When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak.
According to Terror Management Theory (TMT), there are three common buffers that minimize the anxiety of mortality salience: affirmation of a) one's cultural worldview, b) the self and one's personal values, and c) one's significance in the context of close personal relationships. The...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273338 |
| _version_ | 1811211346868436992 |
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| author | Michal Mahat-Shamir Maya Kagan |
| author_facet | Michal Mahat-Shamir Maya Kagan |
| author_sort | Michal Mahat-Shamir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | According to Terror Management Theory (TMT), there are three common buffers that minimize the anxiety of mortality salience: affirmation of a) one's cultural worldview, b) the self and one's personal values, and c) one's significance in the context of close personal relationships. The current study aimed at examining the contents of memes, which were distributed on social media during the COVID-19 outbreak, to explore the means by which humor buffers against death anxiety. A deductive and inductive thematic analysis captured three means by which humor buffers against death anxiety, a) humor as a means for connecting to cultural worldviews; b) humor as a means for inclusion in group; c) humor as a means to gain a sense of control. These findings are discussed through the theoretical lens of TMT. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:11:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4600f0dd08a740d8b3b0f4323cfa1c52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:11:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-4600f0dd08a740d8b3b0f4323cfa1c522022-12-22T03:46:44ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01178e027333810.1371/journal.pone.0273338When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak.Michal Mahat-ShamirMaya KaganAccording to Terror Management Theory (TMT), there are three common buffers that minimize the anxiety of mortality salience: affirmation of a) one's cultural worldview, b) the self and one's personal values, and c) one's significance in the context of close personal relationships. The current study aimed at examining the contents of memes, which were distributed on social media during the COVID-19 outbreak, to explore the means by which humor buffers against death anxiety. A deductive and inductive thematic analysis captured three means by which humor buffers against death anxiety, a) humor as a means for connecting to cultural worldviews; b) humor as a means for inclusion in group; c) humor as a means to gain a sense of control. These findings are discussed through the theoretical lens of TMT.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273338 |
| spellingShingle | Michal Mahat-Shamir Maya Kagan When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak. PLoS ONE |
| title | When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak. |
| title_full | When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak. |
| title_fullStr | When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak. |
| title_full_unstemmed | When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak. |
| title_short | When the times get tough the toughs get funny: Means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during COVID-19 outbreak. |
| title_sort | when the times get tough the toughs get funny means by which humor buffers against death anxiety emerged during covid 19 outbreak |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273338 |
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