The Effects of Humor and Personality on Willingness to Self-Disclose

Indianapolis, IN

Research has demonstrated that humor is effective in creating a welcoming environment, increasingpersuasionand in decreasing a person's resistance to engaging in self-disclosure behavior. However, there may be personality and environmental variables contributing to varying degrees of willingness to disclose personal information. Mental distress has been linked to problems with self-disclosure, and therapeutic progress has been slowed by resistance to self disclosing sensitive information with one's therapist. Volunteer participants completed consent forms, the Big Five Inventory ( a short form of the NEO-PI-R) and a demographic sheet. Each was then randomly assigned to one of two groups, those who viewed a humorous video and those who did not, before rating their willingness to disclose personal information with both a close friend and an acquaintance. Data analyses of rating differences by levels of neuroticism, openness, and humor group were conducted. Results and implications will be discussed.