins analyzing research findings from the various subdisciplines in psychology. Coverage includes the cognitive processes involved in humor, as well as the effects of humor on cognition, the neurobiology of humor, the social functions of humor, individual differences in personality and humor, the development of humor understanding and use over the lifespan, the association of humor with both physical and mental health, and applications of humor use in psychotherapy, education, and the workplace.
About the Author Rod A. Martin has been a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Western Ontario since 1984. Much of his research has focused on the role of humor in mental and physical health, and he has published more than 40 journal articles and book chapters in this area. He is currently president of the International Society for Humor Studies and is on the editorial board of the society's journal. His research has been featured in numerous national and international newspaper and magazine articles and radio and television programs.
