Benevolent and Corrective Humor, Life Satisfaction, and Broad Humor Dimensions: Extending the Nomological Network of the BenCor Across 25 Countries

Sonja Heintz (), Willibald Ruch, Simge Aykan, Ingrid Brdar, Dorota Brzozowska, Hugo Carretero-Dios, Hsueh-Chih Chen, Władysław Chłopicki, Incheol Choi, Alberto Dionigi, Róbert Ďurka, Thomas E. Ford, Angelika Güsewell, Robert B. Isler, Alyona Ivanova, Liisi Laineste, Petra Lajčiaková, Chloe Lau, Minha Lee, Stanca Măda, Charles Martin-Krumm, Andrés Mendiburo-Seguel, Ifu Migiwa, Nailya Mustafi, Atsushi Oshio, Tracey Platt, René T. Proyer, Angélica Quiroga-Garza, TamilSelvan Ramis, Răzvan Săftoiu, Donald H. Saklofske, Olga V. Shcherbakova, Alena Slezackova, Anastasios Stalikas, Ieva Stokenberga, Jorge Torres-Marín and Peter S. O. Wong
Additional contact information
Sonja Heintz: University of Zurich
Willibald Ruch: University of Zurich
Simge Aykan: Ankara University School of Medicine
Ingrid Brdar: University of Rijeka
Dorota Brzozowska: University of Opole
Hugo Carretero-Dios: University of Granada
Hsueh-Chih Chen: National Taiwan Normal University
Władysław Chłopicki: Jagiellonian University
Incheol Choi: Seoul National University
Alberto Dionigi: Studio di Psicoterapia Cognitiva
Róbert Ďurka: Catholic University in Ružomberok
Thomas E. Ford: Western Carolina University
Angelika Güsewell: University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland
Robert B. Isler: University of Waikato
Alyona Ivanova: Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Liisi Laineste: Estonian Literary Museum
Petra Lajčiaková: Catholic University in Ružomberok
Chloe Lau: University of Western Ontario
Minha Lee: Seoul National University
Stanca Măda: Transilvania University of Braşov
Charles Martin-Krumm: Ecole de Psychologues Praticiens de Paris - Catholic Institute of Paris
Andrés Mendiburo-Seguel: Universidad Andres Bello
Ifu Migiwa: Waseda University
Nailya Mustafi: Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Atsushi Oshio: Waseda University
Tracey Platt: University of Sunderland
René T. Proyer: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
Angélica Quiroga-Garza: Universidad de Monterrey
TamilSelvan Ramis: HELP University
Răzvan Săftoiu: Transilvania University of Braşov
Donald H. Saklofske: University of Western Ontario
Olga V. Shcherbakova: Saint Petersburg State University
Alena Slezackova: Masaryk University
Anastasios Stalikas: Panteion University
Ieva Stokenberga: University of Latvia
Jorge Torres-Marín: University of Granada
Peter S. O. Wong: Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2020, vol. 21, issue 7, No 9, 2473-2492

Abstract: Abstract Benevolent and corrective humor are two comic styles that have been related to virtue, morality, and character strengths. A previous study also supported the viability of measuring these two styles with the BenCor in 22 countries. The present study extends the previous one by including further countries (a total of 25 countries in 29 samples with N = 7813), by testing the revised BenCor (BenCor-R), and by adding two criterion measures to assess life satisfaction and four broad humor dimensions (social fun/entertaining humor, mockery, humor ineptness, and cognitive/reflective humor). As expected, the BenCor-R showed mostly promising psychometric properties (internal consistency and factorial validity). Consistent with previous studies, benevolent humor correlated positively with life satisfaction in most countries, while corrective humor was uncorrelated with life satisfaction. These relationships were only slightly changed when controlling for social fun/entertaining humor and mockery, respectively. Benevolent humor was mostly positively associated with cognitive/reflective humor, followed by social fun/entertaining humor and mockery. Corrective humor was mostly positively associated with mockery, followed by cognitive/reflective and social fun/entertaining humor, although these relationships differed between the countries. Overall, the present study supports the viability of benevolent and corrective humor, which has yet received insufficient attention in psychology, for cross-cultural investigations and applications of humor, well-being, and morality.

Keywords: Humor; Life satisfaction; Cross-cultural comparisons; BenCor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-019-00185-9

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