Date of Award
Summer 6-25-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
John Young, PhD
Second Advisor
John Bentley, PhD
Third Advisor
Kristin Austin, PhD
Fourth Advisor
Todd Smitherman, PhD
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
Dissertation
Abstract
The aim of the present research was to develop a novel digital humor-based PPI (Make it Funny!) to investigate the influence of Duchenne laughter and mirth on psychological distress in daily life. Participants (N = 159; Agemedian = 39 years; 47.77% biologically female; 68.15% White) were tasked with completing Make it Funny! or a placebo activity every day for 7 days. Duchenne laughter frequency had a small negative cross-sectional moderation effect on the relationship between the occurrence of stressful events psychological distress (t(79.71) = -2.33, b = -10.89, p = .022). Within participants, Duchenne laughter frequency slightly increased the relationship between stressful events and anxiety symptoms (t(367.60) = 2.03, b = .58, p < .043). The daily elicitation of mirth via Make it Funny! evidenced a slight within-person buffering effect on the influence of stressful events on psychological distress that approached statistical significance (t(98.49) = -1.87, b = -3.32, p = .064). Make it Funny! was reported to be an acceptable and feasible digital intervention within participants’ daily lives, Finally, neither humor styles nor the actual manner by which participants created humor were related to mental health outcomes. Overall, these data suggest that the influence of Duchenne laughter and mirth on mental health outcomes is time-variant and context-dependent. Make it Funny! evidenced promise as an acceptable, feasible, and relatively unintrusive vehicle for studying humor in daily life, as well as a promising digital tool for facilitating mental hygiene. Implications and directions for research are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Semko, Joshua, "Make it Funny! Developing a Novel Humor-Based Digital Positive Psychology Intervention to Investigate the Influence of Duchenne Laughter and Mirth on Psychological Distress in Daily Life" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2903.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2903
Concentration/Emphasis
Clinical Psychology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Comments
Funding Acknowledgement: This dissertation was funded by generous awards from the Graduate School and the Department of Psychology at the University of Mississippi.