Sex, aggression, and humour: responses to #unicycling #unicycle #cycling
The question is: does this scare me off wanting a unicycle or does it make me want one even more?
Less than 5% of people—mostly elderly men, women, and teenage girls—showed no reaction. About 1-2% of people expressed anger, distaste, or fear.
More than 90% of people showed a physical response—from an exaggerated stare or acknowledgment to a wave, nod, smile, or a show of mock surprise and fear.
In males the response moved from curiosity in childhood, to physical and verbal aggression in older boys; this became more verbal as the boys matured into men and evolved into the concealed aggression of a repetitive humorous verbal put-down, which was lost with age. In contrast, the female response was praise and concern for safety.
These findings suggest that humour develops from aggression in response to male hormones.