Final answer:
Jocular relationships are interactions among individuals in a group characterized by humor and playfulness, helping to form social bonds and cohesion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among groups of people, some individuals may engage primarily in humorous interactions while others in serious interactions. The type of relationships that are characterized by such humorous interactions are referred to as jocular relationships.
Anthropologists like Douglas and Murdock have studied humor as an integral part of social phenomena and cultural universals. Humor serves to lessen the dangerous power of what might be threatening to the social order, and it is through laughter and humor that people find common ground, release tensions, and bond with each other. It's noteworthy that these harmonious interactions are not limited to humor, as proximity, similarity in attitudes and experiences, and homophily (the tendency for people to associate with similar others) are critical in forming friendships and romantic relationships.
In essence, jocular relationships enhance social bonds by injecting playfulness and levity into interactions, thus fostering cohesion and understanding among individuals.