The trait is linked higher relationship satisfaction in both partners.
People who enjoy making others laugh at them have happier relationships.
Not minding being the ‘butt of the joke’ mainly has positive effects on relationships.
However, people who don’t like to be laughed at tend to be less happy in their relationship.
It is down to the fact that people have different styles of humour.
For example, some people enjoy ridiculing others, but don’t like to be laughed at themselves.
Some like being the centre of humorous attention, others less so.
Professor René Proyer, who led the study, said:
“These […] are personality traits that can occur at the same time, to varying degrees and in different combinations.
They can range, for example, from making harmless jokes to ridiculing others.
All of these characteristics are normal, up to a certain point — including being afraid of being laughed at.”
The study included 154 couples who separately answered questions about their relationship and their sense of humour.
The results showed that couples whose sense of humour was similar were happier.
They also found that making other people laugh at you primarily has positive effects.
Dr Kay Brauer, study co-author, said:
“Women reported more often that they tended to be satisfied with their relationship and felt more attracted to their partner.
They and their partners also tended to be equally satisfied with their sex life.”
Being afraid of being laughed at, though, generally had negative effects on relationships.
It led to mistrust and lower relationship satisfaction.
Those who primarily preferred to laugh at others were no more or less happy in their relationship, although these couples tended to have more arguments.
Dr Brauer said:
“That is hardly surprising, considering that these people often go too far and make derisive comments which can then lead to an argument.”
Related
The study was published in the Journal of Research in Personality (Brauer & Proyer, 2018).
