Social Signals and Antisocial Essences: The Function of Evil Laughter in Popular Culture

Kjeldgaard‐Christiansen, Jens

doi:10.1111/jpcu.12728

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…In the present studies this pattern of results was reversed: Following uncooperative or untrustworthy decisions, trust tended to decrease when counterparts displayed reward smiles rather than affiliation smiles, showing that expressing joy can be problematic following uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour. In other words, an uncooperative context may make reward smiles that normally signal trustworthiness akin to dominance smiles, in that they both communicate superiority and pleasure at others' misfortune (Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, 2018). This interpretation is supported by the similarity in participants' ratings of reward and dominance smiles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dominance, reward, and affiliation smiles modulate the meaning of uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour

Rychlowska

Schalk

Niedenthal

et al. 2021

Cognition and Emotion

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We investigated the effects of different types of smiles on the perception of uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour. In five studies, participants assigned to one group played an economic game with a representative of another group. In an initial round, the representative acted uncooperatively by favouring their group and then displayed a dominance, reward, or affiliation smile. Participants rated the motives of the representative and played a second round of the game with a different member of the same outgroup. Following uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour, affiliation smiles communicated less positivity and superiority, and a greater desire to both repair the relationship between groups and change the uncooperative decision than reward or dominance smiles. Perceptions of a desire to repair the relationship and to change the decision were associated with trust and cooperation in a subsequent round of the game. Together, these findings show that smiles that are subtly different in their morphology can convey different messages and highlight the importance of these expressions in influencing the perceptions of others' intentions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dominance, reward, and affiliation smiles modulate the meaning of uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour

Rychlowska

Schalk

Niedenthal

et al. 2021

Cognition and Emotion

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“…Hollywood has a long history of deploying laughter in a way that establishes evil (i.e., Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (Fleming, 1939), Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars saga (Lucas, 1977, 1980, 1983), and Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy (Wachowski & Wachowski, 1999; 2003a; 2003b). As the villain is set opposite the hero, “laughter in villains puts a point on that fact by marking, visually and aurally, the villain's moral corruption” (Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, 2018, p. 1219). However, interestingly, in Joker , Arthur's laugh is both pathological and paradoxical.…”

Section: Smile and Put On A Happy Facementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Those around Arthur who are subjugated to these fits of abnormal hysteria frequently become disoriented and in some cases, hostile. In this way, Arthur's laugh is a break from fictional cinematic tradition that uses evil expressions of laughter as a bridge between evil intentionality and performativity (Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, 2018). Although Arthur frequently attempts to disclose his condition by distributing a laminated card that communicates his laughing disorder, these reactions have a devastating effect on Arthur's mental state and (re) awaken violent tendencies.…”

Section: Smile and Put On A Happy Facementioning

confidence: 99%

Book review: Joker

Varga

Kessel

2020

The Journal of Social Studies Research

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Few comic villains have the rich history that the Joker does. From comic books and cartoon television shows to blockbuster Hollywood films, the Joker has already had a long history, replete with multiple interpretations. Despite these myriad of portrayalsdsome memorable for a variety of reasons, like Heath Ledger's brooding depiction in The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008) or Jack Nicholson's sardonic portrayal in Batman (Burton, 1989)dactors, writers, and directors can (apparently) still find new ways to trouble audiences with the Joker's bleak (and yet strangely gripping) outlook on society that reverberates on a variety of personal and societal levels. All I have are negative thoughtsIn Joker (Phillips, 2019), Joaquin Phoenix takes a turn interpreting the (in)famous character. Like Ledger's depiction, audiences are invited to "reflect on ideas of values that we take for granted" (Forbes, 2011, p. 25). Phoenix, however, takes the complex, and somewhat empathetic, evil of the Joker to a new level. Early in the film, the audience learns that Phoenix's character is named Arthur Fleck and that he is the antithesis of the hyper-masculine ideals of American societydhe is desperate, disheveled, scrawny, timid, and is frequently the target of verbal and physical attacks by others. Arthur (barely) holds a job as a clown-for-hire for the company Ha-Ha's and is the sole provider for his mother, Penny Fleck. Additionally, Arthur suffers from (at a minimum) depression and a neurological condition that triggers fits of uncontrollable laughter when he is faced with distressing situations. Considering the aggregate of these conditions, Arthur Fleck quickly becomes a character who might elicit empathy from the audience. He is not an all-powerful villain whom the audience hopes will be brutally defeateddwe likely feel sorry for him.Although some students struggle to conceptualize evil as being complex (van Kessel, 2017), Joker provides an important lesson about just how ordinary, relatable, and complicated evil can be. Although earlier portrayals of the Joker have attempted to convey the point that anyone could be one bad day away from becoming like him, Phoenix's portrayal is the first attempt at using the popularity of the Joker to explore the complex range of factors that contribute to violent behavior. According to Dr. Adam Raine, a neuro-criminologist, Arthur's path to event was shaped by a nexus of "genetics, childhood trauma, untreated mental illness, and societal provocation" (Miller, 2019, para. 2). Having spent over 40 years studying the brains of behavior of violent criminals to understand the causes of violence, Raine was taken aback by the (unexpected) nuanced and accurate portrayal of reactive aggression in Joker. So much so, that in fact he plans to use clips with his students at the University of Pennsylvania (Miller, 2019).Dr. Imani Walker, a psychiatrist, was similarly impressed by Phoenix's Joker. She was moved emotionally by the script and Phoenix's performance: What also broke my heart was when he was writing in hi...

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A Structure of Antipathy

Kjeldgaard‐Christiansen

2019

Projections

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Many narrative films feature villains, major characters that audiences are meant to condemn. This article investigates the cognitive-affective underpinnings of audience antipathy in order to shed light on how filmic villainy is constructed. To that end, the article introduces an analytical framework at the intersection of cognitive film theory and moral psychology. The framework analyzes villainy into three categories: guilty intentionality, consequential action, and causal responsibility.

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Social Signals and Antisocial Essences: The Function of Evil Laughter in Popular Culture

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

Dominance, reward, and affiliation smiles modulate the meaning of uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour

Dominance, reward, and affiliation smiles modulate the meaning of uncooperative or untrustworthy behaviour

Book review: Joker

A Structure of Antipathy

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