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Sexism is an increasingly prevalent problem in the gaming community. However, until now, assessment instruments focused on the construct "sexism against women gamers" are lacking. We present an eight-item self-report scale: Sexism Against Women Gamers Scale (SAWGS). We studied the reliability and validity of the scores of Spanish and English versions across five independent samples (N = 2,437), with participants from Spain and the United States. Scores on both versions demonstrated high reliability, while exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported their unidimensional structure. The analysis established configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender. SAWGS was invariant at the configural level across countries. SAWGS scores were independent of social desirability, positively correlated with myths about intimate-partner violence against women, sexism, and social dominance orientation, and correlated negatively with feminism. Using two fictitious scenarios of sexism in online gaming, we found that gamers with higher scores on SAWGS showed a greater tendency to downplay a sexist incident and proposed a less severe punishment for toxic gamers. The SAWGS explained additional variance on responses to scenarios beyond that explained by other measures. The detection of sexism should make it possible to develop programs for its eradication and avoid negative consequences for women gamers. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843231162837 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GELOPH-15 is a self-report measure that assesses individual differences in the fear of being laughed at (i.e., gelotophobia), a relatively understudied but important trait that is closely related to social anxiety. Using a multitrait–multimethod (MTMM) approach, the convergent and discriminant validity of the GELOPH-15 scale was examined based on 217 self- and 651 peer ratings (of three close acquaintances per target) of the traits gelotophobia, social anxiety, and paranoid ideation. Participants completed the Spanish versions of the GELOPH-15, the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and the Paranoia Scale. Applying MTMM models of multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (ML-CFA-MTMM) revealed relatively high associations between the self- and peer ratings, supporting the convergent validity of the GELOPH-15. Discriminant validity analyses confirmed the expected relationship patterns of gelotophobia with social anxiety and paranoid ideation (i.e., strong, but not perfect associations). The results showed that the ML-CFA-MTMM models might be a useful tool for analyzing the convergent and discriminant validity based on self- and peer ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Durante un largo tiempo se ha considerado el trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) como un trastorno del desarrollo, lo que en última instancia supone aceptar que las personas adultas que lo padecen lo llevarían arrastrando desde la infancia. Sin embargo, estudios longitudinales han puesto de manifiesto no solo que el TDAH puede comenzar en la adultez, sino también que este inicio tardío es lo habitual en la población adulta con TDAH. Saber si el TDAH de inicio en la adultez es un trastorno distinto al TDAH convencional resulta primordial, puesto que entraña importantes consecuencias para la práctica clínica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion regulation research has exponentially grown in the past several years. However, to date, there is little information regarding its relation to cheerfulness, understood as a positive affective predisposition to sense of humor. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and the state and trait dimensions of cheerfulness. More precisely, we wanted to explore whether trait cheerfulness moderates the effect of emotion regulation strategies on the participants' reported affective state after they are exposed to both amusing and sad stimuli. To achieve our goal, we randomly assigned 248 undergraduate psychology students (178 women) to one of the following conditions: expressive exaggeration, down-regulation reappraisal, expressive suppression, and control. They watched amusing, neutral, and sad clips, reporting their affective state several times throughout the study. In general, the results showed that the exaggeration group showed the largest affective changes, whereas the down-regulation reappraisal group showed the smallest affective changes with both amusing and sad stimuli. Critically, trait cheerfulness moderated the changes in the participants' affective state as a consequence of their being exposed to the amusing film clip in the exaggeration group. The effects were not affected by social desirability or reappraisal/suppression tendencies (as measured with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire). The results are discussed highlighting the idea that the higher level of sensitivity to amusing affective contexts of high-trait-cheerfulness individuals could be due to a higher ability to exaggerate the behavior together with their more habitual and efficient use of reappraisal strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attentional difficulties are a core axis in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, establishing a consistent and detailed pattern of these neurocognitive alterations has not been an easy endeavour. Based on a dimensional approach to ADHD, the present study aims at comprehensively characterizing three key attentional domains: the three attentional networks (alerting, orienting, and executive attention), two components of vigilance (executive and arousal vigilance), and distraction. To do so, we modified a single, fine‐grained task (the ANTI‐Vea) by adding irrelevant distractors. One hundred and twenty undergraduates completed three self‐reports of ADHD symptoms in childhood and adulthood and performed the ANTI‐Vea. Despite the low reliability of some ANTI‐Vea indexes, the task worked successfully. While ADHD symptoms in childhood were related to alerting network and arousal vigilance, symptoms in adulthood were linked to executive vigilance. No association between ADHD symptom severity and executive attention and distraction was found. In general, our hypotheses about the relationships between ADHD symptoms and attentional processes were partially supported. We discuss our findings according to ADHD theories and attention measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-sexual violence is a prevalent and harmful form of aggression committed against women, yet little attention has been paid to the attitudes about cyber-sexual violence. This research therefore aimed to explore the negative attitudes or myths that serve to justify, minimize, and deny the experiences of cyber-sexual violence disclosed by women on Twitter. Using a thematic analysis, we analyzed 4,048 replies to 18 experiences reported on Twitter around the time of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. After the data were cleaned and coded, the results revealed 18 myths about cyber-sexual violence, grouped into four main themes: (1) minimization/conceptualization, (2) victim blaming, (3) factors related to the diffusion context, and (4) exonerating the perpetrator's responsibility. This study constitutes the first attempt to analyze the myths surrounding cyber-sexual violence on Twitter, including content areas not yet addressed in the literature, such as contextual factors. Strikingly, most of the analyzed reactions appeared to deny and downplay the importance of sexually aggressive behaviors perpetrated against women online, suggesting that these beliefs could influence the underreporting of cyber-sexual violence. Based on these data, it was concluded that while Twitter can serve as a useful "loudspeaker" for victims, it is also a mechanism by which myths about cyber-sexual violence can be supported and disseminated. Finally, it highlights the importance to consider the influence of online cultural frame on the social perception of cyber-sexual violence and point out the specific beliefs that educators, researches and psychologist could work though psychoeducational programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subversive humor has historically been considered a way of protesting, raising awareness, and seeking change. However, to date, no known empirical research has explored the consequences of exposure to humor that criticizes, confronts, and questions sexism (i.e., subversive humor against sexism or feminist humor). In the present research, we conducted two experiments to analyze the impact of exposure to subversive humor against sexism (vs. neutral humor) on the degree of involvement in collective action for gender equality, taking into account the feminist identity of participants. The results of Study 1 (n = 135) revealed that Spanish women and men with weaker feminist identification showed a higher proclivity to participate in collective action for gender equality after being exposed to subversive humor against sexism (vs. neutral humor). Study 2 (n = 134 Spanish women and men) replicated these results and expanded them to behavioral intentions to participate in this type of collective action. Our findings show the potential implications of using this type of humor for collective action for gender equality. Overall, subversive humor against sexism may function as a supportive tool to combat sexist attitudes, discrimination against women, and gender inequality by raising awareness in people with lower feminist identity to get them more involved in collective action. This approach would facilitate recruiting activists, getting more media coverage, and building a collective identity supporting mobilization against sexism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three studies, we examined whether ingroup disparaging humor leads to greater stereotyping of the ingroup. First, in Study 1, (N = 101) university students were exposed to (a) ingroup disparaging humor, (b) neutral humor, or (c) ingroup disparaging nonhumorous text. Participants exposed to disparaging humor reported more stereotypic evaluations than those in the neutral humor or disparaging text condition. Study 2 (N = 167) replicated these findings with humor conditions (disparaging vs. neutral) and showed that ingroup identification moderated the effects of the type of humor. Low identifiers exposed to ingroup disparaging humor (vs. those in the control condition) reported a greater frequency of stereotypic evaluations, whereas the manipulation did not affect high identifiers. Finally, Study 3 (N = 153) also manipulated the source of the jokes. As in Study 2, we found an interaction effect showing that high identifiers were not affected by the manipulation, whereas for low identifiers disparaging humor increased stereotyping and led to more negative emotions toward the ingroup. No significant effects were found for source of the jokes. We discuss findings in terms of how the traditional pattern of humor facilitating outgroup stereotyping also seems to apply to ingroup stereotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three experiments examined the effect of sexist humor on men’s self-reported rape proclivity (RP). Pilot study demonstrated that people differentiate the five rape scenarios of Bohner et al.’s. RP Scale based on the degree of physical violence perpetrated against the victim. Experiment 1 demonstrated that men higher in hostile sexism report greater RP upon exposure to sexist jokes when a woman (vs. a man) delivers them, and that this effect is limited to rape scenarios depicting a moderate versus a high level of physical violence. Experiment 2 further demonstrated that the relationship between hostile sexism and rape proclivity in response to a moderately violent rape scenario after exposure to sexist humor generalizes beyond women in the immediate humor context to women as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the development of the Spanish version of the Generalized Sense of Power Scale — individuals’ perception about their ability to influence others. After examining evidence of content validity, in two studies we investigated the psychometric properties of the Generalized Sense of Power Scale (GSPS) and its relationship with other theoretically related variables. In Study 1, we found through an exploratory factor analysis that the factorial structure of the GSPS presents two differentiated factors: sense of soft power and sense of harsh power. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis replicated this finding, and we also found the expected correlations between these two factors and other theoretically related variables. Furthermore, we found that these two factors showed adequate internal consistency in both studies. All in all, our results suggest that the Spanish version of the GSPS is an instrument that is able to measure the generalized sense of power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] Temperamental basis of sense of humor were assessed on Spanish population. [•] Satisfactory psychometric properties were found for the Spanish version of STCI-T. [•] Increments in seriousness scores were observed among older participants. [•] Relationships between STCI-T scores and personality and well-being were replicated. [•] Validity evidence was provided for using the Spanish version of the STCI-T. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

¿Es posible tener miedo a la risa? ¿Qué sucedería si percibiéramos sistemáticamente la risa de otros como una señal amenazante, malintencionada y de rechazo social? La gelotofobia hace referencia al miedo grave a que se rían de uno mismo, junto con una marcada predisposición a anticipar la burla y la ridiculización a través de la risa. En este artículo revisamos de forma sucinta los hallazgos más significativos vinculados a la gelotofobia y concluimos que aún falta mucho por hacer en la comprensión de este novedoso tema de investigación. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article gives a didactic introduction to the analysis of multitrait-multimethod data with models of multilevel confirmatory factor analysis. In particular, the principles of the multilevel CT-C(M-1) model for interchangeable and structural different methods are explained in detail, and the first application of this model to more than two structurally different methods is presented. The model is illustrated by an application to the analysis of the convergent and discriminant validity of the trait subscales of the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI-T, ). The results show that the STCI is a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing the temperamental basis of sense of humor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Gelotophobia is defined as the fear of being laughed at. First empirical studies revealed that it is a valid and useful new concept. It should be best conceptualized as a one-dimensional individual differences phenomenon within the range of normality. The present instrumental study presents first empirical data on the Spanish version of a subjective measure for the fear of being laughed. The scale was tested in a construction sample from Spain (n = 601) and in a replication sample from Colombia (n = 211). The article describes the adaptation of the GELOPH<15> to Spanish. The translation yielded good psyhometric properties in terms of a high reliability (a = .85, a = .81). As in the original form, a one-dimensional factor solution fit the data best in both samples. The item endorsements to single items varied considerable in both samples. The fear of being laughed at exited independently from demographic variable. The only exception was higher scores for younger participants in Colombia. 11.61% and 8.53% exceeded a cut-off score indicating at least a slight expression of gelotophobic symptoms in Spain and Colombia, respectively. The Spanish form proved to be a useful and reliable instrument for the subjective assessment of gelotophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study is an item analysis of the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20. We examined error scores in the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20 to determine the influence of the difficulty of the test on the assessment of reflection–impulsivity. The sample included 700 participants aged between 6 and 12 years. The results obtained from the corrected item–total correlation showed moderate but significant values for the discrimination index in all age groups, although the lowest values were found in the 6-year-old group. The item difficulty data show that the test is quite difficult for 6-year-old participants and quite easy for 12-year-old participants, and more likely to show individual differences between these ages. The results suggest that the difficulty of the MFFT20 is appropriate for children between 6 and 12 years. However, because of some floor and ceiling effects, the results of this test for ages 6 and 12 should be interpreted very cautiously, especially for the 6-year-old group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this instrumental study is to analyze the degree of equivalence between the construct of sensation seeking as measured by Sensation Seeking Scale form V, SSS-V and Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking, AISS. A structural equation model is employed in order to analyze the equivalence. The study includes 322 participants aged between 18 and 77. First, the equivalence between the SSS-V and the AISS was analyzed using the total sample. Second, two different age groups were established (18- 30 years old age group, n = 183; and 40–77 years old age group, n = 84), assessing the degree of equivalence in both cases. Based on the total sample and the 40–77 years old age group the results suggest that both instruments are not measuring the same dimension. However, in the 18–30 years old age group the disattenuated correlation obtained by the structural equation model was estimated to be 1.00, which means that, the SSS-V and AISS measure essentially the same dimension for this age group. These results are discussed taking into account the theoretical proposal of Zuckerman and Arnett, and the content (items) of the 555-V and AISS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. This paper discusses the criteria that should be considered when selecting psychological assessment tests in a research context. Traditionally attention has focused - and still does - on the stages that must govern any process of test construction! adaptation. This work is guided by internationally accepted standards, whose scientific importance is agreed by the scientific community. However, beyond any construction! adaptation process, the use of tests is a constant feature of psychological research, so it is of vital importance to select the tests adequately. For this reason, in this theoretical study we provide a summary of the criteria that should guide test construction/adaptation as well as some general guidelines to consider when selecting tests for psychological research. The information presented is organized into six sections, each of which corresponds to a different stage in the process of test creation: a) conceptual definition of the construct to assess; b) information about item construction and qualitative assessment; c) results of the statistical analysis of the items; d) empirical evidence of the internal structure of the test; e) results of the reliability estimation; and f) external evidence of score validity. The study ends with a reflection on the scope of the proposed guidelines and the importance of using clear criteria to select the tests used in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a main Public Health problem due to its high prevalence and to the costs for intervention and treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to identify strategies that allow an adequate assessment that would let us obtain a more precise and useful diagnosis. Nevertheless, an important obstacle for this task, is a lack of theoretical clarity in regard to diagnostic criteria or, especially, to symptoms which are relevant for depression. This fact is obvious in the scales focused on depression assessment, which have a broad variety of symptoms to assess, and it is possible to overestimate some areas or to underestimate others, related to theoretical criterions which were involved in test construction. So, depression is evaluated in accordance with the questionnaire that is used and, of course, depending of theoretical framework that supports this tool. Therefore, depression is defined in line with the criteria which evaluates it, with regard to assessment's criteria, which could explain the usual difficulty to identify common symptoms when some tools are used, which are then identified as genuine symptoms of depression. As the aim of this paper is to improve some of these limitations, the State/Trait Depression Questionnaire (ST/DEP) is showed as a useful tool for clinical and research work. It offers an assessment of one of the component of depression, the affective one, providing two measures: State and Trait. This allows to differentiate between intensity and frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In two studies, we analyzed the differences in the appreciation (i.e., funniness and aversiveness) and interpretation (i.e., criticism of sexism and woman and man disparagement) of subversive humor against sexism compared to sexist humor. In Study 1 (n = 202), we used a confirmatory factor analysis to verify the independence of subversive humor and sexist humor. The pattern of relations between feminist identity and the appreciation and interpretation of subversive humor against sexism was the opposite to that found between feminist identity and the appreciation and interpretation of sexist humor. The same happened with the relations between hostile sexism and subversive humor vs. sexist humor. In Study 2 (n = 169), we experimentally manipulated the type of humor. The pattern of interactions between type of humor and feminist identity was the opposite to that found between type of humor and hostile sexism. Both studies revealed that the appreciation of subversive humor was higher in more feminist participants but the appreciation of sexist humor was higher in more sexist participants. Participants with the highest levels of feminist identity and the lowest levels of hostile sexism perceived the greatest criticism of sexism in subversive humor and the highest woman disparagement in sexist humor. • CFA verified the factorial independence of feminist humor and sexist humor. • The appreciation of feminist humor was higher in more feminist participants. • The appreciation of sexist humor was higher in more sexist participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People find humour in the darkest and most tragic situations. However, there is remarkable interpersonal variability when it comes to setting the so-called limits of humour. We examine how the Dark Tetrad personality traits (DT4; Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) relate to responses to black humour jokes in online settings. A community sample of 745 adults completed the Short Dark Triad and the Assessment of Sadistic Personality inventories before rating a set of ‘black’ and neutrally humourous jokes in terms of their (a) appreciation (fun/offence), (b) likelihood of sharing, and (c) censoring them on social networks (e.g. Twitter/Facebook). After controlling for common variance, everyday sadism emerged as the strongest DT4 predictor of black humour preferences. This type of dark personality was uniquely associated with higher fun and sharing, and lower offence and censorship of black humour jokes. Machiavellianism was related to negative levels of black humour censorship and offence, whereas the opposite associations were observed for narcissism. Yet, the DT4 only showed rather modest amounts of shared variance regarding responses to black humour jokes, suggesting that interpersonal callousness is insufficient to account for the complexity of black humour interposal variability. We discuss the findings with respect to earlier humour literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Comic Style Markers (CSM) is a questionnaire that allows a fine-grained description of how people differ in the way they display humor in their daily lives. It includes 48 statements capturing eight interrelated, yet distinct comic styles: fun, irony, wit, sarcasm, benevolent humor, satire, nonsense humor, and cynicism. Despite the independent conceptual roots of these humorous domains, the analysis of the CSM scales' latent structure shows that their empirical distinction needs to be improved. Using the information derived from a competitive latent approach, including confirmatory factor analysis, bifactor analysis, and exploratory structural equation modeling, we proposed and validated a shorter 24-item version of the CSM in a large sample of 925 Spanish individuals (SP-CSM-24). This scale-refinement improved the psychometric differentiation of the eight comic styles without undermining the good internal consistency and the temporal stability of the CSM scores. Strong invariance was held for gender and age groups, and partial scalar invariance for countries also emerged using a sample of 318 U.S. American adults. Structural equation modeling also corroborated a convincing test-criterion validity for the SP-CSM-24, with dispositional expressions of benevolent humor (positively) and cynicism (negatively) outperforming other comic styles in accounting for individuals' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to sexist humor creates a context in which some men feel comfortable expressing aggressive tendencies toward women (i.e., self-reported rape proclivity). This is in part because this type of humor makes it easier for men who have antagonistic attitudes toward women to express their prejudice without fear of social reprisal. Besides, previous research has demonstrated the influence of motivational variables such as autonomy (initiation or regulation of intentional behavior based on free choice) and control (acting under external pressure) on aggression. We conducted two experiments to explore the hypothetical influence of priming autonomy and control motivations on the relation between sexist humor and the expression of sexually aggressive tendencies toward women. Study 1 (N = 108) revealed that control-primed men with high (vs. low) scores in hostile sexism reported a higher rape proclivity when exposed to sexist (vs. neutral) humor. These results were partially replicated in Study 2 (N = 132), assessing the accessibility of aggressive sexual thoughts. This research contributes to our understanding of the influence of sexist humor and motivational orientations in sexist men on the expression of aggressive sexual behaviors directed against women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has pointed out that feminist humor or subversive humor against sexism is an important precursor to collective action for gender equality. This effect has been found contrasting subversive humor with neutral humor, however, to date, no study has explored the impact of the message format. Thus, we conducted two experiments to analyze the effect of exposure to a subversive humorous vignette against sexism (vs. subversive serious information against sexism and neutral humorous vignette) on involvement in collective action for gender equality, considering participants' feminist identification. In Study 1 (n = 135 men and n = 198 women), participants with lower feminist identification reported a greater proclivity toward collective action after being exposure to both a subversive humorous vignette and subversive serious vignette (vs. neutral humorous vignette). In Study 2 (n = 157 men and 188 women), we replaced the subversive serious vignette with a subversive serious discourse. The results revealed that exposure to a subversive humorous vignette (vs. subversive serious discourse and neutral humorous vignette) increased participants' collective action proclivity, but only in participants with weaker feminist identification. Both studies highlight a new pathway to motivate collective action for gender equality, as well as the potential effect of humor to promote a change in attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Gelotophobia has been conceptualized as an individual difference variable concerned with the fear of being ridiculed by others' laughter. Individuals high in gelotophobia are more prone to anticipate and overreact to teasing interactions. It has been suggested that certain personal features susceptible to ridicule, such as physical appearance, could be differentially exhibited among gelotophobes. This study (N = 163; 50.3% females) examined the associations between gelotophobia and body image-related measures controlling for Big Five personality traits. The results revealed that gelotophobia correlated to lower body appreciation and appearance control beliefs and higher body surveillance and body shame. Hierarchical regression analyses predicting these body image-related criteria showed that gelotophobia explained body shame and appearance control beliefs scores, even beyond the influence of gender, age, and Big Five personality traits. To our knowledge, this study contains the first empirical evidence of the relationship between the fear of being laughed at and body image. Further studies should be conducted to explore whether gelotophobia could be related to deficits in the perception of physical appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measures available for assessing the acceptance of myths about intimate partner violence against women (AMIVAW) are characterized either by a lack of sufficient psychometric support or by being based on unclear theoretical propositions. In this article, we present a 15-item self-report scale: the Acceptance of Myths About Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (AMIVAW) Scale. We examined the reliability and validity of the scores of the Spanish and English versions of this scale across six different samples (N = 1,650) consisting of adult participants from Spain and the United States. Scores on both versions demonstrated high reliability. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a one-dimensional structure. Invariance tests across genders demonstrated that the scale was invariant at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. The scale was also invariant at the configural level across countries. The AMIVAW scores were independent of social desirability, positively correlated with sexism and other scales used to measure attitudes toward abuse or sexual aggression, and negatively correlated with feminist ideologies. Finally, by using fictitious scenarios of intimate partner violence against women, we observed that participants with higher AMIVAW scores placed more of the blame on the victim and less responsibility on the perpetrator than those with lower AMIVAW scores. Taken together, the results provide strong validity evidence for the AMIVAW Scale. The AMIVAW Scale is a useful instrument to analyze the functions of myths in maintaining intimate partner violence against women. It is also a relevant tool for practitioners involved in programs to prevent and eradicate this form of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual differences in the use of humor are a growing topic in personality research. This paper presents the psychometric analysis of the Spanish version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, & Weir, 2003). A total of 1068 adults whose ages ranged from 18 to 65 years participated in five different studies. First, we tested the dimensionality and internal consistency of the instrument; we also replicated previous relationships between humor styles and well-being and personality (Big Five and HEXACO models). Second, we obtained new external validity evidence regarding the role of humor styles in anger management. Our results showed that self-enhancing humor was associated with a higher ability to reduce angry feelings and to avoid the external expression of anger. Higher scores on maladaptive humor styles, such as aggressive and self-defeating humor, were correlated with a greater inclination to express anger toward other people and with an increased tendency to engage in anger suppression, respectively. Results suggest that the HSQ is a reliable and valid option for measuring humor styles in the Spanish population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing psychological research has long considered humor as a useful strategy for individuals in coping with adverse circumstances and life stressors. However, empirical studies are called for to better understand the role of humor in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. In a community sample of 527 Spanish adults, we investigated the associations between humor styles, perceived threat from COVID-19, funniness of COVID-19 memes, and individuals' affective mood. Data were collected during the third week of lockdown in Spain (from 26 to 31 March 2020). Our results suggest that intrapsychic humor styles were associated with better coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling showed that self-enhancing and aggressive humor styles were related to perceiving COVID-19 as less psychologically threatening, which, in turn, was associated with a greater perceived funniness of COVID-19 memes, thus predicting higher levels of happiness. Interestingly, the opposite pattern of connections was found for self-defeating humor. These findings suggest that humor styles aimed at boosting one's own self, irrespective of their potentially lighter or darker nature, may contribute to alleviating adverse psychological consequences arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies of the traits of the Dark Tetrad (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and everyday sadism) have emphasized the need to elucidate their unique associations with other external criteria as a way of reinforcing their independent empirical entity. Using two independent samples (N = 406), we sought to empirically differentiate the traits of the Dark Tetrad in their relationships to three humor-related personality systems: the Humor Styles Model, the Disposition toward Ridicule and Laughter, and the Comic Style Markers. Hierarchical regression and relative weight analyses revealed that narcissism was the strongest positive predictor of "lighter" forms of humor such as adaptive humor styles, dispositional joy in being laughed at (gelotophilia), and a funny-witty comic style. Psychopathy outperformed other dark personalities in predicting amplified levels of aggressive humor, dispositional joy in laughing at others (katagelasticism), and sarcasm. Machiavellianism primarily predicted an increased ironic-satiric comic style and an elevated dispositional fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia). Finally, while everyday sadism was positively related to most of the "darker" humor-related dimensions such as aggressive humor and sarcasm, this construct uniquely predicted (but reflecting a small effect size) greater levels of katagelasticism after controlling for its shared variance with the remaining traits of the Dark Tetrad. • The Dark Tetrad traits differed in their relations to three humor-related systems. • Narcissism was linked to lighter forms of humor (e.g., fun and wit). • Psychopathy best predicted the darkest humor-related traits (e.g., sarcasm). • Machiavellianism best predicted an ironic-satiric comic style. • Everyday sadism incrementally predicted the joy in laughing at others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study the first psychometric analyses of the Colombian version of the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Sexual Aggression scale (AMMSA) (Gerger, Kley, Bohner y Siebler, 2007) are presented. This scale assesses modern myths about sexual aggression in a subtle way. Two studies were conducted with college students. In Study 1, 312 students completed the Colombian AMMSA and other scales with related content (Sexism Ambivalent Inventory, ASI, and Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, RMAS). In Study 2, 196 participants completed the Colombian AMMSA and answered questions about a hypothetical sexual assault. The Colombian AMMSA showed high internal consistency (Study 1, a = .87; Study 2 α = α .86). Correlations between AMMSA scores and variables selected in order to obtain external evidences of validity supported the initial hypotheses. Compared to traditional rape myth acceptance scales, mean scores on the AMMSA were higher and their distributions more closely approximated normality. These findings suggest that the Colombian version of the AMMSA scale is a useful instrument to study the social perception of sexual aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the psychological problems - sleep quality and psychopathological features - derived from shiftwork including nights and the possible influence of workers' sleep quality on certain psycopathological variables. To do so, a sample of shift workers (n = 197) was compared to a sample of regular schedule workers (n = 40) in the same professional context. Participants answered the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The results show the poor sleep quality and the high level of psychopathology of shift workers compared to regular schedule workers. The study also proves that subjective sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, sleep latency and sleep disturbances explain 35% of the total variance of the Global Symptom Index. Finally, the results highlight that poor sleep quality is highly relevant in explaining certain psychopathological features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has aimed to test whether "darker" humor-related dispositions can contribute to the prediction of online trolling over and above the influence of dark personality traits. A total of 201 participants (50.7% women) gave responses to dark personality, humor, and online trolling measures. Our results corroborated the one-factor structure of the Spanish version of the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling (S-GAIT) and replicated online trolling's robust associations with increased psychopathy, sadism, and Machiavellianism. Online trolling also correlated with an elevated use of aggressive and self-defeating humor styles, as well as with heightened expressions of the joy in laughing at others (i.e. katagelasticism) and the joy of being laughed at (i.e., gelotophilia). When applying hierarchical regressions to eliminate the redundancy among these traits, we found that katagelasticism incrementally explained variance (Δ R 2 = 10.2%) in online trolling even after accounting for gender and the Dark Tetrad (i.e., male gender and high psychopathy as main predictors: Δ R 2 = 27.3%). A subsequent moderation analysis indicated that higher levels of psychopathy was related to a greater engagement in trolling behavior among those high in katagelasticism. This research provides empirical evidence that contributes to elucidate the "dark" humorous nature of this pervasive antisocial online behavior. • The role of humor-related traits in online trolling was analyzed. • Trolls tend to score higher on joy in laughing at others and aggressive humor. • Katagelasticism incrementally predicts online trolling beyond the Dark Tetrad. • Only among high scorers in katagelasticism does psychopathy relate to greater online trolling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research indicates that individuals' social class (SC) is connected to a wide range of psychological outcomes. Nonetheless, the question of how SC is related to people's uses of humor during social interactions remains unexplored. Consequently, in this research, we tested whether a person's SC, as measured by both objective indices of material wealth (i.e., income and educational attainment) and subjective perceptions of one' SC standing, is differentially related to affiliative and aggressive forms of humor. Study 1 (N = 156; 52.6% females) showed that there were no class-based differences in the use of affiliative humor, but provided preliminary support for a positive association between income and aggressive humor – even after controlling for age and gender. Study 2 (N = 201; 54.2% females) widely replicated these findings and revealed that the income-aggressive humor relationship was mediated by empathic concern. Overall, our results suggest that higher-income individuals, relative to their lower-income counterparts, tend to use aggressive humor more often because of their reduced others-oriented feelings of sympathy and compassion. To our knowledge, this research contains the first empirical evidence on the association of SC and the way in which individuals habitually use humor in their day-to-day lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior research has underlined the meaningful function of humour in nursing settings. Nonetheless, most of the empirical evidence on humour and nursing derives from approaches that mainly considered the potential beneficial effects of humour, neglecting potential detrimental effects of the dark side of humour. Moreover, little is known about whether the specific repercussions of humour on healthcare professionals' well‐being would go beyond empathy—a construct robustly related to psychological well‐being. Aims: To examine whether distinctive humour styles (affiliative, self‐enhancing, aggressive and self‐defeating) are differentially associated with the psychological well‐being of nursing professionals. Importantly, we also analysed whether these potential humour effects go over and above the influence of empathy‐related traits (perspective‐taking and personal distress). Method: A cross‐sectional, descriptive correlational design was used. A convenience sample of 104 nursing professionals with a minimum work experience of one year was recruited. Results: Our results revealed that a greater inclination to affiliative and self‐enhancing humour styles was strongly related to higher scores on happiness, sociability, hope and life satisfaction among nursing professionals. Concerning maladaptive humour styles, aggressive humour was related to low life satisfaction and high nursing stress. By contrast, self‐defeating humour—a theoretically detrimental humour style—was related to higher scores on health among these professionals. These effects emerged even after controlling for the influence of demographics (i.e., gender, age and years of experience), perspective‐taking and personal distress. Conclusions: Our results suggest that adaptive humour styles may promote positive indicators of well‐being, but they might not protect against negative indicators. Moreover, differential effects of maladaptive humour styles emerged. Whereas aggressive humoristic expressions can be interpreted as a sign of a poor psychological functioning, self‐defeating humour may boost positive psychological outcomes among nursing professionals. These data can help to design more efficient humour‐based intervention programmes aimed at minimising potential negative consequences of nursing activity. [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]

Although cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad mood as traits have been widely studied as the basis of sense of humor, data are scarce regarding the same dimensions as states. In this study, we adapted the state form of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI-S) into Spanish. At the same time, we empirically tested new predictions. We assessed 5 independent samples accounting for 1,029 participants (647 women) with ages ranging from 18 to 78 years. We confirmed the 3-dimensional structure as well as a strong measurement invariance between men and women. The internal consistency of the scale was satisfactory, the expected intercorrelations emerged, and the convergence between states and traits was corroborated. We also confirmed that the STCI-S's items were sensitive to affective changes in the environment. A longitudinal stability study of the state-trait dimensions using latent state-trait (LST) models revealed that all three trait measures capture mostly stable interindividual differences, with occasion-specific effects mainly in the state dimensions. Finally, we found that the STCI-S dimensions were related to state well-being. The results suggest that the STCI-S is a valid option for measuring the state basis of sense of humor in the Spanish population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to study whether trait cheerfulness modulates changes in state cheerfulness as a result of exposing participants to affective stimuli. Two studies with a within-participant experimental design were carried out. Forty-eight (33 women) and sixty-four (45 women) undergraduate psychology students were selected as Sample 1 and Sample 2, respectively, for scoring high or low on the Trait Form of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI-T; Ruch et al. in Humor Int J Humor Res 9:303-339, 1996; Ruch et al. in Personal Individ Differ 22:477-491, 1997). Participants watched amusing, neutral, and sad film clips and reported their affective states before and after viewing them. In the second study, heart rate and skin conductance level were also recorded. Results showed that people with high trait cheerfulness reported greater changes in state cheerfulness when exposed to both amusing and sad film clips, showing larger increases and decreases in state cheerfulness, respectively, than participants with low trait cheerfulness. Effects were not mediated by social desirability. Furthermore, people with low trait cheerfulness showed a greater heart rate deceleration during the visioning of the clips compared to high trait cheerfulness participants, especially in an amusing scene with high emotional load. No modulation on trait cheerfulness was found for skin conductance level. Data with self-report and electrophysiological measures are discussed, highlighting that high trait cheerfulness people are more permeable to affective events, perhaps showing a better understanding and management of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The influence of a cheerful mood on disease activity levels in rheumatoid arthritis is investigated in this cross-sectional study. Method: State cheerfulness (i.e., how individuals feel at the time of the assessment) and trait cheerfulness (i.e., how individuals usually feel) were assessed at the same time as the clinical indicators of disease activity and just before measuring patient-reported disease activity with the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28). Results: State cheerfulness contributed significantly to the variance in the DAS-28 scores that was not accounted for by trait cheerfulness or demographic or clinical variables. Higher state cheerfulness was associated with lower values of self-reported disease activity and C-reactive protein. The patient-reported disease activity was not uniquely caused by the clinical indicators of disease, but it also depended on patients' cheerful mood at the moment of assessment. Conclusion: The findings suggest interesting possibilities for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to explore the influence of psychological affective states such as cheerfulness and bad mood on self-reported disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) while controlling for demographic and clinical variables. Patients attending a biological therapy unit were selected for a cross-sectional study if they met the criteria for AS and were already receiving treatment. Their psychological affective state was assessed with the state version of the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory. Clinical variables included were patient-reported disease activity using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and acute-phase reactants. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to verify the robustness of the relationship between psychological affective states and disease activity. We also explored whether disease activity, measured either by self-report or by acute-phase reactants, was influenced by patient's overall affective state. In the recruited 31 patients with AS, overall affective state contributed significantly to the variance in BASDAI scores, adding 21.8 % to the overall R-square of the predictive power of clinical and demographic variables (combined R-square = 17 %). A higher positive affective state was associated with lower values of C-reactive protein ( p < 0.05). Results of a bootstrapping procedure showed that the relationship between C-reactive protein levels and BASDAI scores was mediated by overall affective state. In patients with AS, affective state can induce variability in self-reported disease activity. Patients' overall affective state can explain the relationship between acute-phase reactants and self-reported scores. These findings suggest interesting possibilities for the monitoring of disease activity in AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]