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Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression
Katerina Rnic1, David J A Dozois1, Rod A Martin1
1Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Europe'S Journal of Psychology
|August 23, 2016
Summary
Cognitive distortions, or negative thinking patterns, are linked to depression. Reduced use of self-enhancing humor and increased self-defeating humor may explain this connection, impacting emotional regulation and coping.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Cognitive distortions are recognized as vulnerability factors for depression and dysphoria.
- Research on the mechanisms linking cognitive distortions to depressive symptoms is limited.
- Humor styles (adaptive and maladaptive) may mediate the relationship between cognitive distortions and depression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the correlations between cognitive distortions and humor styles.
- To investigate how humor styles mediate the impact of cognitive distortions on depressive symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Correlational study examining cognitive distortions (frequency and impact) in social and achievement contexts.
- Assessment of different humor styles (Affiliative, Self-Enhancing, Aggressive, Self-Defeating).
Main Results:
- Cognitive distortions correlated with reduced use of adaptive humor (Affiliative, Self-Enhancing) and increased use of maladaptive humor (Aggressive, Self-Defeating).
- Reduced Self-Enhancing humor mediated the link between cognitive distortions and depressed mood.
- Self-Defeating humor mediated the association between the social impact of cognitive distortions and depression.
Conclusions:
- Distorted negative thinking may impair the ability to use self-enhancing humor for emotional regulation, increasing depressive symptoms.
- Self-defeating humor can be a maladaptive coping strategy for cognitive distortions, leading to increased dysphoria.
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