Effect of humor on state anxiety and math performance

@article{Ford2012EffectOH,
  title={Effect of humor on state anxiety and math performance},
  author={Thomas E. Ford and Brian Ford and Christie F. Boxer and Jacob Armstrong},
  journal={Humor: International Journal of Humor Research},
  year={2012},
  volume={25},
  pages={59-74}
}
An experiment tested the hypothesis that exposure to humorous material prior to taking a difficult math test can inhibit the amount of anxiety associated with the test, and thus enhance performance. In keeping with our hypothesis, participants performed better on a math test after first being exposed to funny cartoons versus non-humorous poems or nothing at all. Mediation analyses suggest that state anxiety mediated the relationship between exposure to humorous cartoons and math performance… 
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