The Effects of Using Humor and Persuasion

        
            Persuasion plays an important role when we communicate with others. Persuasion is an attempt to change someone’s view about something or someone. There are several tactics one can use to help them persuade someone into doing something they want that person to do. Humor is just one tool that can be used to persuade others. Using humor to persuade others can result in a positive or negative effect. Let’s take a closer look at the effectiveness of using humor in persuasion and the risks involved with using humor in persuasion.

Emotions play a critical role in persuasion. One emotion often used in persuasion is humor. Humor is a quality that causes amusement in individuals. People use humor to make others laugh. Laughing makes people happy and puts them in a good mood. This will cause people to see you as likeable person and they will be more comfortable in your presence. Humor can be used to help “gain you attention, rapidly create rapport and make you and your message more memorable” (eruptingmind, 2011). Humor can also help alleviate stress and tension among individuals. When individuals lower their guard around you they are more likely to be persuaded by you.

There are important factors to remember when using humor to persuade someone. Humor should be used to “ introduce, summarize or highlight certain key points to give them added impact in the listener’s mind” (eruptingmind, 2011). Use humor to state facts and try not to over use humor in your attempt to persuade them. If humor is overused people tend to resist it and find it irrelevant. People will also feel like you are trying to be funny on purpose and they will not take you seriously.

Humor can be just as dangerous as it can be good when it comes to persuasion. You must know when to use humor and you have to be careful what you say won’t offend anyone. You must also be aware of the fact that humor should not be used with certain topics of discussions. When trying to persuade someone while discussing controversial topics humor will definitely back fire on you. If you offend the person you are trying to persuade they could completely shut down and then you will not be able to get your point across to them. You will also be shining a negative light on yourself and any future attempts to persuade this person will be at risk for not being successful.

There are many theories associated with persuasion. One theory associated with persuasion is known as the Mere Exposure Theory. This theory works by individuals being exposed repeatedly to something. This repeated exposure increases their attraction and favorability towards that object (Seiter & Gass, p. 48). Humor can be very useful when an individual is using this type of persuasion theory. If the individual can successfully incorporate humor in their attempt to persuade someone then they will be able make the persuasion attempt memorable and that person they are trying to persuade will associate positive thoughts with that object. The next time they are exposed to that persuasion they will remember their last experience and will be more easily to persuade.

Another theory associated with persuasion is the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. This theory “postulates that holding dissonant cognitions (beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, etc.) is an aversive psychological state” (Seiter & Gass, p. 51). Humor can be used with this theory to help persuade an individual without offending them. The individual doing the persuading can create dissonance by using humor and increase the individual’s trust without unintentionally offending them.

The last theory we will discuss that is associated with persuasion is the Social Judgment Theory. The Social Judgment Theory “focuses on how people evaluate persuasive messages and how such evaluations affect whether or not persuasion occurs” (Seiter & Gass, p. 54). This theory requires a lot of work to persuade the individual to side with your argument. Using humor with this theory can have little or no influence on whether or not you will be able to persuade that person. When the person you are trying to persuade is adamant about their position you will have to work harder to persuade them. If you are able to use humor successfully with this theory you will be able to establish good rapport with that person and they will perceive you as a likeable person and would be more open to listening to what you have to say.

In conclusion, humor plays an important role when persuading someone to do something you want them to do. There is several persuasion theories used to persuade someone. Humor can be incorporated into these persuasion theories and may or may not help you persuade someone. Humor may help you persuade someone or back fire on you. The most important thing to remember when using humor is to know when to use it in your argument and when not to use it. If you are successful in using humor to persuade someone you will be able to establish good rapport with them and you will be liked and respected. People will want to hear more of what you have to say and will be more easily persuaded by you. If you use humor at an inappropriate time in your argument you could risk the possibility of offending the person you are trying to persuade. Knowing when and when not to use humor in persuasion will ensure you have greater success when it comes to persuading someone into doing something you want them to do.

References

Eruptingmind. (2011). How Mood Affects Persuasion. Retrieved January 7, 2011, from http://www.eruptingmind.com/how-mood-effects-persuasion/.

Seiter, J. S., & Gass, R. H. (2004). Perspectives on Persuasion, Social Influence, and  Compliance Gaining. Boston: Pearson Education.