Abstract
The author attempted to assess the extent to which the humorousness of an advertisement influences systematic processing of the ad copy. While it is often assumed that humor enhances systematic processing, the present prediction, based on results from research on positive moods and message processing, was that it would disrupt systematic processing. Results supported the latter hypothesis, as subjects who perceived the ad as humorous evidenced less differentiation between strong and weak advertising claims than did subjects perceiving the ad as nonhumorous. (Author/publisher)