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Self-defeating humour promotes psychological well-being
Researchers from the University of Granada have established that individuals who frequently use self-defeating humour—aimed at gaining the approval of others through self-mockery—exhibit greater levels of psychological well-being.
Laughter could be an ancestral form of communication. 
The UGR group’s findings contradict some of the research carried out to date in the psychology of humour. Up until now, a significant deal of the research literature has suggested that self-defeating humour is exclusively associated with negative psychological effects among individuals who regularly employ this style of humour.
Jorge Torres Marín, one of the researchers behind this groundbreaking UGR project, explains: “In particular, we have observed that a greater tendency to employ self-defeating humour is indicative of high scores in psychological well-being dimensions such as happiness and, to a lesser extent, sociability.”
The results also suggest that the effects of self-defeating humour on well-being may differ depending on where the research takes places. Consequently, it is necessary to conduct new studies aimed at analysing potential cultural differences in the use of this kind of humour.
Adaptive styles of humour include affiliative humour, which is aimed at strengthening social relationships. Self-enhancing humour, meanwhile, entails maintaining a humorous outlook in potentially stressful and adverse situations. These types of humour have consistently been linked to indicators of positive psychological well-being such as happiness, satisfaction with life, hope, etc. but also to more negative states such as depression and anxiety.
Moreover, the authors maintain that the “data revealed the existence of a curvilinear relationship between prosocial humour and personality dimensions such as kindness and honesty. This relationship means that low and high scores obtained in such personality traits are respectively linked to lower or higher propensities to make humorous comments aimed at building and strengthening social relationships”.
Nonetheless, the researchers are also quick to point out that certain styles of humour may be employed to conceal negative intentions and feelings.
On the one hand, the results regarding the relationship between the use of humour and anger management suggest that the capacity for maintaining a humorous perspective in adverse situations, i.e. the use of self-enhancing humour, is typically found among people who manage anger more effectively, as well as among those with lower tendencies to exhibit angry feelings or reactions.
By contrast, people who tend to use aggressive or self-defeating humour do not manage anger or rage as well. In particular, aggressive humour is mainly associated with the expression of anger towards others and a greater propensity to experience anger in everyday life.
Meanwhile, self-defeating humour was linked to a greater tendency to suppress anger. However, this suppression does not necessarily mean that the anger directed at others is reduced or controlled, but rather that the triggers eliciting such angry reactions are concealed or not explicitly stated. (University of Granada)
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