This research project investigates the role of humor in emotion regulation and psychological adaptation across diverse social and cultural contexts. The current focus is on two complementary research areas: (1) the effectiveness of humor as an emotion regulation strategy across different emotional contexts and (2) the relationships between humor, compassion, and cultural factors across cultures.
Humor is a universal aspect of human experience that plays an important role in psychological well-being, social relationships, and resilience. Beyond eliciting positive emotions, humor can help people reinterpret stressful situations, regulate difficult emotions, strengthen interpersonal connections, and cope with everyday challenges. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these benefits and the conditions under which humor is most effective remain insufficiently understood.
This research programme investigates the role of humor in emotion regulation and psychological adaptation using experimental, individual-differences, and cross-cultural approaches. The overarching goal is to better understand how, when, and for whom humor promotes adaptive functioning and psychological well-being.
The current research focuses on two complementary areas. The first examines humor as an emotion regulation strategy, investigating the effectiveness of humorous cognitive reappraisal compared with other forms of cognitive reappraisal across different emotional contexts, including sadness, fear, anger, and embarrassment. This work also explores the individual characteristics associated with successful humorous reappraisal, such as humor styles and habitual emotion regulation strategies.
The second research area examines humor from a cross-cultural perspective. It investigates how humor is associated with compassion, cultural values, and social norms across different countries and cultural groups, with the aim of understanding how culture shapes both the expression and adaptive functions of humor.
By integrating experimental psychology, personality research, and cross-cultural psychology, this programme aims to advance our understanding of humor as a psychological resource that contributes to emotional well-being, resilience, and healthy social functioning.
Research ouputs
Planned: peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, datasets and experimental materials.
