Abstract
The present study examined the relationships between dispositional approach and avoidance motives, humor styles, and happiness. In keeping with previous research, approach motives and the two positive humor styles (self-enhancing and affiliative) positively correlated with happiness, whereas avoidance motives and the two negative humor styles (self-defeating and aggressive) negatively correlated with happiness. Also, we found support for three new hypotheses. First, approach motives correlated positively with self-enhancing and affiliative humor styles. Second, avoidance motives correlated positively with self-defeating humor style, and third, the positive relationship between approach motives and happiness was mediated by self-enhancing humor style.
Highlights
The present study examined the relationships between dispositional approach and avoidance motives, humor styles, and happiness
Happiness has been described as subjective well-being, that is, a person's judgment of life satisfaction and the balance of positive and negative affect experienced in day-to-day life (e.g., Lyubomirsky, 2001; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999; Weiss, Bates, & Luciano, 2008)
The Present Research In the present research we examined the relationships between Behavioral Activating System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), humor styles, and happiness
Summary
The present study examined the relationships between dispositional approach and avoidance motives, humor styles, and happiness. Avoidance motives correlated positively with self-defeating humor style, and third, the positive relationship between approach motives and happiness was mediated by self-enhancing humor style. The folk wisdom of Groucho Marx and Jim Butcher raises the possibility that the fortunate people who have a sunny disposition use humor in a positive way in their daily lives as a strategy to find happiness. We determined whether people who have a certain affective style are happy, in part, because of the way they use humor in their daily lives
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