Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Brown, Mitch

Committee Member

Judah, Matt

Second Committee Member

Cross, Karen

Abstract

Although humor functions to foster integration between individuals, not all types of humor are equally appreciated by everyone. Some forms of humor are controversial, which limits their appreciation to specific contexts and potentially to specific people. One form of humor that may meet this definition is dark humor. Production of dark humor could imply that the humorist is disinterested in conventional social situations while similarly conveying an exploitative intention. Given that individuals who exhibit heightened levels of psychopathic personality traits also have a relative disinterest in adhering to social norms, it could be possible that psychopathy is associated with a greater appreciation for dark humor. As part of a larger norming study, participants read and rated a series of jokes identified as dark in addition to a series of similarly structured control jokes. Following the jokes, they completed a psychopathy inventory considering dimensions of callousness, egocentricity, and antisociality. Results indicated that egocentrism was most strongly associated with an appreciation for dark humor. This association is unsurprising, given that those high in egocentrism do not consider the complexity of others’ emotions. Results suggest that appreciation for controversial humor displays could help indicate the interpersonal intentions of group members.

Keywords

Dark humor; Psychopathy; Aggression; Personality; Jokes

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