Funny but aversive: A large-scale survey of the emotional response to Covid-19 humor in the Italian population during the lockdown

• Published in: Lingua Vol. 249; p. 102963
• Main Authors: Bischetti, Luca, Canal, Paolo, Bambini, Valentina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-01-2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Coping; COVID-19; Covid-19 humor; Dark humor; Demography; Emotions; Humor; Humor appreciation; Internet humor; Pandemics; Personality; Polls & surveys; Psychological distance; Shelter in place; Italy; Covid-19 humor; Internet humor; Psychological distance; Coping; Dark humor; Humor appreciation
• ISSN: 0024-3841; 1872-6135
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102963

•We studied the Covid-19 humor appreciation during Italy's lockdown in March 2020.•Humor inspired by Covid-19 showed a mark of aversiveness, but not of funniness.•With increasing age and in women, Covid-19 humor was judged more aversive.•The use of humor as a coping mechanism increased the appreciation of Covid-19 humor.•Perceived risk of contagion raised the disturbing potential of Covid-19 humor.
We often see an upsurge of humor inspired by tragic circumstances: this happened also during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak. However, little is known about the emotional response to tragedy-triggered humor, let alone Covid-19 humor. With a large-scale survey completed during the early stages of Italy's lockdown, we studied the appreciation (funniness and aversiveness) of different formats of Covid-19 humor shared on social media. Results of an analysis of the role of demographic, personality, and psychological distance factors with linear mixed models showed that Covid-19 humor lacks a “signature” of funniness, but displays a mark of aversiveness. Among demographics, age and gender were key factors: with increasing age and in women, Covid-19 humor was judged as more aversive. Individuals using humor to cope with uneasy circumstances judged Covid-19 humor as funnier and less aversive. Furthermore, the perceived risk of infection amplified Covid-19 humor aversiveness, while kilometrical distance from the first Italian contagion hotspot raised the amusement in global terms. These findings expand our knowledge about dark humor and should raise awareness of the great variation in the emotional impact of Covid-19 humor and of the need to ponder where and with whom to share the laugh about the pandemic.