Made you laugh: the interpretation of interactive laughter within friendships
| dc.contributor.author | Matter, Michelle M., author | |
| dc.contributor.author | Faw, Meara, advisor | |
| dc.contributor.author | Williams, Elizabeth, committee member | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lucas-Thompson, Rachel, committee member | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-09-07T10:08:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-09-07T10:08:35Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Although past scholars have studied laughter as a form of communication, prior research is scarce on how laughter is perceived by interactants. This mixed methods study deepens scholarly understandings of laughter as both a communicative act and a form of affection by investigating how friends in dyadic interactions make meaning of the laughter they share during those interactions. Pairs of friends were video-recorded having a short, light-hearted conversation. Following the conversation, each individual watched the video, explaining at each instance of laughter what they were feeling and why they believed laughter occurred at that point in the conversation. Data from both interactants was then compared to examine the types of laughter that were manifested in conversations as well as patterns regarding participants' perceptions and communication of laughter. In general, previous laughter categories were supported by the data, but new categories were also identified, including laughing out of relatability (show understanding), lighten (decrease stress or negative feelings), memory (remember the situation being discussed), reactionary (because the other person laughed first), anticipation (expecting something funny to happen), cue (indicate that the other person should laugh), common joke (previously shared and recognized humor), mental image (picturing the event or story), and endearing (out of love) laughter. A new categorization system is proposed which assesses laughter in terms of its relational effects along the spectrums of prosocial-antisocial and basic-complex; in particular, prosocial laughter is examined as an affectionate behavior according to the definitions from Floyd's Affection Exchange Theory. This study offers a deeper understanding of laughter as a crucial yet understudied form of nonverbal communication by highlighting the relational meanings and implications of laughter among friends. | |
| dc.format.medium | born digital | |
| dc.format.medium | masters theses | |
| dc.identifier | Matter_colostate_0053N_16146.pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10217/212020 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Colorado State University. Libraries | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | 2020- | |
| dc.rights | Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. | |
| dc.subject | friendship | |
| dc.subject | interpersonal communication | |
| dc.subject | affection | |
| dc.subject | laughter | |
| dc.subject | humor | |
| dc.title | Made you laugh: the interpretation of interactive laughter within friendships | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dcterms.rights.dpla | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Communication Studies | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Colorado State University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
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