Breaking ground in cross-cultural research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia): A multi-national study involving 73 countries

Article Article scientifique Article Breaking ground in cross-cultural research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia): A multi-national study involving 73 countries eng 2009 author Proyer René T. author Ruch Willibald author Ali Numan S. author Al-Olimat Hmoud S. author Amemiya Toshihiko author Adal Tamirie Andualem author Ansari Sadia Aziz author Arhar Špela author Asem Gigi author Baudin Nicolas author Bawab Souha author Bergen Doris author Brdar Ingrid author Brites Rute author Brunner-Sciarra Marina author Carrell Amy author Dios Hugo Carretero author Celik Mehmet author Ceschi Grazia 23598 author Chang Kay author Guo-Hai Chen author Cheryomukhin Alexander author Chik Maria P. Y. author Chlopicki Wladyslaw author Cranney Jacquelyn author Dahourou Donatien author Doosje Sibe author Dore Margherita author El-Arousy Nahwat author Fickova Emilia author Führ Martin author Gallivan Joanne author Geling Han author Germikova Lydia author Giedraityte Marija author Goh Abe author González Rebeca Díaz author Ho Sai Kin author Hrebícková Martina author Jaime Belen author Kaare Birgit Hertzberg author Kamble Shanmukh author Kazarian Shahe author Kerkkänen Paavo author Klementová Mirka author Kobozeva Irina M. author Kovjanic Snjezana author Kumaraswamy Narasappa author Lampert Martin author Liao Chao-Chih author Levesque Manon author Loizou Eleni author Díaz Loving Rolando author Lyttle Jim author Machline Vera C. author McGoldrick Sean author Mcrorie Margaret author Min Liu author Mõttus René author Munyae Margret M. author Navia Carmen Elvira author Nkhalamba Mathero author Pedrini Pier Paolo author Petkova Mirsolava author Platt Tracey author Popa Diana-Elena author Radomska Anna author Rashid Tabassum author Rawlings David author Rubio Victor J. author Samson Andrea Christiane 834953 author Sarid Orly 861169 author Shams Soraya author Sisokohm Sek author Smári Jakob author Sneddon Ian author Snikhovska Irena author Stephanenko Ekaterina A. author Stokenberga Ieva author Stuer Hugo author Tanoto Yohana Sherly Rosalina author Tapia Lopez Luis Eduardo 596481 author Taylor Julia author Thibault Pascal author Thompson Ava author Thörn Hanna author Toyota Hiroshi author Ujlaky Judit author Vanno Vitanya author Wang Jun 690072 author Van Der Westhuizen Betsie author Wijayathilake Deepani author Wong Peter S.O. author Wycoff Edgar B. author Yeun Eun Ja 253-279 10.1515/HUMR.2009.012 0933-1719 The current study examines whether the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) can be assessed reliably and validly by means of a self-report instrument in different countries of the world. All items of the GELOPH (Ruch and Titze, GELOPH〈46〉, University of Düsseldorf, 1998; Ruch and Proyer, Swiss Journal of Psychology 67:19–27, 2008b) were translated to the local language of the collaborator (42 languages in total). In total, 22,610 participants in 93 samples from 73 countries completed the GELOPH. Across all samples the reliability of the 15-item questionnaire was high (mean alpha of .85) and in all samples the scales appeared to be unidimensional. The endorsement rates for the items ranged from 1.31% through 80.00% to a single item. Variations in the mean scores of the items were more strongly related to the culture in a country and not to the language in which the data were collected. This was also supported by a multidimensional scaling analysis with standardized mean scores of the items from the GELOPH〈15〉. This analysis identified two dimensions that further helped explaining the data (i.e., insecure vs. intense avoidant-restrictive and low vs. high suspicious tendencies towards the laughter of others). Furthermore, multiple samples derived from one country tended to be (with a few exceptions) highly similar. The study shows that gelotophobia can be assessed reliably by means of a self-report instrument in cross-cultural research. This study enables further studies of the fear of being laughed at with regard to differences in the prevalence and putative causes of gelotophobia in comparisons to different cultures. Cross-cultural comparisons Gelotophobia Humor Laughter Multi-national study Dewey 128.37 Dewey 150 15 Centre interfacultaire en sciences affectives 0D8 108 Section de psychologie 71 false 1241 Affective sciences Humor 22 1-2 b18a1648-43e9-4bb4-8137-f217fca58be2 Article (Published version) Public [HUMOR] Breaking ground in cross-cultural research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) A multi-national study involving 73 countries.pdf 275882 application/pdf openAccess Centres et instituts / Centre interfacultaire en sciences affectives Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation / Section de psychologie

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Breaking ground in cross-cultural research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia): A multi-national study involving 73 countries	Humor			2009	564	1,008

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