Implicit theories of men's preferred humor styles as a function of facial masculinity

Abstract

Physical appearance provides a basis for how perceivers infer the intentions of social targets, which may include their proclivity toward employing specific humor styles. Such inferences have recently been shown to emerge through bodily features connoting androgenic activity. Facial masculinity could similarly inform perceptions of men's humor styles. Participants estimated the proclivity to employ humor styles among male and female targets whose faces were experimentally manipulated to appear masculinized or feminized. Male faces were informative to perceptions of their proclivity toward specific humor styles, whereas female faces were not. Masculinized male faces connoted preferences for affiliative, aggressive, and self-enhancing humor. Feminized male faces connoted a preference for self-defeating humor. Results provide continued evidence for masculinized features providing a robust basis for heuristics of men's humor styles.