Two Sides of the Same Quip: Humor Appeals Can Indirectly Reduce Reactance via Perceived Humor but Simultaneously Increase Reactance Independently of Perceived Humor

This study assessed whether a humor appeal can reduce the degree to which freedom threatening language elicits psychological reactance and subsequently reduces positive vaccination attitude. A 2 (freedom threatening language: low vs. high) × 2 (humor appeal: absent vs. present) between-subjects experiment was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of social media posts about vaccination using a sample of people eligible for vaccination (N = 190). Results showed that the humor appeal did not mitigate the effect of freedom threatening language on perceived threat to freedom, but it did separately reduce reactance via perceived humor. However, the presence of the humor appeal also directly contributed to reactance independently of how funny people found the appeal, ultimately reducing positive vaccination attitude. This study demonstrates how humor appeals have complex effects on resistance motivations that should be considered when using them as a persuasive strategy.