TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychometric comparisons of benevolent and corrective humor across 22 countries
T2 - The virtue gap in humor goes international
AU - Heintz, Sonja
AU - Ruch, Willibald
AU - Platt, Tracey
AU - Pang, Dandan
AU - Carretero-Dios, Hugo
AU - Dionigi, Alberto
AU - Gutiérrez, Catalina Argüello
AU - Brdar, Ingrid
AU - Brzozowska, Dorota
AU - Chen, Hsueh Chih
AU - Chlopicki, Wladyslaw
AU - Collins, Matthew
AU - Durka, Róbert
AU - El Yahfoufi, Najwa Y.
AU - Quiroga-Garza, Angélica
AU - Isler, Robert B.
AU - Mendiburo-Seguel, Andrés
AU - Ramis, Tamil Selvan
AU - Saglam, Betül
AU - Shcherbakova, Olga V.
AU - Singh, Kamlesh
AU - Stokenberga, Ieva
AU - Wong, Peter S.O.
AU - Torres-Marín, Jorge
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Heintz, Ruch, Platt, Pang, Carretero-Dios, Dionigi, Argüello Gutiérrez, Brdar, Brzozowska, Chen, Chlopicki, Collins, Durka, Yahfoufi, Quiroga-Garza, Isler, Mendiburo-Seguel, Ramis, Saglam, Shcherbakova, Singh, Stokenberga, Wong and Torres-Marín.
PY - 2018/2/9
Y1 - 2018/2/9
N2 - Recently, two forms of virtue-related humor, benevolent and corrective, have been introduced. Benevolent humor treats human weaknesses and wrongdoings benevolently, while corrective humor aims at correcting and bettering them. Twelve marker items for benevolent and corrective humor (the BenCor) were developed, and it was demonstrated that they fill the gap between humor as temperament and virtue. The present study investigates responses to the BenCor from 25 samples in 22 countries (overall N = 7,226). The psychometric properties of the BenCor were found to be sufficient in most of the samples, including internal consistency, unidimensionality, and factorial validity. Importantly, benevolent and corrective humor were clearly established as two positively related, yet distinct dimensions of virtue-related humor. Metric measurement invariance was supported across the 25 samples, and scalar invariance was supported across six age groups (from 18 to 50+ years) and across gender. Comparisons of samples within and between four countries (Malaysia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK) showed that the item profiles were more similar within than between countries, though some evidence for regional differences was also found. This study thus supported, for the first time, the suitability of the 12 marker items of benevolent and corrective humor in different countries, enabling a cumulative cross-cultural research and eventually applications of humor aiming at the good.
AB - Recently, two forms of virtue-related humor, benevolent and corrective, have been introduced. Benevolent humor treats human weaknesses and wrongdoings benevolently, while corrective humor aims at correcting and bettering them. Twelve marker items for benevolent and corrective humor (the BenCor) were developed, and it was demonstrated that they fill the gap between humor as temperament and virtue. The present study investigates responses to the BenCor from 25 samples in 22 countries (overall N = 7,226). The psychometric properties of the BenCor were found to be sufficient in most of the samples, including internal consistency, unidimensionality, and factorial validity. Importantly, benevolent and corrective humor were clearly established as two positively related, yet distinct dimensions of virtue-related humor. Metric measurement invariance was supported across the 25 samples, and scalar invariance was supported across six age groups (from 18 to 50+ years) and across gender. Comparisons of samples within and between four countries (Malaysia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK) showed that the item profiles were more similar within than between countries, though some evidence for regional differences was also found. This study thus supported, for the first time, the suitability of the 12 marker items of benevolent and corrective humor in different countries, enabling a cumulative cross-cultural research and eventually applications of humor aiming at the good.
KW - Cross-cultural comparisons
KW - Humor
KW - Measurement invariance
KW - Positive psychology
KW - Virtue
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041828827&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00092
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00092
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85041828827
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
IS - FEB
M1 - 92
ER -