Outlines an interview with Robert Orben, head of Gerald Ford's speechwriting staff, concerning uses of humor in political speeches. (MH)

Finds that Humor Orientation (HO) was positively correlated with communication traits of communicator adaptability, concern for eliciting positive impressions, affective orientation, and situational sense of humor. Finds that high HOs were perceived to be funnier than low HOs both by participant-observers and by independent coders who listened to…

Finds that higher Humor Orientation (HO) was associated with lower levels of loneliness; acquaintances' perceptions of HO and self-reported HO were positively related; people seen as more humorous were seen as socially attractive; and verbally aggressive individuals did not report more loneliness, but were perceived to be less socially attractive,…

Finds that New Zealand students sampled were significantly less willing to communicate and experienced greater communication apprehension than U.S. students. Finds significant negative correlations for United States students between communication apprehension and humor variables (liking of humor, sensitivity to humor, and coping humor), whereas…