Humor, aggression, and aging.

Humor response to aggressive cartoons was investigated by using ratings of pain and funniness of cartoons by 154 young and elderly men and women. No significant age differences were found; however, sex differences were found. For both young and elderly females, an inverted-U described the relationship between pain and funniness ratings. For young and elderly males, there was no relationship between pain and funniness. This is a preliminary step in exploring age differences in humor but may be relevant for those working with elderly persons.