Humor as a resource for mitigating conflict in interaction

This article investigates humor as a conversational resource for mitigating conflict in interaction. It explores the structures and dynamics of conflict talk, showing how participants contextualize their interaction as conflict. Then it explores various types of humor and their effects on conflict sequences. In particular, it demonstrates: (1) how humor can successfully end conflict; (2) how one participant can for a time ignore/reject attempts at humor by others; (3) how humor can forestall an impending conflict, but fail to end it; (4) how two parties in conflict talk can ignore attempts at humor by a third, unratified party; (5) how laughter can help resolve conflict even in the absence of humor; and (6) how a humorous key can prevent conflict from arising in potentially contentious contexts. Further, it demonstrates that the effectiveness of humor depends on a series of factors: first, the seriousness of the conflict, second, the social power relationship between the participants, third, the kind of humor, fourth, the reactions of the participants, and finally, who initiates the humor.