Humor as a Window into Personality and Emotional Functioning
A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 288
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sense of humor is broadly perceived as a marker of psychological health. However, accumulating research suggests the picture is much more complicated. For instance, certain humor styles like self-defeating humor are associated with emotional distress. There are many areas deserving of further research. For example, one under-researched topic is the direction of causation between humor and psychological health: do people with high levels of humor report low emotional distress because humor is protective, or because low emotional distress frees a person to fully appreciate humor? In light of the many unanswered questions, this Special Issue welcomes empirical and theoretical articles from interdisciplinary perspectives exploring novel research and theory that deepen our understanding of the associations between humor, personality, and emotional functioning. Some examples of topics include, but are not limited to, the following: Where is humor located within trait and hierarchical models of personality? Does humor have specific patterns of covariation with psychiatric disorders? What is the direction of causation between humor and psychological and emotional functioning? What mediates and/or moderates the efficacy of humor interventions? Are there other previously unexplored humor styles and how do they relate to personality and emotional functioning?
Dr. Wilson McDermut
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- humor (humour)
- personality
- emotion
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
