Abstract
Abstract Previous research highlights the potential benefits of engaging with depressive Internet memes for those experiencing symptoms of depression, a phenomenon that can be explained by the humorous interpretation of depressive stimuli and perceived social support through symptom normalization. We examined whether individuals experiencing depressive symptoms would differ from controls in their interpretation of Internet memes related to depression, whilst incorporating the mediating role of humor style. N=78 individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms (≥24 on CES-D) and 67 controls (≤23) rated the emotional valance, humor, relatability, shareability, and mood-improving potential of 32 depressive and control memes (depicting neutral/positive social commentaries). Measures of depression and humor style were also completed. Perceived humor, relatability, shareability and mood-improving potential of depressive, but not control, memes were greater amongst individuals displaying depressive symptoms. However, differential ratings of humor, shareability and relatability were mediated by the extent of ones self-defeating humor style. These outcomes further evidence benefits of interacting with depression-related Internet memes for those with depression.
Highlights
The experience of depression is largely characterized by sustained negative affect (American Psychiatric Association 2013) and co-occurs with significant emotional, cognitive and behavioral impairments
We examined whether individuals experiencing depressive symptoms would differ from controls in their interpretation of Internet memes related to depression, whilst incorporating the mediating role of humor style
The present research examined the relationship between symptoms of depression and the interpretation of depression-related and control memes, whilst incorporating the potential mediating role of humor style
Summary
The experience of depression is largely characterized by sustained negative affect (American Psychiatric Association 2013) and co-occurs with significant emotional (e.g. emotion dysregulation; Abravanel and Sinha 2015; Bradley et al 2011), cognitive (e.g. impaired memory and executive control; Rock et al 2014; Kizilbash et al 2002) and behavioral (e.g. social and inter-personal function; Youngren and Lewinsohn 1980) impairments. Understanding how individuals with depressive symptoms interpret information online is important given the amount of time most adults spend on the Internet (approximately 4 h per day in the UK; Ofcom UK 2020) and social media (approximately 40 min per day in the UK; Ofcom UK 2020), and the potential impact of these on mental and physical well-being (Frost and Rickwood 2017; Gkotsis et al 2017; Kelly et al 2018). Individuals’ experiencing depressive symptoms may differentially interpret the various forms of online information, including humorous stimuli such as Internet memes
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