Russian attitudes towards humour and laughter
VIEW FULL TEXT HERE

Keywords

humour
laughter
humour styles
gelotophobia
Russian humour and laughter

How to Cite

Ivanova, A., Stefanenko, E., & Enikolopov, S. (2017). Russian attitudes towards humour and laughter. The European Journal of Humour Research, 5(2), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2017.5.2.ivanova

Abstract

Different phenomena related to humour and laughter, such as humour styles, gelotophobia, gelotophilia and katagelasticism, were investigated in a series of psychological studies in Russia. As far as the samples were rather heterogeneous in regard with age, gender, region of Russia, and included besides big cities also small towns and villages, the data allows to discuss not only psychological, but also a certain cultural perspective. It is concluded that self-defeating humour style plays an important role in the structure of Russian cultural attitude towards humour and laughter. The most adaptive affiliative humour style is highly connected with self-defeating and aggressive styles. Similar pattern was shown for humour and laughter perception: a fear of being laughed at paradoxically provokes active involvement into exchange of jokes. A comparison between the two Russian capitals and regional sample revealed more similarities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg with western data than with the regional Russian sample which is supposed to reflect more of traditional national character.

https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2017.5.2.ivanova
VIEW FULL TEXT HERE

References

Artemyeva, T.V. (2011). ‘O metode issledovaniya sovladaniya (koping) umorom i ego vozmojnostyah’ [On the method of coping humour study and its abilities]. Kazan Pedagogical Journal 4, pp.118-123. Available at: http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/o-metode-issledovaniya-sovladaniya-koping-yumorom-i-ego-vozmozhnostyah.

Chafe, W. (2007). The Importance of Not Being Earnest. The Feeling Behind Laughter and Humour. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Davies, C. (2007). ‘Humour and protest: Jokes under communism’. International Review of Social History 52, pp. 291–305.

Davies, C. (2009). ‘Humour theory and the fear of being laughed at’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 22 (1/2), pp. 49–62.

Dmitriev, A.V. & Sychev, A.A. (2005). Smeh: sociofilosofskii analis [Laughter: Socio-philosophical analysis]. Moscow: Alfa.

Enikolopov, S.N. & Tsybulsky, N.P. (2007). ‘Psikhometricheskii analiz versii oprosnika Bassa-Perri’ [Psychometric analysis of Russian version of BussPerry Aggression Questionnaire]. Psychological Journal 1, pp. 115–124.

Ford, T.E., McCreight, K.A., Richardson, K. (2014). ‘Affective Style, Humour Styles and Happiness’. Europe's Journal of Psychology 10 (3), pp. 451–463.

Greengross, G. & Miller, G.F. (2008). ‘Dissing oneself versus dissing rivals: Effects of status, personality, and sex on the short-term and long-term attractiveness of self-deprecating and other-deprecating humour’. Evolutionary Psychology 6 (4), pp. 652–666.

Grigorieva, I.V. & Enikolopov, S.N. (2016). ‘Testing questionnaires “Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale” and “Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale” (short version)’. National Psychological Journal 1, pp. 31-44. Available at: http://npsyj.ru/pdf/npj-no21-2016/npj_no21_2016_031-044.pdf.

Ivanov, S.A. (1994). Vizanti’skoye urodstvo (Byzantine urodstvo). Moscow: Mejdunarodnye otnosheniya.

Ivanova, E.M., Enikolopov, S.N., Stefanenko, E.A. (2016a). ‘Attitude towards humour and laughter in Russia’. Bulletin of the Russian Foundation for Humanities 2 (83), pp. 167-181. Available at: http://www.rfh.ru/downloads/vestnik/vestnik_2_16.pdf.

Ivanova, A. M., Mitina, O.V., Stefanenko, E.A., Enikolopov, S.N., Babina, J.N., Zizganova, G.A., Nizovskikh, N.A. (2014). ‘Self-defeating humour in Russia and humour styles of muscovites’. Siberian Journal of Psychology 51, pp. 163–175.

Ivanova, A., Stefanenko, E., Enikolopov, S., Proyer, R.T., Ruch, W. (2012). ‘The fear of being laughed at in healthy people and psychiatric patients. Assessing gelotophobia in Russia’. Bridging Eastern and Western Psychiatry 8 (1), pp. 10–17.

Ivanova, E. M., Makogon, I.K., Stefanenko, E.A., Enikolopov, S.N., Proyer, R., & Ruch, W. (2016b) ‘Russkojazychnaja adaptazija oprosnika gelotofobii, gelotofilii i katagelasticisma PhoPhiKat’ [A Russian-language adaptation of the PhoPhiKat questionnaire on gelotophobia, gelotophilia and katagelasticism]. Voprosy Psychologii, 2, pp. 261-171.

Ivanova, E.M., Mitina, O.V., Zaytseva, A.S., Stefanenko, E.A., Enikolopov, S.N. (2013). ‘Russian-language adaptation of the humour styles questionnaire developed by R. Martin’. Theoretical and Experimental Psychology 2, pp. 71-85.

Kirsh, G.A. & Kuiper, N.A. (2003). ‘Positive and negative aspects of sense of humour: Associations with the constructs of individualism and relatedness’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 16 (1), pp. 33–62.

Lampert, M.D., Isaacson, K.L., Lyttle, J. (2010). ‘Cross-cultural variation in gelotophobia within the United States’. Psychological Test and Assessment Modeling 52 (2), pp. 202–216.

Likhachev, D.S., Panchenko, A.M., Ponyrko N.V. (1984). Smekh v Drevney Rusi. [Laughter in Ancient Russia]. Leningrad: Nauka.

Makogon, I.K. & Enikolopov, S.N. (2014). ‘A technique for measuring inclination to experiencing guilt and shame’. Voprosy Psychologii 4, pp. 118-126.

Martin, R. (2007). The Psychology of Humor: An Integrative Approach. Burlington: Elsevier Academic Press.

Martin, R.A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., Weir, K. (2003). ‘Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire’. Journal of Research in Personality 37, pp. 48–75.

Mehnert, K. (1962). Soviet Man and His World. New York: Frederick A. Praeger..

Panchenko, A.M. (1984). ‘Smeh kak zrelische (Laghter as a sight)’, in Likhachev, D.S., Panchenko, A.M., & Ponyrko, N.V. (eds.), Smekh v Drevney Rusi. [Laughter in Ancient Russia]. Leningrad: Nauka.

Panchenko, A.M. (2000). ‘Urodivye na Rusi’ [Urodivye in Russia], in Panchenko, A.M., O russkoj istorii i kulture [On Russian history and culture]. Sankt Petersburg: Izd-vo Azbuka.

Platt, T. (2008). ‘Emotional responses to ridicule and teasing: Should gelotophobes react differently?’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 21 (2), pp. 105–128.

Popov, O. (1970). Russian Clown. London: Macdonald & Co.

Proyer, R.T. et al. (2009). ‘Breaking ground in cross-cultural research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia): A multinational study involving 73 countries’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 22 (1/2), pp. 253−279.

Proyer, R.T., Ruch, W., Сhen, G.-H. (2012). ‘Gelotophobia: Life satisfaction and happiness across cultures’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 25 (1), pp. 23-40.

Ruch, W. (2009). ‘Fearing humour? Gelotophobia: The fear of being laughed at. Introduction and overview’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 22 (1/2), pp. 1–25.

Ruch, W., Altfreder, O., Proyer, R.T. (2009). ‘How do gelotophobes interpret laughter in ambiguous situations? An experimental validation of the concept’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 22 (1/2), pp. 63–90.

Ruch, W. & Proyer, R.T. (2009). ‘Extending the study of gelotophobia: On gelotophiles and katagelasticists’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 22 (1/2), pp. 165–182.

Ruch, W. & Proyer R.T. (2008a). ‘The fear of being laughed at: Individual and group differences in gelotophobia’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 21 (1), pp. 47–67.

Ruch, W. & Proyer, R.T. (2008b). ‘Who is gelotophobic? Assessment criteria for the fear of being laughed at’. Swiss Journal of Psychology 67 (1), pp. 19–27.

Smith, H. (1991). The New Russians. New York: Random House.

Stefanenko, E.A., Enikolopov, S.N., Ivanova, E.M. (2014). ‘The relation to the humour and laugh in patients with schizophrenia’. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 114 (1), pp. 26–29.

Stefanenko, E.A., Ivanova, E.M., Enikolopov, S.N. (2013). ‘Sociodemograficheskije aspecty gelotofobii v Rossii’ [Socio-demographic aspects of gelotophobia in Russia]. Voprosy Psychologii 2, pp. 104–112.

Stefanenko, E.A., Ivanova, E.M., Enikolopov, S.N., Proyer, R., Ruch, W. (2011). ‘Diagnostika strakha vyglyadet' smeshnym: russkoyazychnaya adaptatsiya oprosnika gelotofobii’ [Gelotophobia in Russia: the fear of being laughed at diagnostics]. Psychological Journal 1, pp. 94-108.

Titze, M. (2009). ‘Gelotophobia: The fear of being laughed at’. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 22 (1/2), pp. 27–48.

Titze, M. (1996). ‘The Pinocchio Complex: Overcoming the fear of laughter’. Humor and Health Journal 5, pp. 1–11.

Troitckii S. (2006) ‘Urodiviye i skomorohi kak nositeli <>’ [Urodivye and skomorokhs as carriers of “laughter spring”]. Δόξα / Doxa. Collected Scientific Articles on the Philosophy and the Philology. Vol.9, pp. 18-27. Available at: http://doxa.onu.edu.ua/Doxa9/18-27.pdf.

Yip, J.A. & Martin, R.A. (2006). ‘Sense of humour, emotional intelligence, and social competence’. Journal of Research in Personality 40, pp. 1202–1208.

All authors agree to an Attribution Non-Commercial Non Derivative Creative Commons License on their work.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.