Humor as a Regulator of Negative Emotions

• Authors: Adam Kucharski

Abstracts

EN

The article presents research that aimed to answer whether humor regulates negative emotions. The studies were conducted in the paradigm of precedence. The fi rst group was entered into a negative mood, in the second one however, a positive mood was induced. Afterwards, the respondents were presented with jokes, which were subjected to the evaluation of the degree of their funniness. The conducted observations indicate that the evaluation of jokes emerging at the beginning is consistent with the mood preceding their evaluation, and is higher in the group of people with a positive mood. It was noted however, that the exposure of subsequent humorous stimuli causes that the assessment of the jokes’ funniness changes and is higher among people in whom a negative mood was produced. This indicates that the regulation of emotions under the infl uence of humorous stimuli may occur along with the presentation of subsequent jokes.

Keywords

EN

Humor; regulation of emotions; mood; mood improvement; precedence

• Publisher: University of Wrocław, Institute of Psychology and Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT - Wrocławskie Wydawnictwo Oświatowe
• Journal: Polish Journal of Applied Psychology
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 7-16

Contributors

author

Adam Kucharski

• Faculty of Psychology, Szczecin University, ul. Krakowska 69, 71-004 Szczecin, Poland