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Personality assessment typically relies on self-report questionnaires utilizing Likert-type scales. Recently, the Expanded format has been proposed as alternative, but research on the consequences of adapting Likert-like responses to Expanded items is sparse. We adapt a multidimensional measure into the Expanded format: the PhoPhiKat-45. This is the standard questionnaire to assess gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (joy in being laughed at), and katagelasticism (joy in laughing at others). We test the reliability, item/scale parameters, and factorial structure across the Expanded and Likert formats in three independently collected samples ( N s = 323/261/460). While the psychometric properties are satisfying, elevated item- and mean-scores in our experimental Expanded version do not support full measurement invariance with the Likert version-and, thus, it does not permit the application of established cutoff scores for gelotophobia. The convergence of self-peer ratings supports the validity of an Expanded version. Overall, an Expanded form of the PhoPhiKat-45 did not outperform the standard Likert version. We discuss potential trait- and method-related causes for the measurement invariance and consequences for the usage of cutoff scores in the assessment of gelotophobia as well as interpreting the findings in light of continued research on the Expanded response format.

We investigated the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia), the joy in being laughed at (gelotophilia), and the joy in laughing at others (katagelasticism) in adolescent students (N = 324, 13-15 years). Gelotophobia was associated primarily with the victim and katagelasticism with the bully-role (self-and peer reports). Gelotophobia correlated with laughing at oneself if experiencing an embarrassing situation. Gelotophilia increased with the propensity to laugh if observing or experiencing embarrassment; katagelasticism increased with laughing if observing something embarrassing in another person. Imagining potentially embarrassing situations was associated with greater feelings of anxiety, shame, sadness, and embarrassment; gelotophilia with joy and cheerfulness. The study breaks the ground for a better understanding on how adolescent students deal with laughter and ridicule.

Objective: How people deal with ridicule and being laughed at plays a role in romantic life. We extend the research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia), joy in being laughed at (gelotophilia), and joy in laughing at others (katagelasticism) by testing their associations with romantic jealousy and its consequences for relationship satisfaction (RS).Method: Our study is based on Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) analyses of self and partner ratings of the laughter-related dispositions using data from 228 opposite-sex couples. APIM mediation analyses estimated indirect effects of jealousy on the associations between the dispositions and RS.Results: As expected, gelotophobia-related positively to jealousy in actors, whereas gelotophilia and katagelasticism showed differential relationships. The analysis of partner effects showed that the actual expressions in the dispositions are unrelated to jealousy but perceived expressions account robustly for experiences of jealousy beyond self-ratings. Finally, jealousy had indirect effects on the associations between the dispositions and RS.Conclusion: These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of dealing with ridicule and laughter in romantic life. We embed the findings into the literature, discuss practical implications, and derive future directions to expand the knowledge on gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism in romantic life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) plays a detrimental role in courtship (e.g., predicting a lower likelihood of entering a relationship) and romantic relationships (e.g., low relationship satisfaction). Gelotophobia correlates positively with anxious and avoidant romantic attachment. This study aims to replicate (a) the associations between gelotophobia and romantic attachment and (b) the mediating role of attachment in the association between gelotophobia and relationship experience using a sample of N = 531 participants (M = 32.1 years; 63.7% singles). Previous findings replicated well, as gelotophobia positively relates to avoidant and anxious attachment and lower likelihood of entering a romantic relationship. Contrary to earlier research, only anxiety mediated the association between gelotophobia and relationship status. We discuss the findings regarding the attachment framework of long-term singlehood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to extend research on dispositions toward ridicule and being laughed at by testing the localization of the fear of (gelotophobia) and the joy in (gelotophilia) being laughed at, and the joy in laughing at others (katagelasticism) in the HEXACO model and the Dark Triad traits (both have not been examined so far). Study 1 (HEXACO model: N = 216) showed that gelotophobia was related to low extraversion, high emotionality, and low honesty‐humility; gelotophilia to high extraversion and high openness to experience; and katagelasticism to low agreeableness and low honesty‐humility. These results were similar to prior findings based on the Five‐Factor model, and supported the notion that the honesty‐humility trait contributes to the prediction of individual differences in gelotophobia and katagelasticism. Study 2 (Dark Triad: N = 204) showed that gelotophobia was related to high Machiavellianism and low narcissism; gelotophilia to high narcissism; and katagelasticism to high psychopathy and high Machiavellianism. These data helped to clarify our findings on the honesty‐humility trait, showing that gelotophobes and katagelasticists differ in their socially aversive characteristics. Overall, this research provides empirical evidence that dark (but subclinical) traits can be seen as relevant personality predictors of how people deal with laughter and ridicule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • APIM analyses of laughter-related dispositions and relationship satisfaction (RS). • Fear of being laughed at is negatively related with relationship satisfaction. • Joy of being laughed at shows positive associations with RS (mainly in females). • Joy of laughing at others is independent from RS (exception: Disagreement). • Trait- and profile similarity is weakly associated with RS beyond main effects. Abstract People differ in how they deal with ridicule and being laughed at along three individual differences variables; namely, the fear (gelotophobia) and joy (gelotophilia) of being laughed at and joy of laughing at others (katagelasticism). This study examines their associations with facets of relationship satisfaction (RS). Actor-Partner-Interdependence Model analyses of 154 heterosexual couples showed that gelotophobia was negatively associated with RS while gelotophilia (mainly in females) was positively related. Katagelasticism existed independently from RS, except for higher levels of disagreement. Further, romantic partners were robustly similar in their traits and profiles (overall and distinctive). The unique similarity-RS associations were positive but of small size. Overall, our findings support the notion that the dispositions are differentially related with facets of RS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The first empirical studies on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia; Ruch & Proyer, 2008a,b) indicated that it is a valid and useful new individual differences variable. The aim of the present paper is to examine where in the Eysenckian PEN-model gelotophobia can be located. Based on the available literature, gelotophobes are expected to be introverted, neurotic high P individuals. About N =230 participants, completed the revised form of the EPQ R, all items from precursors of the P scale, and a gelotophobia questionnaire. Gelotophobes could be described as introverted, scoring higher in the older (more clinically oriented) versions of the P scale. Social desirability did not contribute substantially to gelotophobia. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the Eysenckian superfactors explained 37% of the fear of being laughed at when older P scales were included. Gelotophobia can be well located in and predicted by established personality variables. However, not all of the variance is accounted for by personality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Ruch and Proyer (Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 21:47–67, 2008a), the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) was introduced as a new individual differences phenomenon. In this article, two new laughter-related concepts are presented: gelotophilia (the joy of being laughed at) and katagelasticism (the joy of laughing at others). The main aim of the present article was an empirical verification of these three concepts. Data analyses from a construction (N = 390) and a replication sample (N = 157) led to a three factor solution for the data comprising the three concepts. Intercorrelations among the three groups suggest that there is a negative correlation between gelotophiles and gelotophobes and a positive relation between gelotophiles and katagelasticists. The correlation coefficients, however, indicate that there is a relation but that the concepts are not interchangeable. A reliable and stable standard 45-item questionnaire (PhoPhiKat-45) and an economic short form of 30 items (PhoPhiKat-30) for the assessment of the three concepts are presented. Additionally, it was shown that, contrary to what had to be expected from early literature on gelotophobia, remembered experiences of having been laughed at by parents and peers in childhood and youth cannot be considered as major contributors to the development of gelotophobic symptoms as an adult (the same is true for gelotophilia and katagelasticism). However, gelotophobes tended to remember more events of having been ridiculed by their father. Suggestions for future research and conceptual developments are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we combine variables that make our lives most worth living with the fear of being laughed at. Peterson and Seligman (Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, American Psychological Association, 2004) suggested a classification of 24 strengths of character and six virtues. The virtues are universally evaluated positively across different countries and cultures. A sample of N = 346 participants allowed the examination of correlations between self- and peer-reported character strengths and gelotophobia. The results indicate that gelotophobia is negatively related to overall virtuousness in self-reports and in the same direction but less so in peer-reports. The rank-order of the character strengths showed that mainly modesty and prudence (both of the virtue of temperance) were positively correlated with gelotophobia (this was also supported by peer-reports). Gelotophobia was mainly negatively related to hope/optimism, curiosity, bravery, love, and zest. The analysis of mean score differences revealed that in some cases the mean scores for the peer-reports of character strengths were higher for the highest scoring gelotophobes than for the less gelotophobic and even lower or equal to the mean scores of the non-gelotophobes. This unexpected finding cannot be fully explained and needs to be addressed in follow-up studies. The results of the study clearly indicate that it is worthwhile to study gelotophobia in its relation to variables of positive psychological functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines whether the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) can be assessed reliably and validly by means of a self-report instrument in different countries of the world. All items of the GELOPH (Ruch and Titze, GELOPH〈46〉, University of Düsseldorf, 1998; Ruch and Proyer, Swiss Journal of Psychology 67:19–27, 2008b) were translated to the local language of the collaborator (42 languages in total). In total, 22,610 participants in 93 samples from 73 countries completed the GELOPH. Across all samples the reliability of the 15-item questionnaire was high (mean alpha of .85) and in all samples the scales appeared to be unidimensional. The endorsement rates for the items ranged from 1.31% through 80.00% to a single item. Variations in the mean scores of the items were more strongly related to the culture in a country and not to the language in which the data were collected. This was also supported by a multidimensional scaling analysis with standardized mean scores of the items from the GELOPH〈15〉. This analysis identified two dimensions that further helped explaining the data (i.e., insecure vs. intense avoidant-restrictive and low vs. high suspicious tendencies towards the laughter of others). Furthermore, multiple samples derived from one country tended to be (with a few exceptions) highly similar. The study shows that gelotophobia can be assessed reliably by means of a self-report instrument in cross-cultural research. This study enables further studies of the fear of being laughed at with regard to differences in the prevalence and putative causes of gelotophobia in comparisons to different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to examine the phenomenon of the fear of being laughed at. Three groups of adults, preselected with respect to: (1) having no fear of being laughed at, (2) being borderline with respect to the fear of being laughed at, and (3) being abnormally afraid of being laughed at (gelotophobic). All the subjects listened to tape recordings of laughter. These recordings of laughter reflected a variety of emotional qualities. The subjects rated these recordings according to several criteria and estimated the emotional-motivational state of the laughing person. The subjects were also shown 20 cartoons depicting social situations that involved laughter or the potential of someone's being laughed at and were asked to stipulate what a target person in the cartoon would think or say. It was shown that gelotophobes experienced positively motivated laughter as more unpleasant than did subjects in the non-gelotophobic groups. The gelotophobic group was also more prone to estimate that the laughing person was in a state of negative affect. Those with no fear of laughter and those on the borderline experienced an increase in mood level after the laughter perception task whereas the gelotophobes remained unaffected. Finally, in the semi-projective cartoon evaluation task, the gelotophobes gave more answers that expressed mockery and fear of being laughed at than the other subjects. The results of these experiments show that anomalies relating to individual subjects' degrees of fear of laughter (gelotophobia) exist and can be predicted by the measures described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The List of Derisible Situations (LDS; Proyer, Hempelmann and Ruch, List of Derisible Situations (LDS), University of Zurich, 2008) consists of 102 different occasions for being laughed at. They were retrieved in a corpus study and compiled into the LDS. Based on this list, information on the frequency and the intensity with which people recall being laughed at during a given time-span (12 months in this study) can be collected. An empirical study (N = 114) examined the relations between the LDS and the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia), the joy of being laughed at (gelotophilia), and the joy of laughing at others (katagelasticism; Ruch and Proyer this issue). More than 92% of the participants recalled having been laughed at at least once over the past 12 months. Highest scores were found for experiencing an embarrassing situation, chauvinism of others or being laughed at for doing something awkward or clumsy. Gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism were related about equally to the recalled frequency of events of being laughed at (with the lowest relation to katagelasticism). Gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism yielded a distinct and plausible pattern of correlations to the frequency of events of being laughed at. Gelotophobes recalled the situations of being laughed at with a higher intensity than others. Thus, the fear of being laughed at exists to a large degree independently from actual experiences of being laughed at, but is related to a higher intensity with which these events are experienced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titze (Humor and Health Journal 5:1–11, 1996) concluded from individual case studies that gelotophobes do not experience humor and laughter as a shared enjoyment but rather as a threat. Two studies examined whether gelotophobes are less humorous in general or whether this is true only for certain components of humor. In study I, three samples (N = 120 and 70 students; N = 169 adults) filled in the GELOPH〈46〉 along with several humor instruments (i.e., 3 WD, CHS, HBQD, HSQ, HUWO, STCI-T〈60〉). Results showed that gelotophobes are less cheerful and characterize their humor style as inept, socially cold, and mean-spirited. They report less frequent use of humor as a means for coping and indulge less often in self-enhancing and social humor. Appreciation of incongruity-resolution humor and nonsense humor (but not sexual humor) was lower than for non-gelotophobes. Study II (N = 131 adults) focused on the relation between gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism and the ability to create humor (i.e., the CPPT). The ability to create humor is unrelated to gelotophobia, and tends to be positively correlated with gelotophilia and katagelasticism. Future studies should investigate why gelotophobes see their humor style as inept despite not lacking wit, and how their beliefs can be made more consistent with their abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article examines the relation between the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) and intellectual abilities (verbal, numeric, and spatial intelligence, memory and reasoning, vocabulary, and attention) and the self-estimation of one's own abilities. In a first study, N = 167 participants completed ability tests along with a subjective measure for gelotophobia. The results indicate that gelotophobia and intellectual abilities exist independently from each other. These results were replicated in a second study (N = 177) with an independently collected data set. In this study the participants also completed a form for the self-estimation of their own abilities. Though there was a tendency for lower self-estimations of their own abilities, the mean scores were not significantly different among groups of non-gelotophobes and participants with borderline, slight, and pronounced fear of being laughed at. However, the differences between psychometrically measured and self-estimated abilities showed that gelotophobes have a lower self-estimation of their abilities regarding general intelligence, vocabulary, and attention. Taken together the studies show that gelotophobia is not related to intelligence but that gelotophobes tend to have lower self-estimations of their own abilities and underestimate their true ability (i.e., psychometrically measured) by 6 IQ-points. The general pattern of low self-estimations of abilities in gelotophobes is discussed and whether this might be a useful starting point for the development of treatments for gelotophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single case studies led to the discovery and phenomenological description of Gelotophobia and its definition as the pathological fear of appearing to social partners as a ridiculous object (Titze 1995, 1996, 1997). The aim of the present study is to empirically examine the core assumptions about the fear of being laughed at in a sample comprising a total of 863 clinical and non-clinical participants. Discriminant function analysis yielded that gelotophobes can be separated from other shame-based neurotics, non-shame-based neurotics, and controls. Separation was best for statements specifically describing the gelotophobic symptomatology and less potent for more general questions describing socially avoidant behaviors. Factor analysis demonstrates that while Gelotophobia is composed of a set of correlated elements in homogenous samples, overall the concept is best conceptualized as unidimensional. Predicted and actual group membership converged well in a cross-classification (approximately 69% of correctly classified cases). Overall, it can be concluded that the fear of being laughed at varies tremendously among adults and might hold a key to understanding certain forms of humorlessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelotophobia is defined as the fear of being laughed at. First empirical studies revealed that it is a valid and useful new concept. Furthermore, it was shown that it is of relevance among non-clinical groups and that it should be best conceptualized as a one-dimensional individual differences phenomenon. The present study presents first empirical data on the fear of being laughed at in the Czech Republic (N = 286) and in Slovakia (N = 440). It describes the adaptation of an instrument for the subjective assessment of gelotophobia. The translations yielded good psychometric properties in terms of a high reliability (α ≥ ,87). Especially, items referring to the avoidance of places where one has made an embarrassing impression (Czech Republic) and to controlling oneself strongly for not attracting negative attention for not making a ridiculous impression on others (Slovakia) yielded higher endorsements. Gelotophobia was not related to demographics, such as age, sex, and marital status (Czech Republic), but related to personality traits included in five-factor model. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the five broad personality dimensions explained 41 % (Czech sample) and 21 % (Slovak sample) of fear of being laughed at. 6,29 % (Czech Republic) and 6,14 % (Slovakia) of participants exceeded a cut-off score indicating at least a slight expression of gelotophobic symptoms. The GELOPH seems to be a useful instrument for further research on gelotophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]