Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Social Psychology Political Psychology

Underlying psychological traits could explain why political satire tends to be liberal

by Eric W. Dolan
May 11, 2019
in Political Psychology
(Photo credit: Comedy Central/YouTube)

(Photo credit: Comedy Central/YouTube)

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The need for cognition — a psychological term used to describe the enjoyment of thinking and analyzing problems — could help explain the differences in humor appreciation between liberals and conservatives.

According to new research in Psychology of Popular Media Culture, political conservatives tend to score lower on a measure of need for cognition, which is related to their lack of appreciation for irony and exaggeration.

“Having studied the content, effects, and psychological processing of political humor and satire for 20 years, I could never escape the question of why political satire tends to be liberal,” said study author Dannagal G. Young, an associate professor at the University of Delaware and author of the forthcoming book Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States.

“Everywhere I went, I was asked this question, and I had never been satisfied with my response. Digging into the literature on the psychological profiles of liberals and conservatives opened a window into a new explanatory mechanism – that the ‘liberal bias’ of satire does not stem from the content, target, or function of those jokes, but rather from the rhetorical structure of humor itself – especially in the case of irony.”

In the study, 305 participants watched and evaluated a series of jokes about a variety of apolitical topics. For each topic, the researchers crafted two types of joke: one version used irony to humorous effect, while the other used exaggeration.

For example, some participants viewed this irony-based joke:

The other participants viewed this exaggeration-based joke:

After evaluating the jokes, the participants then completed measures of need for cognition, tolerance for ambiguity, need to evaluate, sense of humor, and political ideology.

Young and her colleagues found that more conservative participants tended to show less appreciation of both forms of jokes.

This relationship was partially explained by need for cognition and sense of humor. In other words, conservatives tended to agree with statements such as “I only think as hard as I have to” and “People who tell jokes are a pain in the neck,” which in turn was associated with less positive evaluations of the jokes.

“The study provides empirical evidence that conservatives and liberals differ in their appreciation and comprehension of humor, especially in the case of irony. Even when the subject matter is not political at all, conservatives are less appreciative of incongruity-based humorous texts than liberals are,” Young told PsyPost.

“This difference is due in part to the fact that liberals and conservatives have different underlying psychological and personality traits that shape how they interact with messages in the environment. Liberals tend to be higher in need for cognition.”

“They are also more likely to value the production and consumption of humor in general. In this study, both of these traits accounted — in part — for liberals’ higher appreciation of both irony and exaggeration, compared to conservatives.”

The study — like all research — includes some limitations. Though need for cognition explains some of the relationship, “much of the impact of conservatism on humor appreciation remains unaccounted for,” the researchers said.

It is also possible that the format of the jokes reminded participants of The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, or Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update.

“It is very possible that the format and visual cue of the comic behind a desk signaled to conservative viewers that this content was similar in spirit and intent to that of late-night comedy (hence, it may have been perceived as left-leaning even though the jokes were not political),” Young said.

“This might explain conservatives’ lower appreciation of the content. Future research could explore various novel formats to avoid that confound.”

The study, “Psychology, Political Ideology, and Humor Appreciation: Why Is Satire So Liberal?” was authored by Dannagal G. Young, Benjamin E. Bagozzi, Abigail Goldring, Shannon Poulsen, and Erin Drouin.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin2Send

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

Attachment anxiety strengthens the link between boredom proneness and compulsive sexual behavior

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

People are less satisfied with their marriage when their partner is not interested in social interactions, study finds

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

RECENT

Attachment anxiety strengthens the link between boredom proneness and compulsive sexual behavior

Those with Dark Triad traits are more likely to engage in manipulative behaviors when ending romantic relationships

A new psychology study has uncovered cultural differences in perceptions of heroes

Linguistic analysis of 177,296 Reddit comments sheds light on negative attitudes toward science

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Pro-female and anti-male biases are more influential than race and other factors in Implicit Association Tests

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Currently Playing

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Social Psychology
People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

Dark Triad
Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Cognitive Science
People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

Anxiety
Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Psychopathy
People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.