Inducing amusement in the laboratory and its moderation by experiential approach

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Authors
Abernathy, Danette
Zettle, Robert D.
Advisors
Issue Date
2022-08-01
Type
Article
Keywords
Amusement , Positive affect , Emotion regulation , Moderation , Experiential approach
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Citation
Abernathy, D., & Zettle, R. D. (2022). Inducing Amusement in the Laboratory and Its Moderation by Experiential Approach. Psychological Reports, 125(4), 2213–2231. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211007935
Abstract

The relative ability of four comedic sketches to induce amusement in the laboratory and its moderation by dispositional differences in experiential approach as a form of positive emotion regulation were investigated. College student participants reported significant and equivalent diminished levels of negative affect relative to baseline following each sketch, while the level of positive affect induced by The Office exceeded that elicited by two of the three other sketches as well as by a topranked French comedic film clip. Regression models indicated that the two subscales of the Experiential Approach Scale and their interaction accounted for significant variability in negative mood reductions following the sketches. Unexpectedly, college student participants who enjoyed the greatest decrement in negative affect reported a regulation style in which anxiously clinging to positive emotions dominates over sustaining and savoring them. The limitations of this project and implications of its findings for laboratory inductions of amusement, as well as further investigations of its possible moderation by experiential approach as form of positive emotion regulation are discussed.

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Publisher
SAGE Publications Inc
Journal
Book Title
Series
Psychological Reports
Volume 125, No. 4
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0033-2941
EISSN