title: Using humor in systematic desensitization to reduce fear.
abstract: Effectiveness of systematic desensitization for fear reduction, using humorous hierarchy scenes without relaxation, was tested. Participants were 40 students highly fearful of spiders. Using a 24-item behavioral approach test with an American tarantula, participants were matched on fear level and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (a) systematic desensitization, (b) humor desensitization, and (c) untreated controls. Each participant was seen for 6 sessions, including pretest and posttest. Analyses of covariance of posttest scores revealed that the 2 treatment groups showed greater reduction in fear than the controls on 3 measures but did not differ from each other. Therefore, humor in systematic desensitization reduced fear as effectively as more traditional desensitization. This finding may have therapeutic applications; however, it may also be applicable in advertising to desensitize fear of a dangerous product, such as cigarettes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, USA. wlvent@wm.edu
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Ventis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Higbee
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Murdock
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012928:Social Desirability; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic