研究目的：本研究目的在探究幽默對創造力表現的影響。研究方法與結果：研究一要求48位受試者評定六則笑話的好笑與創意程度，結果發現好笑與創意間具有高度的相關。研究二的78位受試者分別被操弄閱讀笑話、對詞彙進行多重語義的激發、回憶好笑的事情以誘發好笑情緒，及中性組等狀況，之後，施測頓悟性思考問題，結果發現幽默的多重語義激發並未提升頓悟性問題上的表現；然而，幽默引發的好笑反應卻提升創造表現。研究三以60名受試者，操弄笑話與幽默影片好笑程度對創造力的影響，結果發現，幽默刺激到達閾限後，再提高幽默的好笑程度並不會持續提升頓悟性問題上的表現。研究四的37位受試者，被笑話刺激誘發好笑反應，之後，以線段切斷作業來測量右腦激發，及以新編創造思考量表測量擴散性思考。結果發現，右腦激發部分中介了好笑反應與擴散性思考表現間的關係。研究結論：綜言之：1.幽默與創造力在建構上是相關的；2.幽默刺激引發的好笑成份會提升創造表現；3.引發好笑程度在中度狀況下最能提升創造力；4.右腦激發會中介好笑反應與創造表現間的關係。
Purpose: The purposes of this study were to explore the effect of multiple semantic thinking and funniness on creative performance, and the mediation by the activation of the right hemisphere. Methods & Results: In Study 1, 48 Taiwanese participants (mean age=20.6 years) rated the degree of funniness and the creativity of 6 jokes they read. Analysis showed a high correlation between perceived funniness and perceived creativity. In Study 2, 78 Taiwanese participants (mean age=21.1 years) were assigned to 4 conditions: 1) joke reading, 2) multiple semantic thinking (to prime flexible thinking), 3) funny memory recall, and 4) a control group. Afterwards they completed a set of insight problems that tested participants on their ability to shift perspective. Compared to the control group, the multiple semantic thinking group did not perform as well on the insight problems, but the jokereading group performed better. In Study 3, 60 participants (mean age=20.3 years) were asked to rate 6 jokes or a funny film by degree of funniness. Analysis of the ratings showed that beyond a certain point of funniness, there was no improvement in performance on the insight problem. In Study 4, 37 participants (mean age=21.5 years) were asked to read jokes and to complete a line-bisection task (to gague the activation of the right hemisphere). A tendency for activation of the right hemisphere mediated between funniness and creative performance as measured by the insight problem. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that 1) funniness and creativity are highly correlated, 2) the funniness of humor stimuli can enhance creative performance, 3) when humor stimuli were rated at a mid-level of funniness, they increased performance on the insight task, and 4) the activation of the right hemisphere mediated between funniness and creative performance.
