Monday, February 12, 2018

Laughing at yourself is actually good for you

People who frequently crack jokes about themselves have greater levels of psychological well-being, a study has found. The findings, published in the journal ‘Personality and Individual Differences’, contradict some of the earlier research in the psychology of humour that suggested self-defeating humour was exclusively associated with negative psychological effects.

“In particular, we have observed that a greater tendency to employ self-defeating humour is indicative of high scores in psychological well-being dimensions such as happiness and, to a lesser extent, sociability,” said Jorge Torres Marin from the University of Granada in Spain.

“The results, as well as being consistent with the positive connotations traditionally attributed to the act of ‘laughing at oneself ’ in our country, also suggest that the effects of self-defeating humour on well-being may differ depending on where the research takes places,” Marin said.

“Consequently, we believe it is necessary to conduct new studies aimed at analysing potential cultural differences in the use of this kind of humour,” the researcher added.

“Our research fits into one of the theoretical models that aim to overcome these limitations and provide the psychology of humour with a well-founded, accurate theoretical body of knowledge,” said fellow researcher Hugo Carretero Dios of the University of Granada.

Self-defeating humour was also linked to a greater tendency to suppress anger. PTI

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