TY - JOUR
T1 - Humor, the PEN model of personality, and subjective well-being: Support for differential relationships with eight comic styles
AU - Ruch, W
AU - Wagner, L
AU - Heintz, S
PY - 2018/1/7
Y1 - 2018/1/7
N2 - The present study examines the correlations of eight comic styles with the Eysenckian system of
personality and subjective well-being. A sample of adults (N = 252) completed the Comic Style
Markers (assessing fun, humor, nonsense, wit, irony, satire, sarcasm, and cynicism), the short form
of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and measures of subjective well-being (the Satisfaction
with Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and single items for domain-specific
satisfaction). Results showed that the three personality superfactors were related to the comic
styles, with extraversion relating to the light styles (fun, wit), and neuroticism relating to the
mockery styles (sarcasm and cynicism). Psychoticism was related to all comic styles except for
irony. Furthermore, the comic styles correlated with subjective well-being both positively (humor,
fun, and wit) and negatively (sarcasm and cynicism). The unique overlap of the comic styles with
subjective well-being beyond age, gender, and personality was small. Overall, the study provides
initial support for the importance of certain comic styles (especially humor, cynicism, fun, wit, and
sarcasm) for subjective well-being. These results pave the way for future intervention studies and
experiments that explore the causalities underlying these relationships.
AB - The present study examines the correlations of eight comic styles with the Eysenckian system of
personality and subjective well-being. A sample of adults (N = 252) completed the Comic Style
Markers (assessing fun, humor, nonsense, wit, irony, satire, sarcasm, and cynicism), the short form
of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and measures of subjective well-being (the Satisfaction
with Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and single items for domain-specific
satisfaction). Results showed that the three personality superfactors were related to the comic
styles, with extraversion relating to the light styles (fun, wit), and neuroticism relating to the
mockery styles (sarcasm and cynicism). Psychoticism was related to all comic styles except for
irony. Furthermore, the comic styles correlated with subjective well-being both positively (humor,
fun, and wit) and negatively (sarcasm and cynicism). The unique overlap of the comic styles with
subjective well-being beyond age, gender, and personality was small. Overall, the study provides
initial support for the importance of certain comic styles (especially humor, cynicism, fun, wit, and
sarcasm) for subjective well-being. These results pave the way for future intervention studies and
experiments that explore the causalities underlying these relationships.
UR - https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/context/psy-research/article/1607/viewcontent/2018_RuchWagnerHeintz_RISU.pdf
M3 - Article
SN - 2611-0970
VL - 1
SP - 31
EP - 44
JO - Rivista Italiana di Studi sull’Umorismo
JF - Rivista Italiana di Studi sull’Umorismo
IS - 1
ER -