Using playfulness to cope with psychological stress: taking into account both positive and negative emotions

Adult Playfulness, Humor Styles, and Subjective Happiness

“…This is particularly important, given that playful behaviors tend to decrease among adults. Hence, playful adults could maintain playfulness by using adaptive humor styles (Barnett, 2007), which could, in turn, reduce their negative affect as well (Chang et al., 2013; Kuiper & McHale, 2009).…”

“…Playfulness is generally considered as an inborn trait that allows individuals to inject enjoyment and entertainment into life (Barnett, 2007; Glynn & Webster, 1992; Guitard, Ferland, & Dutil, 2005; Proyer, 2012b). Psychologically, playfulness is associated with the experience of pleasure and positive emotions (Chang, Qian, & Yarnal, 2013; Guitard et al., 2005) and may serve a preventive function against psychological, behavioral, and physical problems (Reddy, Files-Hall, & Schaefer, 2005). Playfulness has been shown to be a strong predictor of psychological well-being, physical wellness, creativity, and academic achievement (e.g., Proyer, 2011, 2013; Tegano, 1990) as well as a strong contributor to life satisfaction and life engagement (Proyer, 2013).…”

Are Impostors playful? Testing the association of adult playfulness with the Impostor Phenomenon

“…For example, playful adults can be described as being high in Culture, being emotionally stable, and rather extraverted, but low in Conscientiousness (Barnett, 2011;Proyer, 2012aProyer, , 2012bProyer, , 2017. Further, playfulness is associated with positive psychological functioning (e.g., subjective well-being, relationship satisfaction, and a pleasurable and engaged orientation to life; e.g., Proyer, 2012aProyer, , 2013 and variables such as self-confidence (e.g., Proyer, 2013;Staempfli, 2007), and heightened positive and reduced negative emotions (e.g., Chang, Qian & Yarnal, 2013). People also seem to be aware that they can actively use their playfulness in such beneficial ways in their daily lives across different domains, for example, at work or in their leisure time (Proyer, 2014a).…”

An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Playfulness and Well-being in Australian Adults: An Exploratory Study

“…Playfulness was positively correlated with humor for university students (Barnett, 2007; Yue et al, 2016), and with happiness for German-speaking adults (Proyer, 2014b). Three studies from United States universities found that playful students (aged 18–34 years old) experienced greater positive emotions, were better equipped to reframe stressful situations, and had increased resilience and life satisfaction (Chang et al, 2013; Magnuson & Barnett, 2013; Qian & Yarnal, 2011). Participating in playful leisurely activities has also been shown to increase life satisfaction while minimizing an individual’s psychological stress and negative emotions (Proyer, 2013; Qian & Yarnal, 2011).…”

“…Given that health professionals frequently use well-being as an outcome measure for intervention (Baum et al, 2015) and that playfulness has been associated with well-being, examining this relationship more closely may lead to further understandings. As the majority of the current literature has been conducted with German-speaking adults (Proyer, 2013, 2014a, 2014b) or with university students under 34 years of age (Barnett, 2007; Chang et al, 2013; Magnuson & Barnett, 2013; Qian & Yarnal, 2011; Yue et al, 2016), it is not yet known whether playfulness and well-being are related in other populations. The present study investigated the relationship between playfulness and well-being in Australian adults.…”