In an experiment, people rated how funny they thought cartoons were while holding a pen crosswise in their mouths.Those who held the pen in their teeth thought the cartoons were funnier than did people who held the pen in their lips.These results are best explained by the
A) experimenter effect due to a self-fulfilling prophecy that was created by the cartoon.
B) placebo effect.
C) attribution theory.
D) pen between the teeth causing the subjects to smile and the pen between the lips causing them to frown.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pen between the teeth caused the subjects to smile, which is associated with positive emotions such as happiness and amusement. On the other hand, the pen between the lips caused them to frown, which is associated with negative emotions such as disgust or dissatisfaction. Therefore, holding the pen crosswise in their mouths influenced their emotional reactions towards the cartoons, which affected their ratings of humor. This phenomenon is known as the facial feedback hypothesis.

In an Experiment, People Rated How Funny They Thought Cartoons