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Cited by 41Humor Studies and ApplicationsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Is it worth turning a trigger into a joke? Humor as an emotion regulation strategy in remitted depression

Open access
Braniecka, Anna, Hanć, Małgorzata, Wołkowicz, Iwona, Chrzczonowicz‐Stępień, Agnieszka, Mikołajonek, Agnieszka, Lipiec, Monika·2019·Brain and Behavior
DOI 10.1002/brb3.1213PMC PMC6379593
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Abstract

Aim: Humor has long been considered as an effective emotion regulation strategy for people vulnerable to depression, but empirical evidence in this area is scarce. To address this issue, we investigated the emotional consequences of humor in remitted depressed patients and compared them with the effects of positive reappraisal and spontaneous emotion regulation. Methods: Fifty‐five patients with remitted major depression took part in a laboratory computer experiment in which they were shown negative pictures twice. First, the patients simply viewed the pictures and rated their reactions. Second, they viewed each of the pictures according to instructions, which are to (a) use humor, (b) use positive reappraisal, or (c) simply view the pictures, and then, they again rated their reactions. Results: Humor was found to decrease negative emotions, increase positive emotions, and enhance the distance from adversity; it was more effective than spontaneous emotion regulation and similarly as effective as positive reappraisal. Humor was the most effortful form of emotion regulation. Patients were able to successfully produce humorous comments, and their failure to do so did not lead to worse emotional outcomes than regulating emotions spontaneously. The analyses also indicated that distancing mediates between using humor and the intensity of positive and negative emotions. Conclusions: Our findings provide preliminary empirical support for the idea that for individuals vulnerable to depression, humor can be an adaptive tool in dealing with negative responses to aversive events, and, thus, it may impair their potential of these events to trigger depressive episodes. Further studies in this area are warranted to determine the most adaptive forms of humor and analyze their effects in various depressogenic contexts.

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  • Dark humour helps people to distance themselves from difficulties and hardship.

    “In addition, the study found that dark humour helped people to distance themselves from difficulties and hardship.”

    From Is it Still Ok to be Ok? Mental Health Labels as a Campus Technology (2023) · cites this paper as Braniecka et al. 2019

    The Results (page unavailable) show that humorous reappraisal increased distance from adverse material among participants with remitted depression. But the Methods say positive humor was much more common than negative humor and that the two forms could not be analyzed separately. The study therefore does not establish that dark humor specifically produced the distancing effect, or that the finding applies to people generally. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Humour is a meaningful way to regulate emotion, particularly for those dealing with depression or mental health issues.

    “Braniecka and colleagues conducted a study where they found that humour is a meaningful way to regulate our emotion, particularly those dealing with depression or mental health issues (Braniecka et al. 2019).”

    From Is it Still Ok to be Ok? Mental Health Labels as a Campus Technology (2023) · cites this paper as Braniecka et al. 2019

    The Discussion reports that humorous reappraisal helped outpatients in remission from major depression regulate negative emotions. The claim extends that finding to people dealing with depression or mental health issues generally, which this study did not establish. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Using humour is associated with an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions.

    “The results from the study found that using humour was associated with an increase with positive emotions and a decrease with negative emotions.”

    From Is it Still Ok to be Ok? Mental Health Labels as a Campus Technology (2023) · cites this paper as Braniecka et al. 2019

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Freud, S. (1928). Humour. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 9, 1– 6.

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Authors
Braniecka, A., Hanć, M., Wołkowicz, I., Chrzczonowicz‐Stępień, A., Mikołajonek, A., & Lipiec, M.
Affiliations
  • Uniwersytet SWPS (PL)
  • Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (PL)
Corresponding author
Braniecka, Anna
ORCID
Venue
Brain and Behavior
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-01-21
Volume
9
Issue
2
Pages
e01213-e01213
ISSN
  • 2157-9032 (ISSN-L)
  • 2162-3279
DOI
10.1002/brb3.1213
PMC
PMC6379593
OpenAlex
W2913967949
Cited by
41
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1
FWCI
5.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Brain and Behavior (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Narodowe Centrum Nauki (2014/15/D/HS6/04991)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Humor Studies and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
humor, emotion regulation, remitted depression, major depressive disorder, positive reappraisal, distancing, negative emotions, positive emotions
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Major Depressive Disorder, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Wit and Humor as Topic

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