Many sitcoms on TV use canned laughter. Research has shown that jokes are rated as funnier when they are accompanied by canned laughter than when they are not, even though most people have negative opinions about canned laughter and most people say it is easy to detect canned laughter. Which social influence principle is involved here?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The social influence principle involved here is social validation. Canned laughter creates a sense of social validation by providing a cue for the audience to laugh along with the joke, leading to higher ratings of the joke's humor. Despite negative opinions about canned laughter and its detectability, people still find the jokes funnier due to the perceived social validation.

Many Sitcoms on TV Use Canned Laughter