Assessing Dispositions Towards Ridicule and Laughter in the Workplace: Adapting and Validating the PhoPhiKat-9 Questionnaire

The current paper addresses the measurement of three dispositions towards ridicule and laughter; i.e., gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (the joy of being laughed at), and katagelasticism (the joy of laughing at others). These traits explain inter-individual differences in responses to humor, laughter, and social situations related to humorous encounters. First, an ultra-short form of the PhoPhiKat-45 (Ruch & Proyer, 2009) was adapted in two independent samples (Construction Sample N = 157; Replication Sample N = 1774). Second, we tested the validity of the PhoPhiKat-9 in two further independent samples. Results showed that the psychometric properties of the ultra-short form were acceptable and the proposed factor structure could be replicated. In Validation Sample 1 (N = 246), we investigated the relation of the three traits to responses in a ridicule and teasing scenario questionnaire. The results replicated findings from earlier studies by showing that gelotophobes assigned the same emotions to friendly teasing and malicious ridicule (predominantly low joy, high fear, and shame). Gelotophilia was mainly predicted by relating joy to both, teasing and ridicule scenarios, while katagelasticism was predicted by assigning joy and contempt to ridicule scenarios. In Validation Sample 2 (N = 1248), we investigated whether the fear of being laughed at is a vulnerability at the workplace: If friendly teasing and laughter of co-workers, superiors or customers are misperceived as being malicious, individuals may feel less satisfied and more stressed. The results from a representative sample of Swiss employees showed that individuals with a fear of being laughed at are generally less satisfied with life and work and experience more work stress. Moreover, gelotophilia went along with positive evaluations of one’s life and work, while katagelasticism was negatively related to work satisfaction and positively related to work stress. In order to establish good work practices and build procedures against workplace bullying, one needs to consider that individual differences impact on a person’s perception of being bullied and assessing the three dispositions may give important insights into team processes.This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES – Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-160590). The authors are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for its financial assistanc

The state-of-the art in gelotophobia research: A review and some theoretical extensions

Research on gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at) has come a long way since the first empirical studies published in 2008. Based on a review of the findings on gelotophobia, its structure, causes and consequences, updates to the model are introduced emphasizing the context of the fear and its dynamic nature. More precisely, external and internal factors are seen to moderate the effects of initial events on gelotophobia, and a spiral nature in the development of the fear is assumed. It is highlighted that gelotophobia needs to be studied in the context of related variables (such as timidity, shame-proneness and social anxiety), and research should focus on the time span in which this fear is most prevalent. The relevance of gelotophobia for humor theory, research and practice is highlighted and new areas of research are introduced. Among the latter the role of gelotophobia at work and in relation to life trajectories is discusse

The state-of-the art in gelotophobia research: A review and some theoretical extensions

Abstract Research on gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at) has come a long way since the first empirical studies published in 2008. Based on a review of the findings on gelotophobia, its structure, causes and consequences, updates to the model are introduced emphasizing the context of the fear and its dynamic nature. More precisely, external and internal factors are seen to moderate the effects of initial events on gelotophobia, and a spiral nature in the development of the fear is assumed. It is highlighted that gelotophobia needs to be studied in the context of related variables (such as timidity, shame-proneness and social anxiety), and research should focus on the time span in which this fear is most prevalent. The relevance of gelotophobia for humor theory, research and practice is highlighted and new areas of research are introduced. Among the latter the role of gelotophobia at work and in relation to life trajectories is discussed

Enhancing tax compliance through coercive and legitimate power of authorities

Both coercion, such as strict auditing and the use of fines, and legitimate procedures, such as assistance by tax authorities, are often discussed as means of enhancing tax compliance. However, the psychological mechanisms that determine the effectiveness of each strategy are not clear. Although highly relevant, there is rare empirical literature examining the effects of both strategies applied in combination. It is assumed that coercion decreases implicit trust in tax authorities, leading to the perception of a hostile antagonistic tax climate and enforced tax compliance. Conversely, it is suggested that legitimate power increases reason-based trust in the tax authorities, leading to the perception of a service climate and eventually to voluntary cooperation. The combination of both strategies is assumed to cause greater levels of intended compliance than each strategy alone. We conducted two experimental studies with convenience samples of 261 taxpayers overall. The studies describe tax authorities as having low or high coercive power (e.g., imposing lenient or severe sanctions) and/or low or high legitimate power (e.g., having nontransparent or transparent procedures). Data analyses provide supportive evidence for the assumptions regarding the impact on intended tax compliance. Coercive power did not reduce implicit trust in tax authorities; however, it had an effect on reason-based trust, interaction climate, and intended tax compliance if applied solely. When wielded in combination with legitimate power, it had no effect

Gibt es ein Lachen der Schadenfreude?

Bereits zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts beschrieben die Ausdruckspsychologen sowohl einen spezifischen Gesichtsausdruck als auch eine besondere Lautbildung, die nur dem Lachen der Schadenfreude zu eigen sein sollte. Leider wurden diese Ideen bislang nur unzureichend durch gezielte Untersuchungen weiterverfolgt. Vorarbeiten zur vorliegenden Studie, in denen die Häufigkeit und Intensität von Lächeln und Lachen in 16 positiven Emotionen untersucht wurden, zeigten, dass nicht nur Erheiterung systematisch mit Lachen und intensiveren mimischen Reaktionen einhergeht, sondern auch Schadenfreude. Aufbauend auf diesen Ergebnissen testete die vorliegende Studie drei Hypothesen zum mimischen Ausdruck von Schadenfreude in 17 erinnerten Schadenfreude-Erlebnissen. Die Resultate zeigen, dass Schadenfreude sehr oft mit Lachen einherging (in 70 % der Schadenfreude-Erlebnisse) und darüber hinaus die mimischen Ausdrücke oft durch Marker der Regulierung/Dämpfung des Ausdruckes gekennzeichnet waren. Während Schadenfreude also durch den für Freude typischen Gesichtsausdruck gezeigt wird (Duchenne-Display), findet im sozialen Kontext oft eine sichtbare Abschwächung (Regulation) oder ein Verbergen des Ausdrucks statt. Dies ist womöglich darauf zurückzuführen, dass es sozial nicht akzeptabel ist, über den Schaden anderer öffentlich zu lachen.At the beginning of the 20th century, authors concerned with Ausdruckspsychologie (“expression psychology”) described the existence of a specific visual and auditory morphological pattern of schadenfreude laughter. They were putting enormous efforts in visual and verbal illustrations of several laughter types, but those ideas have been widely neglected in modern research. Preceding studies on the frequency and intensity of smiling and laughter in 16 positive emotions showed that not only amusement, but also schadenfreude elicited laughter and more intense facial displays of smiling and laughter. Thus, the current study investigated three hypotheses on the facial expression of schadenfreude in 17 recalled schadenfreude events. The results showed that schadenfreude went along with laughter very often (laughter occurred in over 70 % of the recalled schadenfreude memories). The facial expressions of smiling and laughter in schadenfreude were frequently accompanied by markers of display regulation and dampening. Therefore, the joyful expression of schadenfreude in the face (Duchenne display) is often distorted by regulation or dampening actions. This is probably due to the social desirability of not laughing at others’ misfortunes

Character strengths and fluid intelligence

Objective: Research on the associations between cognitive and noncognitive personality traits has widely neglected character strengths, that means positively and morally valued personality traits that constitute good character. Method: The present study aimed to bridge this gap by studying the associations between character strengths and fluid intelligence using different operationali�zations of character strengths (including self- and informant-reports) and fluid intelligence in children, adolescents, and adults. Results: The results, based on four samples (N = 193/290/330/324), suggested that morally valued personality traits are independent of fluid intelligence, with the exception of love of learning, which showed small but robust positive relationships with fluid intelligence across all samples. Conclusions: Nonetheless, we argue for further research on the associations with other cognitive abilities and interactions between character strengths and intelligence when examining their relationships with external criteria

Laughter and smiling in 16 positive emotions

This study investigated the elicitation of smiling and laughter and the role of facial display regulation markers (e.g., down-regulating of a smile or laugh) in positive emotions. In a structured group conversation setting, the frequency and intensity of Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles and laughs when telling memories of 16 positive emotions proposed by Ekman [1] were assessed. Facial responses were coded with the Facial Action Coding System (FACS [2]) and laughter vocalizations were assessed. The results show that smiles and laughs occurred in all 16 positive emotions. Laughter occurred most often in amusement and schadenfreude (laughter occurred in 72% and 71% of the recalled emotion memories respectively). Also, the intensity of the smiles and laughs was higher in amusement and schadenfreude than in the other 14 positive emotions. Furthermore, down-regulated displays (i.e., including facial markers counteracting the upward action of the zygomatic major muscle) resembled Duchenne Displays in their intensity. To summarize, more insight is gained into the facial expression of positive emotions, also highlighting the role of laughter. Also, the importance of assessing regulation markers in joy displays when people are in social settings is stressed

Assessing the Temperamental Basis of the Sense of Humor: Adaptation of the English Language Version of the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory Long and Standard Form

The State-Trait Model of Cheerfulness assesses the temperamental basis of the sense of humor with the traits and respective states of cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad mood. Cheerfulness is a dominant factor in current measures of the sense of humor and explains both, the disposition to engaging in smiling and laughter, as well as humor behaviors, and trait seriousness and bad mood are antagonistic to the elicitation of amusement (albeit for different reasons). Several studies have shown the validity and reliability of the STCI questionnaire in German and other language versions (i.e., Spanish). In this study, the English language version with 106 items (STCI-T <106>) was translated, checked for its item and scale characteristics, and tested with a confirmatory factor analysis approach (N = 1101) to investigate the factorial validity of the STCI-T <106> scale. Results show good psychometric characteristics, good internal consistencies, and a fit to the postulated underlying structure of the STCI-T. Then, the standard form with 60 items (STCI-T <60>) was developed and the psychometric characteristics initially tested. In an independent sample (N = 169), the characteristics of the standard form were compared to the parent form and German equivalent. It showed good psychometric characteristics, internal consistencies, as well as a good self- and peer-report congruence. To conclude, the STCI-T <106> is the measure of choice for the assessment of the temperamental basis of the sense of humor and the separate facets of the traits, while the standard form (60 items) allows of an economic assessment of cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad mood, free of context-saturated items and humor preferences