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Brown M, Holt D. Motivated Social Affordance Judgments of Humor Styles. Psychol Rep 2023:332941231179891. [PMID: 37235862 DOI: 10.1177/00332941231179891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite the ingratiating function of humor, not all humor is created equal. Individual differences in humor styles may inform perceptions of whether prospective group members afford affiliative opportunities, with affiliative humor being regarded as especially beneficial. In this research, we tasked participants with evaluating social targets espousing different humor styles to identify these targets' abilities satisfy and impede both affiliative and social goals (Study 1) while determining if individual differences in these motives foster heightened preferences (Study 2). Affiliative and self-enhancing humor afforded the most affiliative and self-protection opportunities, whereas aggressive humor afforded more threats. Additionally, higher need to belong heightened preferences for affiliative humor. Results provide evidence for assortative sociality in the identification of optimum group members based on humor displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitch Brown
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Dalton Holt
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
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2
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Duarte B, Zhang J. The motive of competition but not courtship positively correlates with self-reported use of aggressive humor: A critical test of the contests- vs. mate-choice hypotheses. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1056217. [PMID: 36710794 PMCID: PMC9874086 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1056217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The use of aggressive humor (e.g., teasing, schadenfreude, and sarcasm) is a spiteful behavior because it inflicts costs on both others and the self. To explain the existence of this spiteful behavior, two hypotheses derived from sexual selection theory-namely Mate-Choice and Contests-posit that the use of aggressive humor helps one attract mates or repel competitors. Both hypotheses have merit, but extant data are unable to discriminate between them. Methods We critically tested those two hypotheses with a survey study that measured 509 U.S. MTurkers' self-reported tendencies to use aggressive (and other types of) humor, the motives to engage in competition and courtship, and the Dark-Triad personality traits. The final sample was N = 439. Results We found that (1) the motive of competition but not courtship positively and significantly correlated with the self-reported tendency to use aggressive humor. (2) Subclinical psychopathy-a personality trait positively associated with competition-mediated the correlation between the motive of competition and self-reported use of aggressive humor. These results were held in both female and male respondents. Discussion Our findings favored the Contests Hypothesis and helped reveal the psychological mechanism that generates the use of aggressive humor as a form of verbal aggression and spiteful behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Duarte
- Department of Communicology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Jinguang Zhang
- School of Journalism and Communication, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China,Center for Big Data and Public Communication, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Jinguang Zhang,
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Jach Ł, Kubicius D, Jonason PK. “Do they fit together like the Joker and Harley Quinn?”: Joking, laughing, humor styles, and dyadic adjustment among people in long-term romantic relationships. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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4
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Dionigi A, Duradoni M, Vagnoli L. Humor and the dark triad: Relationships among narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy and comic styles. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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5
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Covariation between formidability inferences and perceptions of men's preferred humor styles. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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7
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Improving Interactions with Healthcare Robots: A Review of Communication Behaviours in Social and Healthcare Contexts. Int J Soc Robot 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12369-020-00719-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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8
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Perchtold-Stefan CM, Fink A, Rominger C, Papousek I. Motivational Factors in the Typical Display of Humor and Creative Potential: The Case of Malevolent Creativity. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1213. [PMID: 32655444 PMCID: PMC7325593 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Research is still disputing if an individual's use of humor in everyday life is also indicative of his or her creative potential. To date, the focus has been mainly restricted to shared cognitive factors, while motivational aspects that may link the production of humor and of creative ideas have been largely neglected. Humor motivation implicates latent social goals the creator pursues through the use of humor. These goals can be benign or more malicious and manifest in an individual's typical display of comic styles. While often overlooked, creativity often serves social functions as well, especially in common everyday situations. Similar to humor, creativity is typically regarded as beneficial for individuals and society. Yet, creative ideas may also originate from less prosocial goals. This is reflected in the concept of malevolent creativity, where novel ideas are generated to deliberately harm others. The present study investigated individuals' typical display of humor, differentiated in eight distinct comic styles in relation to their productivity in a behavioral test for malevolent creativity and general creative potential (n = 106). Individuals with higher scores on comic styles that are affiliated with malicious interpersonal goals - such as hurting or upsetting others or demonstrating superiority over others - were more fluent in producing malevolent creative ideas in the malevolent creativity test. This finding shows that individual differences in humor motivation relate to the capacity of coming up with relevant creative ideas also outside the domain of humor. The pattern of relationships between humor motivation and general creative potential differed from that of malicious creativity and implied the comic style "wit" only, primarily adding to the notion of shared cognitive processes in the production of humor and creative ideas. The study offers a novel perspective for how the inclusion of motivational factors that are inherent to conceptualizations of humor may also benefit creativity research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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9
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Sacco DF, Brown M, May HD. Not Taking a Joke: The Influence of Target Status, Sex, and Age on Reactions to Workplace Humor. Psychol Rep 2020; 124:1316-1334. [PMID: 32460673 DOI: 10.1177/0033294120926671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The current study tasked undergraduates with serving as hypothetical human resource workers to evaluate complaints of offensive and inoffensive humor used by male and female employees in a fictitious company who varied in employment status and age. Offensive humor was deemed more problematic in its usage, particularly among female perceivers. Contrary to hypotheses, its usage was more problematic for male and older employees than for female and younger employees. In addition, participants were more averse to both offensive and inoffensive humor from high-status and older men relative to women with similar characteristics. We frame results with consideration of recent social trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald F Sacco
- The 5104University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Mitch Brown
- The 5104University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Haley D May
- The 5104University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
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10
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Abstract
Abstract. Humor research has intensified in psychology over the last two decades, with the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) being the most prevalent measure. Still, the construct validity of its four scales (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating) has not received unequivocal support. The present study uses a multitrait-multimethod approach to test the self-other agreement of the four HSQ scales with 202 targets and two knowledgeable informants per target. Employing a multilevel multiple-indicator correlated trait-correlated (method-1) (ML-CT-C[M-1]) model informed on the construct validity of the HSQ. Discriminant validities were sufficient for all scales. Convergent validity was supported for three of the four HSQ scales, except for the self-defeating scale. Similarly, the overlaps of the self- and other-reported HSQ scales with maladaptive personality as external criteria converged for all HSQ scales except for the self-defeating scale. Taken together, the present findings suggest that the self-defeating scale does not measure the maladaptive humor style it is supposed to measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Heintz
- Department of Psychology, Personality and Assessment, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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11
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Zeigler-Hill V, Besser Y, Besser A. A negative halo effect for stuttering? The consequences of stuttering for romantic desirability are mediated by perceptions of personality traits, self-esteem, and intelligence. SELF AND IDENTITY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2019.1645729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuval Besser
- Interdisciplinary School for Sciences, Health and Society, Department of Communication Disorders, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Avi Besser
- Center for Research in Personality, Life Transitions, and Stressful Life Events, Sapir Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel
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Karakowsky L, Podolsky M, Elangovan AR. Signaling trustworthiness: The effect of leader humor on feedback-seeking behavior. The Journal of Social Psychology 2019; 160:170-189. [PMID: 31156058 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2019.1620161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Given its capacity to cultivate a range of positive outcomes in the workplace, humor has been recognized as a valuable tool for leadership purposes. However, the theoretical understanding of leader humor remains relatively limited and the mechanism through which it influences follower outcomes has not been clearly identified. Drawing on signaling theory, we developed and empirically tested a model which delineates the relationship between leader humor and a specific follower behavior - proactive feedback seeking. We collected data from 304 employees and their respective leaders working in a large Canadian retail organization. Results of our analyses indicate that leader humor can impact subordinate feedback-seeking behavior via its influence on subordinates' affect-based and cognition-based trust in the leader.
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Affiliation(s)
- Len Karakowsky
- York University, School of Administrative Studies, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mark Podolsky
- York University, School of Human Resource Management, Toronto, Canada
| | - A R Elangovan
- University of Victoria, Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, Canada
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Lackner HK, Feyaerts K, Rominger C, Oben B, Schwerdtfeger A, Papousek I. Impact of humor-related communication elements in natural dyadic interactions on interpersonal physiological synchrony. Psychophysiology 2019; 56:e13320. [PMID: 30628090 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that in dyadic conversations some alignment occurs at the physiological level, but relatively little is known about the conditions that may facilitate physiological synchrony of two interlocutors. In the present interdisciplinary study, the impact of specific linguistic features of ongoing dialogues-the use of humor-related communication elements-was examined in 24 male dyads who were meeting for the first time. Heart rate synchrony was quantified using phase synchronization, which reflects the degree of moment-to-moment adjustments that occur between the two persons of a dyad. Comical hypotheticals and verbal amplifiers were identified and quantified using cognitive-linguistic methods of corpus analysis. Additionally, smiles following these communication elements were identified using the Facial Action Coding System. The data showed that the heart rate time series of the two interlocutors were to some extent synchronized in phase, and that the magnitude of this synchronization exceeded what had to be expected by chance. The strength of heart rate synchrony in a dyad was the higher the more comical hypotheticals were produced, independently from how much the two conversation partners were in sum talking to each other. A similar observation was made for verbal amplifiers, but their effect depended on whether they were perceived (and acknowledged by a smile) as humorous. The findings are in line with the more general notion that physiological synchrony may be enhanced by shared experience and suggest that the use of (reciprocated) humor may speed up the building of rapport among communication partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut K Lackner
- Division of Physiology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Kurt Feyaerts
- Department of Linguistics, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bert Oben
- Department of Linguistics, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Ilona Papousek
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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Medlin MM, Brown M, Sacco DF. That's what she said! Perceived mate value of clean and dirty humor displays. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2018.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Making of an In-Joke: Humor Appreciation as an Ingratiation Strategy Following Ostracism. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-017-0129-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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The Use of Bright and Dark Types of Humour is Rooted in the Brain. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42967. [PMID: 28211496 PMCID: PMC5314334 DOI: 10.1038/srep42967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The ways in which humour can be used are related to the manifold interpersonal functions humour can serve, some of which are positive, and some negative. In the present study, phasic changes in the functional coupling of prefrontal and posterior cortex (EEG coherence) during other people’s auditory displays of happy and sad mood were recorded to predict people’s typical use of humour in social interactions. Greater use of benevolent humour, the intentions of which are in keeping with the characteristics of “laughing-with” humour, was associated with greater decreases of prefrontal-posterior coupling during the processing of happy laughter. More loose prefrontal-posterior coupling indicates loosening of control of the prefrontal cortex over the incoming perceptual information, thereby opening up the perceptual gate and allowing the brain to become more affected by the social-emotional signals. Greater use of humour styles linked to malicious intentions of “laughing-at” humour was associated with responses indicating a wider opened perceptual gate during the processing of other people’s crying. The findings are consistent with the idea that typical humour styles develop in line with the rewarding values of their outcomes (e.g., interaction partners are happy or hurt), which in turn are defined through the individuals’ latent interpersonal goals.
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Fox CL, Hunter SC, Jones SE. Longitudinal Associations Between Humor Styles and Psychosocial Adjustment in Adolescence. EUROPES JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 12:377-89. [PMID: 27547255 PMCID: PMC4991046 DOI: 10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This study assessed the concurrent and prospective associations between psychosocial adjustment and four humor styles, two of which are adaptive (affiliative, self-enhancing) and two maladaptive (aggressive, self-defeating). Participants were 1,234 adolescents (52% female) aged 11-13 years, drawn from six secondary schools in England. Self-reports of psychosocial adjustment (loneliness, depressive symptomatology, and self-esteem) and humor styles were collected at two time points (fall and summer). In cross-lagged panel analyses, self-defeating humor was associated with an increase in both depressive symptoms and loneliness, and with a decrease in self-esteem. In addition, depressive symptoms predicted an increase in the use of self-defeating humor over time, indicating that these may represent a problematic spiral of thoughts and behaviors. Self-esteem was associated with an increase in the use of affiliative humor over the school year but not vice-versa. These results inform our understanding of the ways in which humor is associated with psychosocial adjustment in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Simon Christopher Hunter
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom; University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Siân Emily Jones
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Cameron JJ, Stinson DA, Hoplock L, Hole C, Schellenberg J. The robust self-esteem proxy: Impressions of self-esteem inform judgments of personality and social value. SELF AND IDENTITY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2016.1175373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Besser A, Weinberg M, Zeigler-Hill V, Ataria Y, Neria Y. Humor and Trauma-Related Psychopathology Among Survivors of Terror Attacks and Their Spouses. Psychiatry 2015; 78:341-53. [PMID: 26745687 DOI: 10.1080/00332747.2015.1061312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to examine the bidirectional relationships between humor and trauma-related psychopathology (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, and anxiety symptoms) among 105 dyads consisting of Israelis who were injured during terror attacks and their spouses (N = 210). An actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was applied as part of a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis aimed at examining the associations between the use of different styles of humor and trauma-related psychopathology. Consistent with our hypotheses, results suggested that benign styles of humor were associated with survivors' lower levels of trauma-related symptoms (actor effects) and also had a buffering effect for the spouse (partner effects). More specifically, the use of self-enhancing humor by survivors was negatively associated with spousal symptoms and the use of affiliative humor by spouses was negatively associated with psychopathology symptoms reported by survivors. The results of this study shed light on the role that benign humor may play in coping with traumatic events while taking into account the dyadic relationships among survivors and their spouses. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avi Besser
- a Department of Behavioral Sciences and Center for Research in Personality, Life Transitions, and Stressful Life Events , Sapir Academic College , Sderot , Israel
| | - Michael Weinberg
- b School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences , University of Haifa , Haifa , Israel.,c research department of the OneFamily organization , Jerusalem , Israel
| | | | - Yochai Ataria
- e Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Jerusalem , Israel.,f Department of Neurobiology , Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot , Israel
| | - Yuval Neria
- g New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology , Columbia University Medical Center , New York City
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Vaughan J, Zeigler-Hill V, Arnau RC. Self-esteem instability and humor styles: does the stability of self-esteem influence how people use humor? The Journal of Social Psychology 2014; 154:299-310. [PMID: 25154114 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2014.896773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to examine whether self-esteem instability moderated the association between self-esteem level and the use of humor. This was accomplished by examining the associations that humor styles had with self-esteem level and self-esteem instability among 499 undergraduates. The results of the present study show that self-esteem instability moderated the association between self-esteem level and humor styles such that individuals with stable high self-esteem reported the highest levels of affiliative humor as well as the lowest levels of aggressive and self-defeating humor. These results suggest that individuals with stable and unstable forms of self-esteem employ different styles of humor.
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Cowan ML, Little AC. The attractiveness of humour types in personal advertisements: Affiliative and aggressive humour are differentially preferred in long-term versus short-term partners. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1556/jep.11.2013.4.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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