Abstract
This introduction to the “Festschrift for Willibald Ruch” outlines his impressive achievements in humor research, especially in the areas of measurement, individual differences as well as models and theories. Though mostly focusing on the psychology of humor and the sense of humor, Willibald also pioneered interdisciplinary and cross-cultural humor studies. This Festschrift comprises seven invited commentaries and eight articles, which expand areas of research that Willibald significantly shaped and advanced, including humor appreciation, comprehension and production, cheerfulness, dispositions towards laughter and being laughed at, as well as comic styles and humor dimensions.
About the authors
Sonja Heintz is a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Plymouth. Her main research interests are personality and measurement, humor (individual differences and measurement) and positive psychology (character strengths and well-being). She is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Humor Summer School.
Jennifer Hofmann, Ph.D., works for the office of the Vice President Education at the University of Zurich, and teaches at the University of Applied Science Zurich and the Swiss Distance University Institute.
Tracey Platt is the Associate Head of the School of Psychology and Public Health at the University of Sunderland. Her current research interests are in investigating the role of humor use online and cheerfulness in an environmental context. She is the Secretary of the International Humour Summer School Advisory Board and sits on the editorial board of several journals.
René T. Proyer is a full professor of psychology at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. His main interests are playfulness, dispositions towards ridicule and being laughed at, and indicators of positive psychological functioning. He is a member of the editorial board of HUMOR and other journals and a member of the Advisory Board of the International Humor Summer School.
References
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