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Room
Seezimmer 3
Thursday, September 13  »  14:00 - 15:30
Poster - Symposium 1
Humor and Laughter
Host
Ursula Beermann (University of Zurich)
Chair
Ursula Beermann (University of Zurich)
Discussant
Andrea Samson (University of Fribourg)
In the proposed symposium, we will present actual aspects of research in humor and laughter, such as cognitive humor processing, facial reaction, sense of humor or the fear of being laughed at. Studies on cognitive and affective humor processing investigate the influence of cognitive rules or logical mechanisms on the humorous response, such as rating scales or explanations of the punch line. Additionally, inter-individual differences in empathizing, systemizing, or patients with Asperger Syndrome are investigated. Also, how is “laughter” translated? Several studies will address questions concerning facial humor reactions: Is laughter a uniform category or can several types of laughter be distinguished? Can the Duchenne Display serve as an antidote to pain? For the measurement of facial expression in these studies, the Facial Action Coding System has been used, which is also compared to a traditional method of assessing smiles and laughter, the mirth index. Furthermore, different aspects of the sense of humor are addressed. As a possible component of the sense of humor, the ability to laugh at oneself is investigated by means of self-report questionnaires and experiments. The temperamental basis of the humor of children is assessed by an adaptation of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory STCI and related to the good life and life satisfaction. Furthermore, results on the body self-concept of people suffering from Gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at) are presented.
Speakers
Ursula Beermann
FACS or mirth? How to measure smiling and laughter
Authors
Ursula Beermann (University of Zurich)
Willibald Ruch (University of Zurich)
Traditionally facial responses to humor were assessed with the so-called mirth index (Zigler, Levine & Gould, 1966). Mirth was indexed by facial responses of the mouth region rated from “-1 = negative reaction” via “no smile” and different smiling intensities to “3 = laugh”. While this index (or variations of it) was used in several studies one should add that it implies several assumptions (e.g., negative affect is opposed to positive affect and can not co-occur; all smiles are equal), which are partly untested or contradict current knowledge. More recently, advances have been made in the study of facial expression of enjoyment. Applying the Facial Action Coding System (FACS, Ekman & Friesen, 1978) researchers identified about 18 different kinds of smiles only one of which signifying genuine enjoyment. This so-called Duchenne display (Ekman, Davidson, & Friesen, 1990) is created by the joint contraction of the zygomaticus major muscle (AU 12, lip corner puller) and the orbicularis oculi, pars orbitalis muscle (AU 6, cheek raise). A Duchenne display may or may not be accompanied by laughter (as characterized by voiced or unvoiced forced expiration, Ruch & Ekman, 2001). While this approach was successfully applied in humour studies, the integration of facial and acoustic data is an unsolved problem. This poster will compare the two approaches along several criteria (underlying assumptions, reliability, economy). Data from several studies will be used for illustration.
Christian F. Hempelmann
When the "nurse grins", "grinst die Schwester" too?
Authors
Christian F. Hempelmann (hakia Inc.)
This interdisciplinary study looks the the psycholexical field of “laughter” and “Lachen,” respectively, in Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” taking place in a psychiatric ward, in the English original and the German translation by Hans Hermann. All 234 instances of the relevant terms in the field, e.g., “laugh,” “grin,” “smile,” or “giggle” were collected with respect to the characters of the novel that is the agent of the laughter act, in particular the main characters Nurse Ratched and R.P. McMurphy. Interesting patterns in the choice of the author as to which character and group of characters is characterized by the terms describing those acts emerged, as well as distribution patterns across the course of the novel. In a second step, the parallel terms in the German translation were identified, within the paradigm of lexical field studies (Wortfeldstudien). Since languages do not encode reality identically, the translator was faced with repeated choices as to how to render the English terms from the laughter field into German. While largely following a predictable rubric, the translator made several telling deviations that are illustrate his conception of specific characters of the novel, as well as telling differences between the lexical field in German vs. English and the psychological map of the field of laughter.
Andrea Samson
The influence of cognitive styles on humor processing
Authors
Andrea Samson (University of Fribourg)
Empathizing and systemizing are two cognitive styles: Systemizing is the drive to analyse systems or construct systems. Empathizing is the drive to identify mental states and respond to these with an appropriate emotion. This study aims to investigate differences in humor processing in dependence of these cognitive styles. Three cartoon conditions that differ regarding their logical mechanisms and consequently regarding their cognitive requirements were presented to high empathizers and high systemizers. These subjects were selected by the means of short German versions of the EQ and SQ. It was expected that the three conditions (visual puns, semantic cartoons and Theory of Mind cartoons) are processed differently by high empathizers and high systemizers. The subjects rated 60 cartoons for recognition time, comprehensibility and funniness. Subsequently, they had to explain the punch line of 15 cartoons. The explanations were analyzed by means of the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). The results reveal no differences between empathizers and systemizers in recognition time or on rating scales. However, they show differences on the explanation level: empathizers more often give mentalistic/emotional explanations and understand Theory of mind cartoons more often appropriately. The results demonstrate that it is important to include explanations into humor studies, because they reveal differences in cognitive processes that are not detected by using rating scales only.
Damian Hiltebrand
Can you take yourself as a joke? - Laughing at oneself, humor and personality
Authors
Damian Hiltebrand (University of Zurich)
Tobias Wyss (University of Zurich)
Fabian Gander (University of Zurich)
Ursula Beermann (University of Zurich)
Willibald Ruch (University of Zurich)
When we describe someone as having a good sense of humor, we often imply that this person has the ability to laugh at him- or herself. Yet, till now, only little research to the construct “laughing at oneself” has been conducted and it was restricted to self-report measurements. The aim of the present study is to explore the ability to laugh at oneself not only in self-description but also in peer description and experimental settings. Thus, 58 psychology students filled in German versions of several self-report questionnaires on personality and different humor components (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised Short Version EPQ-RK, Ruch, 1999; State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory STCI, Ruch, Köhler & van Thriel, 1996, 1997; Sense of Humor Scale SHS, McGhee, 1993; 3 Witz-Dimensionen Test 3WD, Ruch, 1995). For the SHS, also peer ratings were collected. Additionally, participants were given the possibility to laugh at themselves by means of distorted photographs in two different conditions (confronting the participants with distorted photos of themselves, and letting the participants take several distorted photos of themselves optimized for funniness). Verbal (i.e., funniness, aversiveness) and behavioral reactions (i.e., number of photographs taken by themselves, frequency of smiles and laughter) were recorded. Analyses will focus on discriminant and convergent validity of the experimental measurement and self- and peer reports of the construct of laughing at oneself.
Iwana Städeli
The facial expression of humor predicts increase in pain tolerance
Authors
Iwana Städeli (University of Zurich)
Sandra Baumann (University of Zurich)
Willibald Ruch (University of Zurich)
Prior studies have shown that watching a funny film leads to an increase in pain tolerance before to after watching a funny film and to after twenty minutes later. Zweyer, Velker, and Ruch (2004) suggested that this effect might be moderated by degree of genuine enjoyment. In particular the facial configuration called the Duchenne Display (i.e. the joint symmetric action of the zygomaticus major and the orbicularis oculi muscles), but not any other smile or verbal indicators of enjoyment of humor showed this moderating effect. The present study examines the hypothesis that more intense, frequent and longer lasting Duchenne displays, will lead to stronger increase in pain tolerance. Moreover, false smiles don’t predict changes in pain tolerance. 75 paid students of both sexes participated in the study. Participants were shown a humorous film. Pain tolerance was measured using the cold pressure test. The subjects were videotaped while watching the movie, and this videotape got analyzed utilizing the Facial Action Coding System. In these analyses the Duchenne display – with or without laughter – was separated from false smiles. Results indicated that pain tolerance increased for participants from before to after watching the funny movie and increased to after twenty minutes later. This effect was moderated by facial expression of enjoyment. There was a significant increase in pain tolerance measured by the subjects who showed the Duchenne display more often than others did.
Karin Sommer
The temperamental basis of sense of humor in children and youth: Measurement of cheerfulness, seriousness and bad mood
Authors
Karin Sommer (University of Zurich)
Karin Hösli (University of Zurich)
Willibald Ruch (University of Zurich)
Aim of the project was the adaptation of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI; Ruch et al., 1996, 1997), a well-validated instrument measuring the temperamental basis of sense of humor, to the ages 10 to 14 in order to provide a reliable, valid and economic assessment of cheerfulness, seriousness and bad mood both as (actual) states and (habitual) traits in children and youth. The construction process involved (a) informal interviews with children (N=10; ages 9-14) to simplify language; (b) rating of comprehension difficulty for each item (N=70); (c) examining construction samples for the state and trait forms (N=330); (d) mood induction experiments including actual (N=100) and factual (using scenarios; N=230) inductions using pre and post mood measures to allow estimations of sensitivity of change; (e) reduction of items to 30 and 15 for trait and state forms, respectively, and (f) testing of convergence of self-reported traits with peer- and parental evaluation (N=100). Results show that the underlying model of state-trait-exhilaratability (Ruch & Köhler, 1999) can be applied to children and youth aged 10-14 years. Psychometric characteristics of the scales are satisfactory. Correspondence between self- and other-evaluation of traits turned out to be sufficiently high. Items as well as scales proved to be sensitive for mood alterations.
Michael Hegenloh
Humor processing in individuals with the Asperger Syndrome
Authors
Michael Hegenloh (University of Fribourg)
Patrick Lüthold (University of Fribourg)
Andrea C. Samson (University of Fribourg)
Previous studies on humor in subjects with autism or Asperger Syndrome (AS) found controversial results. The aim of this study is to clarify whether subjects with the AS have minor humor processing skills in general or whether it depends on the logical mechanism, i.e., the cognitive rule, how the incongruity of a joke has to be resolved. Three non-verbal cartoon conditions that differ in their logical mechanism (visual puns, semantic and Theory of Mind cartoons) and therefore in their cognitive requirements were presented to subjects with AS and to healthy subjects. The cartoons had to be rated on comprehensibility, funniness and originality and the subjects had to explain the punch line of each cartoon in an online experiment. The results demonstrate that AS have not minor humor processing skills in general, but their cognitive and affective response depends on the logical mechanism: Whereas there are no differences to healthy subjects in visual puns, AS have difficulties to understand and appreciate Theory of Mind cartoons.
Tania Huber
Laughter as a uniform category? A historic analysis of different types of laughter
Authors
Tania Huber (University of Zurich )
So far, an unresolved question in research of positive emotions is whether laughter should be regarded as a uniform category or not. According to Darwin (1872) there is only one type of laughter (signaling the emotion of joy). However, others (e.g. Borée, 1899; Heller, 1902; Piderit, 1919; Huter, 1925/1985) distinguish up to nine different types and claim that they differ on a morphological basis. Aim of the present study was to find out what can be learned from the historic approaches by analysing the putative types of laughter using modern technology and knowledge. A bibliographic search of the historic literature on facial expression revealed a total of 206 illustrations of various types of laughter. These illustrations were coded with the Facial Action Coding System (FACS, Ekman, Friesen & Hager, 2002) and analyzed regarding their similarities and differences. Results show that not every proposed type of laughter mentioned by more than one author (e.g. mischievous laughter) is always described and illustrated the same way. Furthermore, 18 prototypical illustrations were rated by 20 individuals to determine the degree of decoding of these types of laughter.
Stephanie Estoppey
They all gonna laugh at you! On the body image of gelotophobics
Authors
Stephanie Estoppey (University of Zurich)
Noah Savary (University of Zurich)
Philip Siegrist (University of Zurich)
René T. Proyer (University of Zurich)
Gelotophobia, the fear of being laughed at, was introduced lately as a new individual differences phenomenon. One of the core symptoms of gelotophobics is their persistent concern of being laughed at by others. Thus, gelotophobics do experience humor and laughter as a weapon used by others to bring them down and harm them. The current study is aimed at an examination of the relationship between Gelotophobia and the body self-concept (N > 100). The body concept was measured with several scales from the “Frankfurter Körperkonzept Skalen” (FKKS; Deusinger, 1992) and a new self-constructed rating-scale aiming at identifying self-perceived physical imperfections. The participants also completed a questionnaire for the subjective assessment of Gelotophobia (Ruch & Proyer, 2007ab). The results of the study are not yet available. However, it is expected that subjects with high scores in the Gelotophobia-questionnaire will report a weak body self-concept. On a general level, it is expected that they will report a lower satisfaction with their body or with different parts of their body respectively.
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