How people respond to jokes about their nation may depend on their level of national narcissism, according to a new study published in Personality and Individual Differences. Researchers found that individuals with inflated views of their country are more prone to fearing ridicule from others while simultaneously enjoying laughing at other nations. The research sheds light on how individuals with a defensive and inflated sense of national pride process humor that involves their country.
Laughter, a universal human experience, can be a double-edged sword—fostering social connections or becoming a tool for ridicule. The researchers wanted to understand how people relate to laughter when it involves national groups rather than individuals. While previous studies have examined how individuals react to laughter directed at themselves or others, this study is the first to explore how people respond to jokes involving their nation.
The researchers were particularly interested in the psychological dimensions of national narcissism and national identification. National narcissism refers to an inflated belief in one’s nation’s superiority. In contrast, national identification reflects a more general connection to one’s nation.
The researchers conducted two separate studies, both using online surveys with large groups of adult participants from Poland. The first study involved 633 people, and the second included 1,504 participants. All respondents were Polish citizens, and the samples were balanced for gender, age, and other demographic factors to ensure they represented the broader population.
Participants completed questionnaires measuring several psychological traits, including national narcissism, national identification, and their attitudes toward national jokes. To measure national narcissism, the researchers used a modified version of the Collective Narcissism Scale, asking participants to rate statements like “Polish people deserve special treatment.” National identification was assessed using the Social Identification Scale, which includes items such as “I have a lot in common with other Polish people.”
The researchers adapted an existing psychological tool, the PhoPhiKat-9 scale, which typically assesses individual attitudes toward laughter and ridicule, to focus on nations instead. The revised scale measured three dispositions: national gelotophobia (fear of others laughing at one’s nation), national gelotophilia (enjoying being laughed at as a nation), and national katagelasticism (enjoying laughing at other nations). Participants rated how much they agreed with statements like “I avoid talking about Polish people because I fear others might laugh at them” (national gelotophobia) or “I enjoy making fun of foreigners and I am happy when they get laughed at” (national katagelasticism).
The results confirmed that people with higher levels of national narcissism were more likely to fear that others were laughing at their nation. This relationship can be understood in the context of national narcissism’s heightened sensitivity to perceived threats. Just as people with narcissistic traits tend to be hypersensitive to personal criticism, those with national narcissism may perceive jokes about their country as attacks on its status and reputation.
National narcissism was also positively linked to the enjoyment of laughing at other nations. This suggests that people who hold a defensive and inflated view of their own nation are more likely to find pleasure in belittling other nations through humor. This tendency may serve as a way to reinforce their nation’s superiority by diminishing others.
In contrast to national narcissism, national identification was not associated with either national gelotophobia or national katagelasticism. This finding suggests that people who have a strong but secure connection to their nation do not necessarily feel threatened by jokes about their country, nor do they take pleasure in ridiculing other nations.
Interestingly, the researchers did not find a clear relationship between national narcissism and the enjoyment of being laughed at (national gelotophilia). In fact, while the first study found no significant link, the second study revealed a positive relationship between national narcissism and gelotophilia. This unexpected finding suggests that individuals high in national narcissism may not only fear jokes about their nation but also paradoxically enjoy being the center of attention—even in a humorous or ridiculed context.
The researchers also explored the concept of metadehumanization, the perception that others view one’s national group as less than fully human. They found that katagelasticism—the enjoyment of laughing at other nations—was linked to feelings of being dehumanized by other groups. This suggests that people who take pleasure in mocking other nations may project their own hostile attitudes onto others, assuming that outsiders view their nation with similar disdain.
While this study provides insights into the psychological dynamics of national humor, there are some limitations to consider. First, the research was conducted exclusively in Poland, so it is unclear whether the findings would apply to individuals from other countries with different cultural attitudes toward nationalism and humor. Additionally, the study relied on self-reported data, which can be subject to biases such as social desirability, where participants might answer in ways that they believe are more socially acceptable.
The study, “The joke is on us? National narcissism and dispositions towards laughter,” was authored by Dagmara Szczepańska, Marta Marchlewska, Radosław Rogoza, Wojciech Podsiadłowski, Zuzanna Molenda, Oliwia Maciantowicz, Marta Rogoza, and Dominika Klusek.
