Academic Journal
Transcending embarrassment: On the reputational benefits of laughing at yourself.
| Τίτλος: | Transcending embarrassment: On the reputational benefits of laughing at yourself. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Goksel S; Department of Marketing, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam., Sezer O; Department of Management and Organizations, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University., Berman JZ; Department of Marketing, London Business School. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of personality and social psychology [J Pers Soc Psychol] 2026 Jun; Vol. 130 (6), pp. 1078-1101. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 26. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: American Psychological Association Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0014171 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1939-1315 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00223514 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Pers Soc Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Washington Dc : American Psychological Association Original Publication: Washington, American Psychological Assn. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Laughter*/psychology , Social Perception* , Emotions*, Humans ; Female ; Male |
| Περίληψη: | How do people judge those who commit faux pas? Across six preregistered studies (N = 3,204), we find that the answer depends on how a faux pas is presented to others and the extent to which it harms others. For faux pas that cause minimal or no harm to others, those who display amusement (by laughing at their error) are seen as warmer, more competent, and more authentic (though not significantly more or less moral) than those who display embarrassment. While both amusement and embarrassment displays serve an appeasement function (which reflects positively on actors), observers view those displaying embarrassment as being excessively self-conscious (which limits positive character judgments). In contrast, amusement displays are deemed more emotionally calibrated, since they signal that an actor recognizes the faux pas is benign and therefore not serious enough to warrant negative self-conscious emotions. In other words, observers do not believe actors ought to feel particularly embarrassed upon committing common benign faux pas. However, when a faux pas harms others, those who display amusement are seen as experiencing a deficient level of self-consciousness, since, in this case, amusement indicates a disregard for the welfare of others. As a result, as harm to others increases, the benefits of displaying amusement become either attenuated or reversed relative to displaying embarrassment. Together, these findings provide a simple framework for understanding when amusement and embarrassment displays reflect well on individuals who commit faux pas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved). |
| Grant Information: | London Business School; Cornell University |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260226 Date Completed: 20260709 Latest Revision: 20260709 |
| Update Code: | 20260711 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/pspa0000477 |
| PMID: | 41746706 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1939-1315 |
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| DOI: | 10.1037/pspa0000477 |