title: Perception of other people's mental states affects humor in social anxiety.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study examined the relationship between social anxiety and the appreciation of specific types of humor. It was expected that social anxiety would hinder the enjoyment of jokes particularly if the resolution of incongruity involves processing social cues and assessing the (false) mental states of others. Fifty-six participants rated three types of cartoons and a control condition for comprehensibility and funniness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High degrees of social anxiety were associated with less enjoyment of cartoons that involved the interpretation of others' mental states (Theory of Mind), but not of semantic cartoons or visual puns. Furthermore, high social anxiety was related to longer response latencies of the funniness ratings, especially in the case of Theory of Mind cartoons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A possible limitation is that the present study was conducted in individuals with social anxiety in the non-clinical range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that highly socially anxious people do not have a general humor processing deficit, but may feel threatened by tasks involving the mental states of others. The negative affect evoked by TOM humor may hinder the experience of funniness in highly socially anxious individuals, and it may also make it more difficult for them to rate their own amusement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Bldg 420, Stanford, CA 94035, USA. andrea.samson@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Andrea C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Samson
authors.forename: Helmut Karl
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lackner
authors.forename: Elisabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Papousek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002359:Cartoons as Topic; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D056345:Theory of Mind; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic; D055815:Young Adult