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Humour and well-being : exploring the effect of humour on well-being in the podcast “Betreutes Fühlen”

Smits, I.S. (2021) Humour and well-being : exploring the effect of humour on well-being in the podcast “Betreutes Fühlen”.

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Abstract:Background: The idea of receiving psychoeducation through self-help podcasts and thereby achieving a better sense of well-being sounds too good to be true, but is this possible? The study explored how participants experienced humour in podcasting and sought to determine the potential benefits of different humour styles on improving well-being in individuals suffering from anxiety symptoms. Method: In this study nine participants suffering from minor to medium anxiety symptoms were asked to listen to two episodes of the German self-help podcast “Betreutes Fühlen” (“Supervised Feeling”). Two focus groups engaging in the discussion were then conducted to get insights into the experience with humour in the podcast. The discussions were analysed by using thematic analysis. Humour styles were identified using the four humour styles described by Martin and others (2003). The change in well-being in participants has been explored by using the PERMA model inductively. Results: Participants perceived self-affiliative, self-enhancing, and self-defeating humour styles in the podcast. Furthermore, they also perceived self-deprecating humour as an additional humour style. The experiences with these humour styles were primarily positive and perceived beneficial for the listeners' well-being and anxiety mitigation. However, the experienced impact on well-being and anxiety mitigation differed per humour style. Conclusion: The research paper highlights the potential positive impact of the humorous podcast “Betreutes Fühlen” on the listeners' well-being and anxiety. However, taking into consideration that the scientific information was primarily associated with the podcast, it seems advisable for future research to explore what is needed for listeners to become more appreciative of the humorous aspects of self-help podcasts.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/88358
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