Humor & Persuasion
The Value of Humor in Persuasion
Com 323 – Persuasion & Argumentation
April 22, 2013
The Value of Humor in Persuasion
Introduction
On a daily basis, people deal with a lot of persuasion and it has progressively influenced today’s modern society; for example, with people having access to the media, such as television, newspapers, radio, and internet there has been an increase in the frequency of advertisements, which companies attempt to persuade the media audience to purchase their products. In addition, there are more people using the internet to influence their opinions by persuading others that the advertisements are true, because of the increase in the amount of persuasion happening in today’s world, various people have started using different methods to have a more effective message by using persuasion. Humor is one technique that is used, because by using humor in persuasion, it gets the listener to connect with the one using persuasion. By using humor in persuasion is usually a very successful tool; but, there are some pitfalls that need to be carefully considered. “The effects produced by humor may be too small to compensate for any weakness in the persuasive message itself” (Lyttle, 2001, p. 214). The author of this paper will examine how humor is risky and effective, and why the ones who use humor should use it cautiously.
Effectiveness of Humor in Persuasion Humor in persuasion can be a very effective tool. A study, which Lyttle (2001) points out says, “Persuasion theory was used to develop predictions about the effectiveness of humor” (p. 206). He examines various ways that humor in persuasion could possibly be effective. By creating, a positive effect is one way humor in persuasion may be effective; for example, people who are in a good mood are less likely to disagree with a humor persuasive message. By enhancing the “liking” of the source is another way; for example, humorous cartoons in textbooks relaxed
Com 323 – Persuasion & Argumentation
April 22, 2013
The Value of Humor in Persuasion
Introduction
On a daily basis, people deal with a lot of persuasion and it has progressively influenced today’s modern society; for example, with people having access to the media, such as television, newspapers, radio, and internet there has been an increase in the frequency of advertisements, which companies attempt to persuade the media audience to purchase their products. In addition, there are more people using the internet to influence their opinions by persuading others that the advertisements are true, because of the increase in the amount of persuasion happening in today’s world, various people have started using different methods to have a more effective message by using persuasion. Humor is one technique that is used, because by using humor in persuasion, it gets the listener to connect with the one using persuasion. By using humor in persuasion is usually a very successful tool; but, there are some pitfalls that need to be carefully considered. “The effects produced by humor may be too small to compensate for any weakness in the persuasive message itself” (Lyttle, 2001, p. 214). The author of this paper will examine how humor is risky and effective, and why the ones who use humor should use it cautiously.
Effectiveness of Humor in Persuasion Humor in persuasion can be a very effective tool. A study, which Lyttle (2001) points out says, “Persuasion theory was used to develop predictions about the effectiveness of humor” (p. 206). He examines various ways that humor in persuasion could possibly be effective. By creating, a positive effect is one way humor in persuasion may be effective; for example, people who are in a good mood are less likely to disagree with a humor persuasive message. By enhancing the “liking” of the source is another way; for example, humorous cartoons in textbooks relaxed
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