Dealing with laughter and ridicule in adolescence: relations with bullying and emotional responses

Weinvestigatedthefearofbeinglaughedat(gelotophobia),thejoyinbeing 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 (selfand 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. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-013-9221-y Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-78002 Accepted Version Originally published at: Proyer, Rene T; Meier, Lukas E; Platt, Tracey; Ruch, Willibald (2013). Dealing with laughter and ridicule in adolescence: relations with bullying and emotional responses. Social Psychology of Education, 16(3):399-420. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-013-9221-y This manuscript was published as: Proyer, R. T., Meier, L., Platt, T., & Ruch, W. (2013). Dealing with laughter and ridicule in adolescence: Relations with bullying and emotional responses. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 16, 399-­‐420. doi: 10.1007/s11218-­‐013-­‐9221-­‐y LAUGHTER AND RIDICULE IN ADOLESCENCE, 1 Dealing With Laughter and Ridicule in Adolescence: Relations with Bullying and Emotional Responses René T. Proyer Lukas E. Meier Tracey Platt Willibald Ruch University of Zurich, Switzerland