"Gender-Based Differences in Style and Acceptance of Humor"

Abstract of a paper by Daniel Floyd

With numerous gender-based differences evident in our society, there must be a subsequent gender-based difference in humor. Humor has become an integral part of our society, and if there are differences evident then the gender gap will become more apparent. Using a handheld tape recorder, numerous questions were posed to both male and female high school students regarding both humor and joke-telling. After data were collected it was put into the form of tables, graphs and were analyzed statistically to see if there was a difference between the genders. In addition, each individual was asked to tell a joke. This was done in order to determine the types of jokes males told females as compared to what males told males and what females told females as compared to what females told males. It became apparent that there is no significant difference between males and females as to how humor was perceived and accepted. However, when individuals were asked to tell jokes, gender differences were evident.

Adina Sobo, Advisor, Barbara Lytle and Daniel Floyd