Abstract
The aim of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Comic Style Markers (CSM; assessing fun, humor, nonsense, wit, irony, satire, sarcasm, and cynicism) and explore the relationship between the eight comic styles and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience). The data were collected online from 607 Italian-speaking volunteer participants (214 men and 393 women, age 18 to 77 years; M = 36.50 years; SD = 13.28). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the eight-factor structure. Results showed that the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the scales were generally acceptable, and intercorrelations among the scales ranged from low (between cynicism and fun) to high (between sarcasm and satire). The correlations between the Big Five personality traits and the eight comic styles showed that openness to experience was positively related to all eight styles. Low agreeableness was the best predictor of the darker styles, and extraversion was mainly related to the lighter styles. Neuroticism correlated negatively with humor and wit, and positively with sarcasm and cynicism. Conscientiousness was negatively related to fun, nonsense, irony, and cynicism. The results indicated a fairly good performance of the Italian version of the CSM, which was proved to be an adequate assessment instrument for investigating further relationships among several personality traits in the Italian population.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Appendix
Appendix
Comic Styles Markers
Di seguito troverai una serie di affermazioni che si riferiscono al tuo modo di vivere ed esprimere l’umorismo.
Si prega di leggere attentamente ogni affermazione e indicare in che misura le affermazioni si applicano a te o no.
Per favore, rispondi spontaneamente e onestamente selezionando una delle sette opzioni di risposta.
Le sette opzioni sono:
1 = Forte disaccordo;
2 = Disaccordo
3 = Leggero disaccordo
4 = Né d’accordo né disaccordo
5 = Leggero accordo
6 = In accordo
7 = Forte accordo
Forte disaccordo | Disaccordo | Leggero disaccordo | Nè d’accordo né disaccordo | Leggero accordo | In accordo | Forte accordo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Sono un simpatico mattacchione. | |||||||
2. Posso conversare con amici intimi in un modo che solo noi sappiamo cosa intendiamo, mentre gli estranei non capiscono che è semplicemente ironia. | |||||||
3. Ho la capacità di dire qualcosa di spiritoso ed efficace. | |||||||
4. La derisione mi si addice. | |||||||
5. Sono un osservatore realista delle debolezze umane e attraverso il mio umorismo riesco a trattarle benevolmente. | |||||||
6. Ho un atteggiamento critico nei confronti delle persone arroganti e ingiuste e il mio deriderle serve a ristabilire uguaglianza e giustizia. | |||||||
7. Mi piace l’umorismo senza senso. | |||||||
8. Tendo a non fidarmi della sincerità di alcune intenzioni e valori e spesso li smaschero con osservazioni ciniche. | |||||||
9. Mi piace fare scherzi dispettosi cosi da diffondere buonumore nel mio gruppo. | |||||||
10. Mi piace quando qualcuno dice il contrario di ciò che intende e si aspetta che gli amici intimi lo capiscano mentre gli estranei no. | |||||||
11. Interpreto rapidamente le situazioni e riesco a identificare gli elementi non ovvi in modo divertente. | |||||||
12. Sono un acuto schernitore. | |||||||
13. Quando il mio umorismo riguarda le debolezze umane, mi riferisco agli esseri umani in generale, me incluso. | |||||||
14. Tendo a fare parodia delle cattive abitudini, per contrastare comportamenti cattivi e stupidi. | |||||||
15. Mi piace l’umorismo quando gioca in maniera assurda con il nonsense. | |||||||
16. In generale, gli esseri umani e il mondo sono deboli e non mi dispiace svalutare i valori generalmente accettati attraverso osservazioni ciniche | |||||||
17. Di tanto in tanto faccio scherzi innocui ai miei amici così da farli ridere. | |||||||
18. La mia ironia svela chi è abbastanza sveglio e capisce qualcosa e chi no. | |||||||
19. Ho arguzia ed intelletto acuti e posso raccontare aneddoti con molte battute. | |||||||
20. Ho a mia disposizione un modo pungente di deridere che esprimo sia direttamente che indirettamente (ad es., attraverso l’ironia). | |||||||
21. Sia nelle piccole che nelle grandi cose il mondo non è perfetto, ma attraverso una visione umoristica del mondo riesco a trarre divertimento dalle avversità della vita. | |||||||
22. Quando altri esseri umani o istituzioni mostrano la loro superiorità in modo ingiustificato, utilizzo l’umorismo pungente per sminuirle. | |||||||
23. L’umorismo non deve avere necessariamente senso; per me vale il contrario: più è assurdo, più è divertente. | |||||||
24. Gli esseri umani hanno fiducia nei valori e nella moralità in maniera troppo ingenua e cieca il che nutre il mio ridicolo e la mia derisione. | |||||||
25. Mi piace fare il pagliaccio. | |||||||
26. Chiunque capisca la mia ironia è, come me, superiore a coloro che non la capiscono. | |||||||
27. Sorprendo gli altri con osservazioni divertenti e giudizi accurati sui problemi attuali, che mi vengono spontaneamente in mente. | |||||||
28. Occasionalmente mostro amaro disprezzo. | |||||||
29. Accetto l’imperfezione degli esseri umani e la mia vita di tutti i giorni spesso mi dà l’opportunità di sorridere in maniera benevola di me stesso. | |||||||
30. Mi prendo gioco delle malefatte dei miei simili per spronarli a cambiare. | |||||||
31. Trovo divertenti i racconti bizzarri e fantastici. | |||||||
32. Disprezzo alcune norme morali e le osservo cinicamente, sebbene in generale non mi manchi un senso di valore morale. | |||||||
33. Mi piace stuzzicare i miei amici in modo divertente. | |||||||
34. Se dico qualcosa di ironico, c’è sempre qualcuno nel mio gruppo che lo capisce e altri che non lo fanno. | |||||||
35. La mia intelligenza e la mia mente astuta mi aiutano a essere perspicace. | |||||||
36. Sono spesso maligno e critico se denuncio la corruzione, la depravazione, il vizio o il male. | |||||||
37. lL'umorismo è adatto per suscitare comprensione e tolleranza verso le imperfezioni e la condizione umana. | |||||||
38. Mi piace mettere in ridicolo la cattiveria morale per indurre o aumentare un atteggiamento critico nelle altre persone. | |||||||
39. Le assurdità mi divertono. | |||||||
40. Ho un atteggiamento cinico nei confronti di alcune norme comuni e concetti morali: non ci credo e tendenzialmente li trovo ridicoli. | |||||||
41. Mi piace fare scherzi e fare lo sciocco. | |||||||
42. La mia ironia confonde quelli che non la capiscono, così io e i miei amici più cari occultiamo ciò che intendiamo veramente. | |||||||
43. Riesco a stabilire relazioni tra idee o pensieri sconnessi e quindi creo rapidamente e acutamente un effetto comico. | |||||||
44. Le mie risate sono occasionalmente di derisione ed esprimono divertimento per le sfortune altrui. | |||||||
45. Anche di fronte ad eventi spiacevoli posso mantenermi a distanza e scoprire qualcosa di divertente. | |||||||
46. Se le circostanze non sono come dovrebbero effettivamente essere, ridicolizzo queste trasgressioni morali o le malefatte della società per portare ad un miglioramento a lungo termine. | |||||||
47. Mi piace l’umorismo che si scontra con la logica. | |||||||
48. Tendo a non mostrare riverenza per certi concetti e ideali morali, ma solo disprezzo e derisione. |
Scoring
Scale Items (scale = mean of the six items) | |
Fun: 01 + 09 + 17 + 25 + 33 + 41 | |
(Benevolent) Humor: 05 + 13 + 21 + 29 + 37 + 45 | |
Nonsense: 07 + 15 + 23 + 31 + 39 + 47 | |
Wit: 03 + 11 + 19 + 27 + 35 + 43 | |
Irony: 02 + 10 + 18 + 26 + 34 + 42 | |
Satire: 06 + 14 + 22 + 30 + 38 + 46 | |
Sarcasm: 04 + 12 + 20 + 28 + 36 + 44 | |
Cynicism: 08 + 16 + 24 + 32 + 40 + 48 |
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Dionigi, A., Duradoni, M. & Vagnoli, L. Humor and personality: Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the comic styles markers and its relationships with the big five personality traits. Curr Psychol 41, 8705–8717 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01303-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01303-0