Humor mistakes are more damaging for men than women: Women (vs men) who falter are still seen as more attentive, causing their mistakes to seem less substantial and bolstering downstream evaluations of them

No laughing matter: Why humor mistakes are more damaging for men than women. Taly Reich etl al. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 96, September 2021, 104169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104169

Abstract: People of all genders regularly pursue both personal and professional objectives. To the latter, research has documented substantial barriers for women, especially when they make mistakes. As articulated by role congruity theory, their stereotypically communal nature appears at odds with the agentic objectives frequently seen as inherent to the workplace. To the former, though, how are women (versus men) evaluated in pursuit of communal objectives? We propose that observers are more likely to see men (versus women) as less successful after mistakes in the interpersonal realm. Nine preregistered experiments (N = 5400) test this proposition by targeting, specifically, the use of humor. They provide evidence for a process model by which women (versus men) who falter are still seen as more attentive, causing their mistakes to seem less substantial and bolstering downstream evaluations of them. Implications for gender, humor, and mistakes are discussed.

Keywords: GenderMistakeHumorPerson perceptionStereotypeRole congruity theory