HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS: SELF-DEPRECATING HUMOR IN ADULT ANIMATION AS A STRESS COPING MECHANISM

Abstract

Nearly one in five American adults are currently experiencing stress and anxiety throughout their daily lives. While there are countless techniques by which to cope with stress and anxiety, evidence suggests that consumption of humorous adult animated television is a popular coping mechanism. This thesis posits the reasons for the success of these popular adult animated television series used for stress coping is the utilization of self-deprecating humor and the relatable narratives stemmed from such humor. To explore the possible similarities of self-deprecating humor within these television series, this qualitative content analysis examined randomly selected episodes from ten of the most popular adult animated television series and coded for different aspects of the utilization of self-deprecating humor. Results from this study found that the adult animated data selected and analyzed all utilize self-deprecating humor, with narratives mainly surrounding self-worth and personal, familial, and cultural stressors. These narratives may lend themselves to aid in the stress coping process through the relation the audiences feel towards these stressors. Acknowledging these specific narratives within television shows that are possibly helpful in coping with mental afflictions and stress could aid in creating more beneficial media narratives for future generations to come.