Effect of death anxiety on perception of death-related humor

Scores on a humor scale containing both death-related and non-death-related items were compared among three groups of 10 college students who scored high, medium, or low on death anxiety. Ratings of humor differed significantly among the groups, but there was no significant interaction between death anxiety and ratings of death-related humor. Subjects high in death anxiety showed lower humor ratings over-all than the other two groups.