Gender and Teasing
Keltner et al (1998) hypothesized that women would have more negative emotions associated with teasing than men, whether they were the aggressor or the target. While they tested this hypothesis only within heterosexual, college-aged romantic relationships, they did find support for this hypothesis, and also found that women were more upset by being teased by their partner than by teasing him. Keltner et al's 2001 meta-analysis suggests that the claim that friendly teasing is more prevalent among males is not supported.
Wirth and Schultheiss (2006) found that high-testosterone (for their sex group) people of both genders learned patterns more easily when associated with an "angry" face, leading to the conclusion that a fleeting "angry" expression is rewarding to these individuals. "Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting annoyed look on someone else’s face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again. As long as it does not stay there for long, it’s not perceived as a threat, but as a reward.” Schultheiss said in a University of Michigan press release.
The difference in teasing -- and in accepting teasing without getting upset -- is one of the gender stereotypes that gets brought to my attention most often, and my experience has certainly played out that way. However, I feel that using romantically involved couples was a major weakness in Keltner's 1998 study. People react very differently to teasing from their partner than from a friend of any gender. However, I do think this is one of the areas in which individual differences far outweigh any gender patterns.
Wirth and Schultheiss (2006) found that high-testosterone (for their sex group) people of both genders learned patterns more easily when associated with an "angry" face, leading to the conclusion that a fleeting "angry" expression is rewarding to these individuals. "Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting annoyed look on someone else’s face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again. As long as it does not stay there for long, it’s not perceived as a threat, but as a reward.” Schultheiss said in a University of Michigan press release.
The difference in teasing -- and in accepting teasing without getting upset -- is one of the gender stereotypes that gets brought to my attention most often, and my experience has certainly played out that way. However, I feel that using romantically involved couples was a major weakness in Keltner's 1998 study. People react very differently to teasing from their partner than from a friend of any gender. However, I do think this is one of the areas in which individual differences far outweigh any gender patterns.