Gerotranscendence and humor styles: the mediating role of generativity and wisdom

Abstract

Abstract The goal of the present study was to investigate whether generativity and wisdom played a mediating role in the relationships between gerotranscendence and humor styles among people in late adulthood. The study included 399 participants aged 60–85 years. The following measures were used: Gerotranscendence Scale Type 2 (GST2), Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS), and the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS). The analyses revealed that generativity and wisdom, taken together, were mediators in the relationship between gerotranscendence and the four styles of humor in late adulthood. The results of the survey show that gerotranscendence is a factor that protects individuals against the use of aggressive humor, at the same time predisposing them to using humor that expresses self-acceptance and strengthens interpersonal relations. An interesting result was obtained for self-defeating humor. It was shown that gerotranscendence, by increasing generativity and wisdom, increases the tendency to poke fun at oneself and to talk about one’s own weaknesses or mistakes. This tendency, as suggested by the specific character of the relationships observed, does not have to be non-adaptive. Our results demonstrate that the processes related to the shaping of humor among people in late adulthood have a unique nature.