Spanos grew up in Helsinki, Finland, and heard many derogatory jokes about Swedes and Russians in her childhood. She studied Social Work at Stockholm University and served a proselytizing mission to Russia for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before coming to the United States to attend Brigham Young University. Her experiences in Finland, Sweden, and Russia prompted her to analyze the meaning and purpose of derogatory ethnic humor.
From the description of Finnish ethnic jokes about the Swedes and the Russians : how Finns make fun of their neighbors, 2003. (Brigham Young University). WorldCat record id: 76896173