Humour as emotion regulation: The differential consequences of negative versus positive humour

Abstract

Humour is often seen as an adaptive coping strategy; however, the empirical literature is inconclusive. One possible explanation is that different types of humour have different adaptive consequences. In the present research, we predicted that positive (good-natured) humour would be more effective at regulating negative emotions than negative (mean-spirited) humour. In Study 1, participants were shown negative pictures two times. First, they simply viewed the pictures and rated their levels of positive and negative emotions. Second, they were instructed to: (a) view; (b) use positive humour; or (c) use negative humour, and then rate their reactions. Compared to negative humour, positive humour was more successful at down-regulating negative and up-regulating positive emotion. In Study 2, we replicated these findings and showed that these effects cannot be explained by differences in difficulty between the two humour conditions, participants' expectations, or social desirability. Taken together, these findings suggest that positive (but not negative) humour may be an effective form of emotion regulation.

Examining Relationships between School Administrators’ Humor Behaviors and Teachers’ Mobbing Experiences According to Teacher Perceptions

“…Various researches indicated that humor, when used in a positive manner, enhanced positive sentiments (Samson and Gross, 2012), enabled people to establish good relations (Banas, Dunbar, Rodriguez, and Liu, 20112;Özdemir, Sezgin, Kaya, and Recepoğlu, 2011), boosted employee motivation (Recepoğlu, Kılınç, and Çepni, 2011), lessened organizational tension, alleviated the employee's problems (Malone, 19800), and increased productivity (Avolio, Howell, and Sosik, 1999). If humor is used in a negative fashion, positive sentiments dwindle (Samson and Gross, 2012) while organizational loyalty among employees also fall (Romero and Arendt, 2011). It is also believed that humor also has a significant effect on negative behavior observed in educational organizations.…”

Stop laughing! Humor perception with and without expressive suppression

“…Moreover, ES has been found to reduce self-reported amusement when carried out while watching amusing films (Gross & Levenson, 1997). Humor can also be used as an emotion-regulation strategy on its own (e.g., Samson & Gross, 2012). Importantly, exploring the neural bases of humor perception and of emotion regulation in response to (or via) humor may be of clinical relevance and contribute to the successful treatment of disorders involving alterations in humor perception and humor regulation.…”

Loneliness, Social Interactions and Sense of Humor. A Quantitative Study Comparing Romanian Students and Older Adults

“…Humor has been regarded as a source of positive emotions, which can distract the individual from negative emotions and thus reduce said negative feelings (Samson & Gross, 2012). Apter and Smith (1977) theorize that humor can help individuals see a situation as less severe, and distance themselves from negative emotions.…”