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Playfulness in Adults Revisited: The Signal Theory in German Speakers
Abstract
The authors elaborate on the role of playfulness as a preferred characteristic in potential long-term partners recently espoused by Garry Chick and others. They aim to replicate the findings of such research by studying a different culture (that of German-speaking countries) and to develop them further by taking into account the participants’ relationship status and individual differences in their playfulness.
A sample of 327 students completed a rating scale for desired characteristics in
potential partners and a questionnaire for playfulness as a personality trait. Their
findings do indeed lend support to the notion that being playful is a desirable trait
of potential long-term mates
... The Signal Theory of Playfulness suggests that human adult playfulness is a sexual ornament cueing to non-aggressiveness in males and youthfulness (nubility) in females (Chick, 2013). In the same line, playfulness is a desirable trait in a long-term mate for both men and women (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015). ...
... Playfulness has been suggested as a personality trait functioning as a sexual ornamentation desired in long-term mates (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015). However, to our knowledge, no study tested if and how Playfulness relates to long-and short-term mating strategy of the individual. ...
... Here we tested if different dimensions of adult playfulness predict variation in the number of short-term and long-term romantic/sexual relationships. |The significant correlations between one of OLIW's dimensions with either number of short-or of long-term relationships in men and with short-term relationships in women was positive, corroborating studies suggesting that playful people might be more desirable mates (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015), and playfulness can serve as a tactic to attract sexual partners. Importantly, different dimensions of Playfulness were associated with number of sex partners in men and in women. ...
Number of romantic/sexual relationships is suggested as a proxy of potential reproductive success. Cross-culturally, both sexes desire playful long-term mates and playfulness predicts relationship quality. It is yet to be tested, however, if playfulness is associated with number of long- and short-term relationships. We hypothesised that specific playfulness dimensions would correlate with the number of lifetime short- and long-term relationships. We expected that lighthearted playfulness would be asso- ciated with more short-term relationships, while other-directed playfulness would be associated with the number of long-term relationships. In total, 1191 Brazilian adults (mean age = 28.7 years, standard devi- ation = 10.2) responded to online sociodemographic questions and a playfulness inventory. Other-directed playfulness positively predicted the number of short-term and long-term partners in men and whimsical playfulness predicted the number of short-term relationships in women. This suggests that playfulness is used by both sexes to compete for access to more and better mates, but in slightly different ways. For the first time, we show that playful adults have more partners and that playfulness can be used as a part of mating strategies.
... The Signal Theory of Playfulness suggests that human adult playfulness is a sexual ornament cueing to non-aggressiveness in males and youthfulness (which indicates nubility) in females (Chick, 2001). In the same line, playfulness is a desirable trait in a long-term mate for both men and women (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). ...
... Playfulness has been suggested as a personality trait functioning as a sexual ornamentation desired in long-term mates (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). However, to our knowledge, no study has tested if and how playfulness relates to long-and short-term mating strategy of the individual. ...
... Here we tested if different dimensions of adult playfulness predict variation in the number of short-term and long-term romantic/sexual relationships. The significant correlations between all OLIW's dimensions with number of short-or long-term relationships in men and with short-term relationships in women was positive, corroborating studies suggesting that playful people might be more desirable mates (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Playfulness thus can serve directly as a tactic to attract/maintain sexual partners, or indirectly to set the stage for entertainment and flirting. ...
Number of romantic/sexual relationships is suggested as a proxy of potential reproductive success. Cross-culturally, both sexes desire playful long-term mates and playfulness predicts relationship quality. It is yet to be tested, however, if playfulness is associated with number of long-term and short-term relationships. We hypothesized that specific playfulness dimensions would correlate with the number of lifetime short- and long-term relationships. Specifically, we expected that Lighthearted playfulness would be associated with more short-term relationships, while Other-directed playfulness would be associated with the number of long-term relationships. In total, 1191 Brazilian adults (mean age=28.7 years, SD=10.2) responded to online sociodemographic questions and playfulness inventory (OLIW). Other-directed playfulness positively predicted the number of short-term and long-term partners in men and the same was true for Whimsical playfulness in women. This suggests that playfulness is used by both sexes to compete for access to more and better mates, but in slightly different ways. For the first time, we show that playful adults have more partners and that playfulness can be used as a part of mating strategies.
... Chick (2001) has proposed the signal theory of playfulness and argues that playfulness signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth when they search for a partner for a long-term relationship but signals health-as a sign of fecundity-in women. Some research has supported this notion by showing that playfulness constitutes a preferred trait in potential romantic partners (Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015). To play and be playful in a relationship contributes to the intimacy of its partners as well as the communication between them (Baxter 1992; see also Raskin 1998). ...
... Research on play and playfulness (e.g., Aune and Wong 2002;Baxter 1992;Bruess and Pearson 1993;Proyer 2014a;Wolf, Brauer, and Proyer 2016;Proyer et al., forthcoming) suggests that partners in romantic relationships use play and playfulness to enhance relationship satisfaction in contrast to those oriented toward ludus. As mentioned, some theoretical reasoning (Chick 2001) and empirical data (Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015) support the notion that playfulness is a desired personality trait for potential partners in long-term relationships. Hence, we expect there will be a difference between the ludic lover and the playful lover. ...
... Men who rated their female partners higher in global and other-directed playfulness had partners who showed inclinations to higher eros and lower storge. Of course, we do not know anything about the causality here, but we might argue that those who are interested in passionate love are, in particular, searching for signals of playfulness among potential partners for long-term relationships (Chick 2001;Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015). Furthermore, those assigning greater playfulness to their partners also reported greater inclinations to behaving playfully in a relationship (PLC). ...
Recent research has shown that individual differences in adult playfulness contribute to satisfaction in romantic relationships. The present study examines associations of four facets of playfulness (i.e., other-directed, lighthearted, intellectual, and whimsical) with approaches to romantic relationships in terms of love styles (i.e., Eros, Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania, and Agape). Further, we argue that the classic definition of the ludic love style (e.g., showing short-term commitment; Casanova-type of behaviors; flirting, putting one’s own need ahead of the relationship) has only little overlap with a playful love style in its narrow sense (i.e., using one’s playfulness for strengthening the relationship, focus on long-term commitments). For this purpose, we developed the Playful Love Checklist (PLC) to assess playful behaviors in romantic couples. We tested the convergence between self- and partner-rated playfulness and self-rated love styles in 77 heterosexual romantic couples (mean relationship duration: 3.4 years; median = 2.3). Major findings were that (1) there was good convergence of self- and partner-rated playfulness, (2) partners were similar in their self-rated playfulness, (3) robust associations between self- and partner-rated playfulness and love styles (mainly EROS) existed, and (4) partner ratings contributed to the understanding of the playfulness-love styles association. As expected, playfulness measures did not correlate with the ludic love style but the PLC, supporting the notion of a difference between the ludic and the playful lover. We discuss the findings in regard to its practical and theoretical implications for research on romantic couples.
... Chick (2001) has proposed the signal theory of playfulness and argues that playfulness signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth when they search for a partner for a long-term relationship but signals health-as a sign of fecundity-in women. Some research has supported this notion by showing that playfulness constitutes a preferred trait in potential romantic partners (Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015). To play and be playful in a relationship contributes to the intimacy of its partners as well as the communication between them (Baxter 1992; see also Raskin 1998). ...
... Research on play and playfulness (e.g., Aune and Wong 2002;Baxter 1992;Bruess and Pearson 1993;Proyer 2014a;Wolf, Brauer, and Proyer 2016;Proyer et al., forthcoming) suggests that partners in romantic relationships use play and playfulness to enhance relationship satisfaction in contrast to those oriented toward ludus. As mentioned, some theoretical reasoning (Chick 2001) and empirical data (Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015) support the notion that playfulness is a desired personality trait for potential partners in long-term relationships. Hence, we expect there will be a difference between the ludic lover and the playful lover. ...
... Men who rated their female partners higher in global and other-directed playfulness had partners who showed inclinations to higher eros and lower storge. Of course, we do not know anything about the causality here, but we might argue that those who are interested in passionate love are, in particular, searching for signals of playfulness among potential partners for long-term relationships (Chick 2001;Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015). Furthermore, those assigning greater playfulness to their partners also reported greater inclinations to behaving playfully in a relationship (PLC). ...
Individual differences in how people deal with ridicule and being laughed at can be described by three personality dispositions; namely, gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (joy of being laughed at), and katagelasticism (joy of laughing at others). Recent findings show that they are associated with indicators of the romantic life (e.g., partner similarity; relationship satisfaction). An important facilitator of stability and satisfaction in romantic relationships is the romantic attachment style, an internal working model of interpersonal experiences. Individual differences in adult attachment are described with the dimensions of avoidance and anxiety and typically four types are distinguished (i.e., secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, & fearful-avoidant). To investigate the relationship between the three dispositions and dimensions/types of attachment, N = 245 participants (M = 28.8, 18-72, median = 24 years; 30% male; 33% single) completed the PhoPhiKat-45 (Ruch & Proyer, 2009; α ≥ .86) and the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire (Neumann, Rohmann, & Bierhoff, 2008; α ≥ .87). Path Analyses showed that the fear of being laughed at was robustly associated with anxiety and avoidance (β ≤ .44) while gelotophilia and katagelasticism also accounted for avoiding intimacy (|β|s ≤ .17). Using the type approach, gelotophobia accounted for differences in the four attachment styles (partial η² = .17) and was highest among fearful-avoidant participants. This study extends our knowledge on the role of how people deal with ridicule and being laughed at in the romantic context by testing its relation with internal models of experiencing and behaving in close relationships. The theoretical status of the variables and methodological extensions (e.g., studying couples) for future research are discussed.
... Chick (2001) has proposed the signal theory of playfulness and argues that playfulness signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth when they search for a partner for a long-term relationship but signals health-as a sign of fecundity-in women. Some research has supported this notion by showing that playfulness constitutes a preferred trait in potential romantic partners (Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015). To play and be playful in a relationship contributes to the intimacy of its partners as well as the communication between them (Baxter 1992; see also Raskin 1998). ...
... Research on play and playfulness (e.g., Aune and Wong 2002;Baxter 1992;Bruess and Pearson 1993;Proyer 2014a;Wolf, Brauer, and Proyer 2016;Proyer et al., forthcoming) suggests that partners in romantic relationships use play and playfulness to enhance relationship satisfaction in contrast to those oriented toward ludus. As mentioned, some theoretical reasoning (Chick 2001) and empirical data (Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015) support the notion that playfulness is a desired personality trait for potential partners in long-term relationships. Hence, we expect there will be a difference between the ludic lover and the playful lover. ...
... Men who rated their female partners higher in global and other-directed playfulness had partners who showed inclinations to higher eros and lower storge. Of course, we do not know anything about the causality here, but we might argue that those who are interested in passionate love are, in particular, searching for signals of playfulness among potential partners for long-term relationships (Chick 2001;Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington 2012;Proyer and Wagner 2015). Furthermore, those assigning greater playfulness to their partners also reported greater inclinations to behaving playfully in a relationship (PLC). ...
Adult playfulness contributes to well-functioning romantic relationships. We study the association between playfulness (global and four facets; i.e., Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical) and six specific attitudes towards love-the love styles of Eros, Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania and Agape. Further, we argue that those high in Ludus (i.e., ludic lover; being primarily interested satisfying own pleasures and low investment in the relationship) should be differentiated from the playful lover (i.e., using playfulness to support the relationship). Seventy-seven heterosexual couples completed self-ratings for love styles and a checklist for playful behaviors (Playful Love Checklist; PLC) in romantic relationships and self- and partner-ratings for playfulness. Analyses of partner similarity and self-other agreement showed robust associations between partners and convergence between the self-partner view in playfulness. For the love styles, there were numerically stronger relations in the self-ratings for the women. Overall, the strongest associations were found for Other-directed playfulness (and global playfulness in the women) and Eros. The PLC explained the largest portion of variance (30/35% in females/males) in self-ratings of playfulness. This suggests that the current conceptualizations of playfulness have little overlap with the ludic lover, but, as expected, show good convergence with potential relationship-strengthening positive behaviors (the core of a playful lover). Men and women high in Eros rated their partner high in global, Other-directed and Intellectual playfulness. Greater partner-ratings in playfulness were negatively associated with Pragma. The analysis of self- and partner ratings contributes to the understanding of the association between playfulness and love styles.
... Existing studies on adult playfulness connect this temperamental disposition to diverse skills, processes, and settings. These include coping with stress (Magnuson & Barnett, 2013), workplace performance (Yu et al., 2007), creativity and intrinsic motivation (Bateson & Martin, 2013;Proyer, 2012), choosing romantic partners (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015;Chick et al., 2020), academic success (Proyer, 2011), and healthy aging (Waldman-Levi et al., 2015). ...
... Playfulness also shapes our relationships. Studies on assortative mating (Chick et al., 2020;Proyer & Wagner, 2015), romantic relationships, Sidhu et al., 2019), and positive psychology (Farley et al., 2021;Proyer et al., 2018) provide evidence for a connection between playfulness among romantic partners. ...
This studyexplored the connection between adult playfulness and emotional intelligence. Participants were 325 (39 men, 286 women) primarily EuropeanAmerican, (59%), undergraduate students attending a private, four year, liberalarts university in the northeastern United States. Participants completed twostandard measures – The Schutte Self Report EmotionalIntelligence Test (SSEIT) and The Adult Playfulness Trait Scale (APTS). Inaddition, participants completed an open ended query – “How do you defineplay?” to complement the correlation analyses. Correlational analyses revealed strong,positive connections between the SSEIT and APTS subscale and total scores. TheFun Seeking subscale of the APTS positively connected to all subscales of theSSEIT. Engaging in fun and having a good time was a playfulness component andtemperamental disposition that helps one perceive, manage, and utilize emotionsas well as manage the emotions of social others. The Uninhibited subscale ofthe APTS connected positively to two of the SSEIT subscales – Managing one’semotions and Utilizing emotions. Finally, individuals who scored high on theAPTS also scored high on the SSEIT. This study’s findings suggest that the temperamentaldisposition, playfulness connects to an individual’s emotional intelligence.Future studies might investigate different cultural and age groups and utilizemixed method approaches to broaden our understanding of how playfulness helps peopleprocess emotional experience related to the self and social others.
... Playfulness is a subject of active research as a highly desirable trait in potential long-term mates (Chick et al., 2012;Fredrickson, 2003;Gordienko-Mytrofanova & Kobzieva, 2018;Kobzieva et al., 2019;J. Lauer & Lauer, 2002;Proyer & Wagner, 2015;Weber & Ruch, 2012) starting with the studies of Woll (1989), where playfulness is associated with different styles of sexual behavior, certain types of affection and love: -playfulness as a spontaneous, idiosyncratic "private game" plays a definite part in establishing positive relationships and settling conflicts and, more broadly, tends to stabilize family relationship (Betcher, 1981); -playfulness as an important trait of potential partners for romantic relationship (J. Lauer & Lauer, 2002;Fredrickson, 2003;Weber & Ruch, 2012); -playfulness is an evolutionarily significant characteristic when choosing a sexual partner as "a highly desirable trait in long-term sexual mates" (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). ...
... Lauer & Lauer, 2002;Proyer & Wagner, 2015;Weber & Ruch, 2012) starting with the studies of Woll (1989), where playfulness is associated with different styles of sexual behavior, certain types of affection and love: -playfulness as a spontaneous, idiosyncratic "private game" plays a definite part in establishing positive relationships and settling conflicts and, more broadly, tends to stabilize family relationship (Betcher, 1981); -playfulness as an important trait of potential partners for romantic relationship (J. Lauer & Lauer, 2002;Fredrickson, 2003;Weber & Ruch, 2012); -playfulness is an evolutionarily significant characteristic when choosing a sexual partner as "a highly desirable trait in long-term sexual mates" (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Certainly, we also considered the studies where flirting was the subject of research without any connection with playfulness. ...
Background: This article continues a series of studies devoted to ludic competence/playfulness and one of its components is flirting. The aim of the study: in the context of parametric concept of meaning, to identify on the basis of applied psycholinguistic research the semantic components of the stimulus “flirting person”, which are actualized in the speech acts of Russian-speaking inhabitants of Ukraine. Material and Methods: The main method of the research is a psycholinguistic experiment whose major stage is the controlled association experiment with the stimulus “flirting person”. The sample comprised 215 young people (aged 21-35), of which 112 females and 103 males. Results: At the final stage of formulation of the instructions 23 semantic features were selected for the stimulus “flirting person”. The results of the controlled association experiment with the stimulus “flirting person” allowed to build 23 associative fields and obtain the material for describing the behaviour pattern of ludic position Diplomat (flirting person) reflecting the reality of linguistic consciousness of young Russian-speaking inhabitants of Ukraine. Conclusions: Cluster analysis of the associative field of the semantic feature “What is the person’s marital status?” allowed to define: three core clusters – “Free” (71.16%), “In a relationship” (14.42%), “Any” (3.72%); three peripheral clusters – “Qualities” (3.26%), “Emotional State” (3.26)%, “Role in family relations” (1.40%); extreme peripheral clusters – “Changeable” (0.93%); an isolated female reaction “Guy” suggests an ambiguous interpretation and allows to highlight different meanings – “Gender” and “Age”.
... Further, playing is generally accompanied by behavioral signs of "do not attack for real, it is just play", so playfulness signalize non-aggressiveness (Chick, 2001). Evidence in favor of such theory come from studies showing playfulness as a desirable trait in long-term mates (Chick et al., 2012;Moraes et al., 2021;Proyer & Wagner, 2015) and that playfulness positively with physical fitness (Proyer et al., 2018). Barnett (2019) criticizes Signal Theory research because it hypothesizes playfulness has sexual dimorphic functionsmen signalize non-aggressiveness and women signalize youthfulnessbut virtually ignore possible sex differences. ...
... While our results show a lack of correlation between Gaming Investment and being in a committed relationship, playfulness studies show robust evidence that more playful individuals are more desirable as long-term mates (e.g. Chick et al., 2012;Proyer et al., 2019;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). We might imagine there is a bias that only studies which have found a relationship are published. ...
Despite their similarity with play, games are theorized as voluntary attempts to overcome unnecessary obstacles following self-handicapping arbitrary rules. These forms of entertainment are universal, usually played by adults, and have robust cross-cultural gender differences, but have received little attention from evolutionary theories. Two evolutionary hypotheses have tried to explain why adults play: to select mates and to compete for resources/status. This way, our goal was to investigate the relationship between gaming propensity, measured through Gaming Investment, and variables related to mating and status-gaining. To do so, we surveyed 1470 Brazilian adults about their gaming habits, sociodemographic data and playfulness (OLIW scale). Then, we used linear regressions and path analyses to investigate possible predictors of Gaming Investment. Results point out that Gaming Investment is related to status-seeking in gamers’ communities, meanwhile it shows no strong evidences that gaming may attract more mates or that it is related to playfulness. Therefore, gaming propensity may have evolved as a non-lethal competition for status. Modern issues may have impacted the results and are discussed suggestions for future studies.
... Playfulness was overall rated in fifth place, but fourth as a trait that women desire in men. Proyer and Wagner (2015) replicated these findings in German-speaking participants and additionally found that people in romantic relationships were more playful than singles (d = 0.25). Also, Chick and colleagues (2020) extended this research by examining the overlap between self-ratings and those regarding ideal prospective long-term mates, using the same list of trait descriptors. ...
... The Signal Theory of Play and findings on playfulness being a desired trait in partners (e.g., Chick, 2001;Chick et al., 2012Chick et al., , 2020Proyer & Wagner, 2015) suggest that people might have assortative mating preferences concerning playfulness. Initial findings by Olson et al. (2001) supported this notion when showing genotypic similarity for playfulness in monozygotic and dizygotic twins. ...
There is robust support for the notion that playfulness is important for how people initiate and engage in their romantic relationships. Our study sought to extend the knowledge on associations between four facets of playfulness (Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical; OLIW) with facets of relationship satisfaction (RS) in 116 middle-to-older age couples (median = 54 and 57 years in women and men). In comparison to younger samples, we found lower expressions in Other-directed playfulness. Using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modelling, we found that (a) older couples showed comparatively higher similarity in the single OLIW facets and their profiles than previously found in younger couples; (b) similarity is again unrelated to RS; and (c) findings on playfulness-RS associations partially replicated, with Other-directed and Whimsical playfulness showing the numerically strongest actor and partner effects, but mainly in women. We discuss the differences in similarity with regard to an attrition effect. Overall, we conclude that playfulness is important in older couples in similar ways as in younger couples.
... There is an absence of general consensus on the conceptualisation, definition, measurement, distinctiveness and specificity of adult playfulness (Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Very approximately, playfulness may be seen within the following paradigms: behav-An exploration of playfulness in coaching ioural disposition (Lieberman, 1965(Lieberman, , 1966(Lieberman, , 1977Glynn & Webster, 1992); personality, as a characteristic (Barnett, 2007) or trait (Proyer & Wagner, 2015); capacity (Sanderson, 2010;Heimann & Roepstorff, 2018); or cognitive attitude (Guitard et al., 2005). ...
... There is an absence of general consensus on the conceptualisation, definition, measurement, distinctiveness and specificity of adult playfulness (Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Very approximately, playfulness may be seen within the following paradigms: behav-An exploration of playfulness in coaching ioural disposition (Lieberman, 1965(Lieberman, , 1966(Lieberman, , 1977Glynn & Webster, 1992); personality, as a characteristic (Barnett, 2007) or trait (Proyer & Wagner, 2015); capacity (Sanderson, 2010;Heimann & Roepstorff, 2018); or cognitive attitude (Guitard et al., 2005). Applying the latter paradigm specifically to coaching, Lockwood and O'Connor (2017, p.58) propose a working definition: 'A cognitive attitude towards being intrinsically motivated and uninhibited, supported through a behavioural orientation towards fun-seeking and spontaneity'. ...
Objective
In light of sparse direct empirical research on adult playfulness in coaching, the objective of this study was to explore playfulness and raise awareness of its presence, requirements, effects, barriers and risks in coaching .
Design
This exploratory, inductive qualitative study using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013) was based on primary data collection seeking sensitising concepts for exploring and understanding playfulness in coaching .
Methods
Semi-structured interviews with 14 coaches working predominantly with corporate clients to explore their reflections and experiences of playfulness in their work .
Results
A new working definition is proposed; strong themes were identified in the data of the key factors required for playfulness (relationship, authenticity and presence) and what it may bring to coaching (deepening of relationship, space and lightness). Barriers, risks and areas for future investigations were identified .
Conclusions
The data clearly indicates the emergence of playfulness in coaching; however, the study highlights a lack of specific reflection on playfulness. The study of playfulness in coaching has the potential to contribute to increasing our understanding of coaching effectiveness, therefore further investigation is merited .
... 114). Previous research has shown that adult playfulness is associated with a large number of positive outcomes such as academic performance (Proyer, 2011); facilitation of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001); relationship satisfaction (Aune and Wong, 2002;Proyer, 2014b;Proyer et al., in press a); sexual selection (Chick, 2001;Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015); coping with stress (Qian and Yarnal, 2011;Magnuson and Barnett, 2013;Proyer, 2014a); and well-being (Barnett, 2012;Proyer, 2012cProyer, , 2013Proyer, , 2014a-to name but a few. ...
... To the best of our knowledge, play and playfulness in adults are mostly studied from a Western perspective. For example, studies have recently been conducted with samples from the United States (Barnett, 2007), United Kingdom (Aroean, 2012), Denmark (Hasse, 2008), Switzerland (Proyer, 2011), and Germany (Proyer and Wagner, 2015), while Eastern countries have only rarely been studied (e.g., Yu et al., 2003Yu et al., , 2007Yue et al., 2016). Studies conducted in German-speaking countries have led to the development of a multifaceted model of playfulness; i.e., other-directed, lighthearted, intellectual, and whimsical (Proyer, 2017). ...
Compared with playfulness in infants and children, playfulness in adults is relatively under-studied. Although there is no empirical research comparing differences in adult playfulness across cultures, one might expect variations between Western and Eastern societies such as China. While playfulness is typically seen as a positive trait in Western culture, there are hints in Chinese culture that being playful has negative connotations (e.g., associations with laziness and seeing play as the opposite of work). The aim of this study was to compare expressions of playfulness in one sample from German-speaking countries (n = 143) and two samples from China (Guangzhou: n = 176; Beijing: n = 100). Participants completed one playfulness scale developed in the West (Short Measure of Adult Playfulness, SMAP) and one from the East (Adult Playfulness Questionnaire, APQ). Additional ratings of the participants were collected to measure: (a) the level of playful behavior expressed by people in different situations (e.g., when being around family members, in public, or on social media), and (b) individuals’ perceptions of society’s expectations concerning the appropriateness of being playful in the given situations. Overall, the results of the comparisons were mixed. Although SMAP scores did not vary significantly across the three samples, people from German-speaking countries tended to score higher on some facets of the APQ and some situational ratings. Stronger effects were found when comparing only the German-speaking sample and the Guangzhou sample. In addition to the cross-cultural differences that we expected, we also detected Chinese regional variations (North vs. South). We conclude that societal rules and cultural factors may impact expressions of playfulness in a society
... That might relate to a picture of playful adults as non-serious, non-conscientious, or hedonistically oriented, which can lead to a negative connotation of playfulness in daily life. On the other hand, being playful is found to be a desirable trait by potential long-term-mates ( Chick, Yarnal & Purrington, 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Gordon (2014) notices that the shared joy, excitement and laughter in social play is a catalyst for building social bonds and positive attachments. ...
... Matching was not done on household, since there is no literature on the effects of household on playfulness nor on AD or OCD. Playfulness is seen as a desirable trait in potential long-term mates ( Chick, Yarnal & Purrington, 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015), but playfulness is not measured in actual relationships. Nevertheless, respondents were asked with whom they lived. ...
Playfulness is an important component of drama therapy. For adults with an anxiety disorder (AD) or an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) playfulness might be an unconsciously missed component in life. Therefore strengthening a client's playfulness could be a major aim of drama therapy with these disorders. Where less playfulness is identified, drama therapy based interventions could be applied to strengthen playfulness. Therefore providing a contribution to treatments available to the client suffering from AD/OCD. Using drama therapy interventions would be less probable to cause negative side effects. In an online-survey both Group 1 (34 adults with AD/OCD), and Group 2 (34 adults without AD/OCD), filled in three scales assessing their level of playfulness. On all three scales the playfulness in Group 1 (M = 77.88; M = 62.00; M = 69.12) was significantly lower (p =.000 at all three scales) than the playfulness in Group 2 (M = 92.09; M = 80.24; M = 81.21). The relationship between having an AD or OCD and being less playful is statistically significant (Pearson's Correlation of respectively −.458; −.639; −.464). A difference in playfulness within Group 1 in specified AD/OCD could not be distinguished. The results indicate that playfulness could specifically be part of treatment through drama therapy with adults with AD/OCD.
... More playful individuals are preferred as mates (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015), and playfulness is also positively correlated with physical fitness (Proyer et al., 2018), relationship satisfaction and is subject to assortative mating (Chick et al., 2020), which can explain its heritability. Additionally, players of sportive games have more sexual partners (Faurie et al., 2004). ...
By conceptualizing Sexual Selection, Darwin showed a way to analyze intra-specific individual differences within an evolutionary perspective. Interestingly, Sexual Selection is often used to investigate the origins of sports, arts, humor, religion and other phenomena that, in several languages, are simply called “play.” Despite their manifested differences, these phenomena rely on shared psychological processes, including playfulness. Further, in such behaviors there is usually considerable individual variability, including sex differences, and positive relationship with mating success. However, Sexual Selection is rarely applied in the study of play, with exception to what is concerned as infant training behavior for adult sex roles. We offer an integrated grounding of playful phenomena aligning evolutionary propositions based on sexual selection, which might stimulate further exploration of playfulness within evolutionary perspective.
... Enquanto os nossos resultados apontam para uma ausência de correlação entre o Investimento em Jogos e estar num relacionamento, a literatura sobre galhofa é robusta em apontar que indivíduos mais brincalhões são mais desejáveis como parceiros para relacionamentos de longo prazo (ex.: Chick et al., 2012;Proyer et al., 2019;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Podemos imaginar que há um viés de que apenas trabalhos que encontram tal relação sejam publicados. ...
Apesar das semelhanças com brincadeiras, jogos são teorizados como tentativas voluntárias de superar obstáculos desnecessários seguindo regras arbitrárias autodebilitantes. Essas formas de entretenimento são ubíquas, normalmente realizadas por adultos e têm robustas diferenças de gênero transculturais, mas foram pouco consideradas pelas teorias evolucionistas. Duas hipóteses evolucionistas têm tentado explicar por que adultos jogam: para selecionar parceiros e para competir por recursos/status. Assim sendo, nosso objetivo foi investigar a relação entre a propensão para jogar, medida pelo Investimento em Jogos, e variáveis associadas à obtenção de parceiros e de status. Para isso, um questionário foi aplicado a 1470 adultos brasileiros perguntando sobre seus hábitos de jogo, informações sociodemográficas e a escala OLIW. Ao todo, foram obtidas 939 respostas válidas aqui analisadas. Usamos regressões lineares e uma análise de caminho para investigar possíveis preditores de investimento em jogos. Os resultados apontam que investir em jogos está associado a busca por status nas comunidades de jogadores, mas não encontrou fortes evidências de que jogos atraiam mais parceiros ou estejam relacionados à personalidade brincalhona. Assim, a propensão para jogar pode ter evoluído como uma competição não-letal por status. Questões contemporâneas podem ter impactado os resultados e são discutidas sugestões para futuros estudos.
... Die so genannte Playfulness wird als die Qualität des kindlichen Spiels, als die Fähigkeit, Bereitschaft und Freude von Kindern beschrieben, sich auf das Spiel(en) einzulassen (Barnett, 1991a). Im Deutschen wird Playfulness als Spielfähigkeit (Ruckser-Scherb, 2010; Skard & Bundy, 2011) oder Verspieltheit (bei Er-wachsenen; Proyer & Wagner, 2015), teilweise auch als Spielkompetenz oder Spielfreude ausgewiesen. ...
Zusammenfassung. Playfulness wird als die Fähigkeit, Bereitschaft und Freude von Kindern verstanden, sich auf das Spiel(en) einzulassen. Obwohl ihr eine hohe Relevanz für die kindliche Entwicklung zugeschrieben wird, ist die Forschungslage, insbesondere zur Rolle der Erwachsenen, dünn. Im Rahmen einer Pilotstudie wurden 76 Eltern (89.5% weiblich) zur Playfulness ihres Kindes (51.3% weiblich; M Alter = 4.49 Jahre, SD Alter = 1.53), zu ihrer eigenen Playfulness, ihrer Einstellung gegenüber dem kindlichen Spiel sowie ihrer Beteiligung am Spiel befragt. Anhand eines Strukturgleichungsmodells wurden sowohl direkte als auch indirekte Zusammenhänge zwischen kindlicher und elterlicher Playfulness, mediiert über die elterliche Spieleinstellung und die selbsteingeschätzte elterliche Rolle im kindlichen Spiel, untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die elterliche Playfulness und eine spielunterstützende Einstellung der Eltern einen mittleren positiven, direkten Zusammenhang mit der kindlichen Playfulness aufwiesen. Vermittelnde Zusammenhänge erwiesen sich als unbedeutend. Eine höhere elterliche Playfulness ging aber negativ mit der elterlichen Rolle als Spielleiter einher.
... But since the subject of our research is ludic competence / playfulness and its components, we are especially interested in the studies where a close relationship of flirting and playfulness is shown, and playfulness is considered a highly desirable trait in potential long-term partner and romantic relationships (Chick, Yarnal & Purrington, 2012). Starting with the study of Woll (1989), playfulness is associated with different styles of sexual behaviour, certain types of affection and love, as a spontaneous, idiosyncratic «private game» aimed at stabilizing family relationship, as an important personality trait in particular when choosing a potential partner for romantic relationship (Lauer & Lauer, 2002;Fredrickson, 2003;Weber & Ruch, 2012) and in general as an evolutionarily significant characteristic when choosing a sexual partner (Chick, Yarnal & Purrington, 2012;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). ...
The purpose of this study is to define and describe the semantic components of the verbalised concept “flirting” as a component of ludic competence in the linguistic consciousness of the Russian-speaking people from Eastern Ukraine.
The main method of the research was a psycholinguistic experiment. The sample comprised 400 young people (aged 18-35), males and females being equally represented.
Results. The experiment results proved that the concept “flirting” in the linguistic consciousness of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine is represented by four core semantic clusters: “verbal and nonverbal means of communication” (27.75%), “forms and types of interaction” (25.25%), “emotions, feelings, states” (24.75%), and “gender” (10.5%). The peripheral clusters “romantic relationship” (4%) and “meeting place” (1.5%) are represented by a relatively equal number of male and female reactions. The fact that clusters on the extreme periphery are exclusively represented either by female (“secret actions”) or male reactions (“time of year”) is most probably explained by certain individual preferences in usage rather than by gender-specific tendencies. The analysis of isolated reactions allowed distinguishing the following cluster reactions: “age” (youth), “period of time” (temporality) and “time of day” (it is getting late).
The associative behaviour of the respondents is characterized by a heterosexual orientation of flirting, which is reflected in the peripheral subcluster “heterosexuality” (1.25%).
Conclusions. Based on the results of cluster analysis, two psycholinguistic meanings of the concept of “flirting” were described: 1. A type of courtship that does not involve sexual intimacy (90.75%) and 2. Sexual relations (4.5%).
The semantic content of the concept core of “flirting” does not depend on gender identification based on the results of the analysis of female and male associative fields. The attitude of informants to the stimulus of “flirting” is emotionally positive and is characterized by positive evaluation.
The comparative analysis of the verbalised concept “flirting” in the linguistic consciousness of Russian-speaking population of Ukraine and people who live in Russia revealed a wider semantic scope and prominent positive attitude to the stimulus of Ukrainian sample. In general, the evaluation of this phenomenon by Russian-speaking respondents in Ukraine and members of the Russian linguistic culture is presented mainly by positive and neutral reactions.
... These results support Chick's (2001) general hypothesis regarding the importance of playfulness and associated traits. The findings replicated well in German-speaking adults (Proyer & Wagner, 2015), additionally providing initial evidence that people in relationships might be more playful compared to singles (d = 0.25). ...
There is increasing interest in the study of individual differences in playfulness in adults; the way people frame or reframe situations in a way that they are experienced as personally interesting, and/or intellectually stimulating, and/or entertaining. In this review, we describe and discuss its role for romantic life. After a brief introduction, we will describe theoretical approaches as to why playfulness is important in romantic life (e.g., the signal theory of playfulness) and give an overview on empirical findings on assortative mating and its role in romantic relationships (e.g., for relationship satisfaction). Finally, we discuss future directions on playfulness in romantic life and singles and open research questions.
... Similarly, Turley, Monro, and King (2017) argued that engagement in sexual play (the consensual practice of bondage, discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism; BDSM) might be conceptualized as an expression of playfulness. Moreover, Chick (2001) suggests that playfulness is a desired personality characteristic in long-term romantic partners, because it signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth and health as signs of fecundity in women (see also Chick, Yarnal, & Purrington, 2012, submitted for publication;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Finally, it has been argued that to play and being playful elicits positive emotions (e.g., Fredrickson, 2001). ...
Previous research has shown that adult playfulness contributes to relationship satisfaction (RS). Using 211 heterosexual romantic couples we test the association between four facets of playfulness (Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical; OLIW) and indicators of RS in an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)-design. The four OLIW components are differentially associated with indicators of RS. Out of the OLIW facets, predominantly Other-directed and Intellectual playfulness were associated with high RS. Couple similarity was unrelated to RS. Overall, the findings support the notion that distinguishing between the facets of playfulness and those of RS is needed for a comprehensive understanding of their association. We discuss the findings with respect to theoretical and practical implications.
... Similarly, Turley, Monro, and King (2017) argued that engagement in sexual play (the consensual practice of bondage, discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism; BDSM) might be conceptualized as an expression of playfulness. Moreover, Chick (2001) suggests that playfulness is a desired personality characteristic in long-term romantic partners, because it signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth and health as signs of fecundity in women (see also Chick, Yarnal, & Purrington, 2012, submitted for publication;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Finally, it has been argued that to play and being playful elicits positive emotions (e.g., Fredrickson, 2001). ...
Verspieltheit im Erwachsenenalter beschreibt interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Fähigkeit, Situationen so zu gestalten, dass diese als unterhaltsam und/oder interessant und/oder intellektuell stimulierend erlebt werden. Das OLIW-Modell (Proyer, 2017) unterscheidet die Komponenten other-directed (z.B. liebevolles Necken), lighthearted (z.B. Präferenz für Improvisation statt Planung), intellectual (z.B. Vorliebe für Komplexität) und whimsical (z.B. Vorliebe für Ungewöhnliches) Verspieltheit. Theorie und Forschung legen nahe, dass Verspieltheit eine gewünschte und förderliche Persönlichkeitseigenschaft für das Eingehen und die Aufrechterhaltung einer romantischen Beziehung sein könnte und positiv zur Beziehungszufriedenheit beiträgt. Unsere Studie erweitert dieses Wissen, indem Selbstratings zu Verspieltheit und Beziehungszufriedenheit von 211 erwachsenen heterosexuellen Paaren (Beziehungsdauer zwischen 3 Monate und 37 Jahre; M = 5.2 Jahre) analysiert wurden. Vorabtests replizierten den Befund robuster Ähnlichkeit romantischer Partner in other-directed und whimsical (r ≤ .29) sowie unkorrelierter Ausprägungen in lighthearted und intellectual Verspieltheit. Die Hauptanalyse der dyadischen Daten erfolgte mittels des Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), welches die Feststellung intra- (Actor-) und interindividueller (Partner-) Effekte von Verspieltheit auf die Beziehungszufriedenheit beider Partner eines Paares erlaubt. Insbesondere other-directed-Verspieltheit trug mittels Actor- und Partnereffekten positiv zur Beziehungszufriedenheit bei. Partner von leichtherzig Verspielten berichteten weniger Vertrauen in ihren Partner und die Zukunft der Beziehung. Demgegenüber waren intellectual und whimsical-Verspieltheit vornehmlich über Actor-Effekte positiv mit Beziehungszufriedenheit assoziiert. Die Befunde geben Aufschluss über die differentiellen Beiträge der OLIW-Facetten und stützen die Annahme, dass Verspieltheit weitgehend positive Effekte auf die Beziehungszufriedenheit ausübt.
... Nevertheless, a growing number of studies exist that support the notion that playfulness (the personality trait associated with play as the actual behavior) may serve an important role in several life domains of adults too. Amongst others, it has been shown that playfulness relates to positive outcome variables such as coping (e.g., Staempfli, 2007;Magnuson and Barnett, 2013), work performance and innovative behavior at work (Glynn and Webster, 1992;Yu et al., 2007), creativity and intrinsic motivation (Amabile et al., 1994;Proyer, 2012b), virtuousness (Proyer and Ruch, 2011), sexual selection (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015), academic success (Proyer, 2011), low expressions in the Impostor phenomenon (Brauer and Proyer, 2017), or subjective well-being (Proyer, 2013(Proyer, , 2014aProyer et al., 2018a). The present study aims at extending these findings to health, activity, and physical fitness. ...
Adult playfulness is a personality trait that enables people to frame or reframe everyday situations in such a way that they experience them as entertaining, intellectually stimulating, or personally interesting. Earlier research supports the notion that playfulness is associated with the pursuit of an active way of life. While playful children are typically described as being active, only limited knowledge exists on whether playfulness in adults is also associated with physical activity. Additionally, existing literature has not considered different facets of playfulness, but only global playfulness. Therefore, we employed a multifaceted model that allows distinguishing among Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical playfulness. For narrowing this gap in the literature, we conducted two studies addressing the associations of playfulness with health, activity, and fitness. The main aim of Study 1 was a comparison of self-ratings (N = 529) and ratings from knowledgeable others (N = 141). We tested the association of self- and peer-reported playfulness with self- and peer-reported physical activity, fitness, and health behaviors. There was a good convergence of playfulness among self- and peer-ratings (between r = 0.46 and 0.55, all p < 0.001). Data show that both self- and peer-ratings are differentially associated with physical activity, fitness, and health behaviors. For example, self-rated playfulness shared 3% of the variance with self-rated physical fitness and 14% with the pursuit of an active way of life. Study 2 provides data on the association between self-rated playfulness and objective measures of physical fitness (i.e., hand and forearm strength, lower body muscular strength and endurance, cardio-respiratory fitness, back and leg flexibility, and hand and finger dexterity) using a sample of N = 67 adults. Self-rated playfulness was associated with lower baseline and activity (climbing stairs) heart rate and faster recovery heart rate (correlation coefficients were between −0.19 and −0.24 for global playfulness). Overall, Study 2 supported the findings of Study 1 by showing positive associations of playfulness with objective indicators of physical fitness (primarily cardio-respiratory fitness). The findings represent a starting point for future studies on the relationships between playfulness, and health, activity, and physical fitness.
... Nevertheless, a growing number of studies exist that support the notion that playfulness (the personality trait associated with play as the actual behavior) may serve an important role in several life domains of adults too. Amongst others, it has been shown that playfulness relates to positive outcome variables such as coping (e.g., Staempfli, 2007;Magnuson and Barnett, 2013), work performance and innovative behavior at work (Glynn and Webster, 1992;Yu et al., 2007), creativity and intrinsic motivation (Amabile et al., 1994;Proyer, 2012b), virtuousness (Proyer and Ruch, 2011), sexual selection (Chick et al., 2012;Proyer and Wagner, 2015), academic success (Proyer, 2011), low expressions in the Impostor phenomenon (Brauer and Proyer, 2017), or subjective well-being (Proyer, 2013(Proyer, , 2014aProyer et al., 2018a). The present study aims at extending these findings to health, activity, and physical fitness. ...
Adult playfulness is a personality trait that enables people to frame or reframe everyday situations in such a way that they experience them as entertaining, intellectually stimulating, or personally interesting. Earlier research supports the notion that playfulness is associated with the pursuit of an active way of life. While playful children are typically described as being active, only limited knowledge exists on whether playfulness in adults is also associated with physical activity. Additionally, existing literature has not considered different facets of playfulness, but only global playfulness. Therefore, we employed a multifaceted model that allows distinguishing among Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical playfulness. For narrowing this gap in the literature, we conducted two studies addressing the associations of playfulness with health, activity, and fitness. The main aim of Study 1 was a comparison of self-ratings (N = 529) and ratings from knowledgeable others (N = 141). We tested the association of self-and peer-reported playfulness with self-and peer-reported physical activity, fitness, and health behaviors. There was a good convergence of playfulness among self-and peer-ratings (between r = 0.46 and 0.55, all p < 0.001). Data show that both self-and peer-ratings are differentially associated with physical activity, fitness, and health behaviors. For example, self-rated playfulness shared 3% of the variance with self-rated physical fitness and 14% with the pursuit of an active way of life. Study 2 provides data on the association between self-rated playfulness and objective measures of physical fitness (i.e., hand and forearm strength, lower body muscular strength and endurance, cardio-respiratory fitness, back and leg flexibility, and hand and finger dexterity) using a sample of N = 67 adults. Self-rated playfulness was associated with lower baseline and activity (climbing stairs) heart rate and faster recovery heart rate (correlation coefficients were between −0.19 and −0.24 for global playfulness). Overall, Study 2 supported the findings of Study 1 by showing positive associations of playfulness with objective indicators of physical fitness (primarily cardio-respiratory fitness). The findings represent a starting point for future studies on the relationships between playfulness, and health, activity, and physical fitness.
... As more became known about playfulness in adults, enquiries about its universality were pondered. All of the studies up to this time had been conducted with American (Barnett, 2007;Maxwell et al., 2005;Shen et al., 2014), British (Aroean, 2012;Maxwell et al., 2005), Danish (Hasse, 2008), Swiss (Proyer, 2011(Proyer, , 2012a(Proyer, , 2014a(Proyer, , 2014c, or German (Proyer, 2014b;Proyer & Wagner, 2015) culturesall examples of 'Westernized' or 'individualistic' societies. The present study is an empirical effort to begin to address questions about whether playfulness could also be seen in 'nonWesternized ', or 'collectivistic' cultures, and the extent to which extant knowledge could be explicatory rather than more culturally determined. ...
The marvel of adult playfulness has incited vigorous research efforts to define, demarcate, and explain its essence; however, all have been conducted with Westernized societies whose values exalt individualistic thinking and self-expression. This study explored whether such formulations of playfulness can be communicated and ultimately embraced by individuals whose native cultural values are incompatible. Three groups of female graduate students with Chinese heritage, differing in their years of residence in the United States (all, most, or some of their lives), were compared with American counterparts in their recognition of, and reaction to, a playful (and nonplayful) actor. Results indicated that playfulness was transmitted to the Chinese women – they came to recognize its distinguishing characteristics and to favor the playful actor. Group differences suggested there may be critical periods in the transmission process. Issues about adult playfulness as socially constructed, sufficiently malleable to be communicated, or possessing trait-like properties were raised.
... Chick, Yarnal, and Purrington (2012) reported that playfulness and related qualities ranked within the top 5 among a list of 35 characteristics considered by young adults about mate preferences, supporting the idea that playfulness may improve one's odds in sexual selection, first described by Darwin (1859). This result was replicated by Proyer and Wagner (2015) with a sample of German-speaking participants while accounting for their relationship status and levels of playfulness. ...
For evolved phenotypical characteristics to be retained by organisms, the adaptive advantages of those characteristics must outweigh their costs. The costs of play can involve injury, susceptibility to predation, and use of time that might otherwise be devoted to food acquisition while its advantages might include learning, socialization, and physical exercise. Another general evolutionary advantage of play might be that it confers adaptability. The primary goal of this study is to seek empirical evidence for the role of playfulness in shaping adaptability by examining two questions: whether the children of more playful parents are more playful and whether more playful children are more adaptable. Our results based on a young adult sample (n = 311) and their ratings about themselves and their parents support a positive link between playfulness and adaptability, while pushing for a more intricate understanding of the differential roles of parents in passing on the benefit of playfulness.
... Similarly, Turley, Monro, and King (2017) argued that engagement in sexual play (the consensual practice of bondage, discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism; BDSM) might be conceptualized as an expression of playfulness. Moreover, Chick (2001) suggests that playfulness is a desired personality characteristic in long-term romantic partners, because it signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth and health as signs of fecundity in women (see also Chick, Yarnal, & Purrington, 2012, submitted for publication;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Finally, it has been argued that to play and being playful elicits positive emotions (e.g., Fredrickson, 2001). ...
Sind verspielte Paare die zufriedeneren mit ihrer Beziehung? Verspieltheit wird als eigenständiges Persönlichkeitsmerkmal verstanden, durch das Personen alltägliche Situationen in für sie unterhaltende, intellektuell stimulierende und/oder persönlich interessante Situationen (um)definieren können (Barnett, 2007). Unter Einbezug eines neuen Strukturmodells mit den Facetten „auf andere ausgerichtete“, „leichtherzige“, „intellektuelle“ und „extravagante“ Verspieltheit (Proyer, 2017) wurde an N = 77 heterosexuellen Paaren untersucht, inwieweit sich die selbstberichtete und vom Partner eingeschätzte Verspieltheit auf die Beziehungszufriedenheit auswirkt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich Männer in allen Facetten verspielter als ihre Partnerinnen einschätzen (d > .20) und die selbsteingeschätzte Verspieltheit positiv mit der eigenen Beziehungszufriedenheit zusammenhängt. Die Übereinstimmung zwischen selbst- und vom Partner eingeschätzter Verspieltheit weist hohe Werte auf (r ≥ .55), mit Ausnahme der intellektuellen Facette (r = .34). Unter Anwendung des Actor-Partner-Interdependence-Model (APIM; Kenny et al., 2006) findet sich zudem ein signifikanter Zusammenhang der eigenen Verspieltheit mit der Beziehungszufriedenheit des Partners/der Partnerin (z.B. sagt die globale Verspieltheit der Frau die Beziehungszufriedenheit des Mannes vorher, r = .29; sexuelle Zufriedenheit: r = .33). In Ergänzung zu früheren Studien wurden auch die Partnereinschätzungen mittels APIM ausgewertet. Es zeigen sich höhere Korrelationen zur Beziehungszufriedenheit beider Partner im Vergleich zu den Selbstberichten. Weiterhin steht insbesondere die sexuelle Zufriedenheit im positiven Zusammenhang mit der gegenseitig eingeschätzten Verspieltheit. Die Ergebnisse stehen im Einklang mit früheren Befunden zum positiven Zusammenhang von Verspieltheit und Beziehungszufriedenheit. Implikationen für die Bedeutsamkeit des Persönlichkeitsmerkmals sowie der Wahrnehmung des Partners für das Wohlbefinden in romantischen Beziehungen werden diskutiert.
... Similarly, Turley, Monro, and King (2017) argued that engagement in sexual play (the consensual practice of bondage, discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism; BDSM) might be conceptualized as an expression of playfulness. Moreover, Chick (2001) suggests that playfulness is a desired personality characteristic in long-term romantic partners, because it signals nonaggressiveness in men and youth and health as signs of fecundity in women (see also Chick, Yarnal, & Purrington, 2012, submitted for publication;Proyer & Wagner, 2015). Finally, it has been argued that to play and being playful elicits positive emotions (e.g., Fredrickson, 2001). ...
Playfulness is partly defined as trait that allows people to frame or reframe everyday situations in a way
such that they experience them as entertaining, and/or intellectually stimulating, and/or personally
interesting. A new structural model of adult playfulness (Proyer, 2015) proposes four facets; namely
other-directed, lighthearted, intellectual, and whimsical. Using a sample of 83 romantic couples, the
(dis-)similarity in playfulness among partners and its impact on relationship satisfaction was tested.
Preliminary results show that partners tend to be similar in their self-reported playfulness (otherdirected:
β =.40; whimsical: β =.41). Contrary to other research concerning relationship satisfaction a
greater dissimilarity in playfulness among partners predicted several facets of relationship satisfaction
positively. Further analyses using the Actor-Partner Independence Model (Kenny et al., 2006) are in
progress. Overall, preliminary data show that adult playfulness influences relationship satisfaction.
Further research on this understudied personality trait in context of romantic relationships seems
warranted.
This chapter examines the science of time, research insights on creating a better work–life balance for dental professionals, the importance of play over productivity alone, and digital well‐being. Monochronic time is where one activity or task is carried out at a time. Countries that utilise monochronic time include much of the Western world. A biased time perspective can close potential doors to the happiness. Many of the dental professionals may have a bias towards future orientation, which leads them to cultivate strategies to develop conscientiousness to study, grit, and set life goals. As busy dental professionals could really benefit from giving themselves permission to play! There are many benefits of play as adults. The chapter explores what play is, the research findings, especially on how play enriches dental professionals' well‐being, and how they can apply this exciting research to their lives.
In this chapter, I explore playfulness as a character trait, unpicking what it is that makes a person playful. In particular I focus on the characteristics that might make a playful teacher, and how playfulness can benefit teaching and learning. First, I revisit the definition of playfulness, explore different types of playfulness that exist, and discuss the benefits of playfulness beyond learning. The second section of the chapter considers different ways in which psychologists have analysed and described playfulness, considering different models of what it means to be playful. I then explore the notion of teacher playfulness and describe research I undertook as part of a larger project to define, refine, and measure teacher playfulness. This is followed by the results of a survey that I undertook to look at playfulness in the wider adult population. Finally, the chapter looks at the relationship between playfulness and pedagogy, discussing the wider ways in which playfulness might be embedded in teaching and learning practice.
This study investigates the nature of playfulness as a personal virtuous disposition influential to the practice and growth of virtues. It is conducted within the playful space of dramatic play, in the context of the drama course of a teacher preparation programme. It combines two qualitative approaches, a single case study and a narrative inquiry. A small group of student primary teachers participated in the data collection process that rested both on direct and indirect narrative text-based methods: reflective diaries, the teacher’s journal, a semi-structured interview and photographs of the course’s workshops. The findings overall demonstrate that a nexus of internal and external conditions of the participants’ embodiment of dramatic play in synergy with their flow experiences encouraged the constitution of their playfulness as a virtuous disposition. In this aretaic space of their playfulness, they grew three virtues: parrhesia, friendship and self-knowledge.
Практическое содержание тренинга составляет комплекс техник, представленных в форме шестнадцати базовых законов эмоциональной привлекательности, с актуализацией вторичных способностей: законточной эмпатии: “как смотреть из окна другого;закон универсальных этических принципов; законздорового юмора; законтрёх эго-состояний; закон трех стадий взаимодействия;закон восьми главных потребностей; закон баланса чрезмерной искренности / чрезмерной вежливости;закон “Я-сообщения“; закон позиции здоровой личности: Я “+“ ТЫ “+“;закон баланса стабильности: ожидания-наблюдения / доверие-послушание;закон баланса ответственности: брать-давать / любовь-справедливость; закон честной коммуникации; закон продуктивного копинга; закон заботливой конфронтации;закон самораскрытия:“что, когда, как, насколько много и кому открывать“; закон самопознания (окно Джохари). Комплекс техник разработан на основе психологической структуры флирта как компонента игривости / игровой компетентности, представленной тремя факторами по результатам констатирующего этапа исследования развития флирта: “Эмоциональный интеллект”, “Самоценность”, “Открытость новому опыту”. Каждый из факторов, опираясь на содержательную характеристику трех стадий взаимодействия, которые структурируют межличностные взаимодействия в целом, соотнесены с определенной стадией и первичной актуальной способностью: “Эмоциональный интеллект” – привязанность, “любовь / принятие”; “Открытость новому опыту” – дифференциация, “доверие”; “Самоценность” – отделение, “уверенность в себе”. Ключевые слова: стадии взаимодействия, актуальные способности, игровая компетентность, флирт, позитивная психотерапия
Oynama eğilimi çocukların bulundukları ortamı kendilerine eğlenceli ve keyifli kılacak şekilde dönüştürebilme özelliği olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Eğlence eğilimi terimi ise tıpkı oyun oynama eğilimi gibi kişiliği tanımlayan bir terim olmakla birlikte yetişkin kişiliği için kullanılmaktadır. Okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının ve öğretmenlerinin bu kişilik özelliklerinin incelenmesi önemli görülmektedir. Araştırmanın amacı okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının oynama eğilimlerinin öğretmenlerinin eğlence eğilimleri açısından değerlendirilmesidir. Ayrıca çocukların oynama eğilimlerinin demografik özelliklerine (cinsiyet ve yaş) göre farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığının incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırma nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden tarama modeli ile yürütülmüştür. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu, İstanbul’daki okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarına devam eden beş-altı yaş grubu 122 çocuk ve bu çocukların yedi öğretmeninden oluşmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak “Çocuklar için Oynama Eğilimi Ölçeği” ve “Yetişkin Eğlence Eğilimi Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının oynama eğilimleri ve öğretmenlerin eğlence eğilimlerinin yüksek düzeyde olduğu; oynama eğilimi açısından kız ve erkek çocuklar arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olmadığı; beş yaş grubu çocukların oynama eğilimlerinin, altı yaş grubu çocuklardan anlamlı olarak daha yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Çocukların oynama eğilimlerinin, öğretmenlerinin eğlence eğilimi düzeylerine göre farklılaştığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bu sonuca göre eğlence eğilimi çok yüksek, yüksek ve orta düzeyde olan öğretmenlerin çocuklarının oynama eğilimleri, eğlence eğilimi düşük düzeyde olan öğretmenlerin çocuklarından anlamlı olarak daha yüksektir.
A PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS ON THE FALSE-START PRODUCTION RATES OF TURKISH SPEAKERS
Although the research on speech disfluencies in the literature produced very significant information on the general characteristics of speech disfluency production of children and adult speakers, there is no adequate account of speech disfluencies of young speakers. The purpose of this study is to provide the 18-23-year-old fluent Turkish native speakers’ production rates of the filled gap, hesitation, prolongation, slip of the tongue, false start and repetition type of speech disfluencies and to analyze the influence of the gender and speech situation (prepared/unprepared) variables on speech disfluency production in this age group. 14 participants (7 male/ 7 female) took part in the study. By conducting face to face interviews, prepared and unprepared speech samples (for children unprepared speech samples only) of at least 300 words of each participant were collected and transcribed. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank and Mann-Whitney U Tests were used for the statistical analysis of the data. As a result, the most widely observed types of speech disfluencies in the current study were prolongations, filled gaps, and hesitations, respectively. In terms of the gender variable, males produced more prolongations than the females in the prepared speech situation. In the unprepared speech situation, the hesitation, prolongation, false-start, and slip-of-the-tongue type of disfluency production rates of males were higher than the females. In terms of the speech situation variable, regardless of the gender variable, all participants produced a greater number of prolongations and slips of the tongue in the prepared speech situation compared to the unprepared speech situation. When the same data were analyzed according to the speech situation variable by considering the gender variable as well, it was seen that all participants (male/female) in the 18-23 age group produced more prolongation type of disfluencies in the prepared speech situation compared to the unprepared speech situation.
The main aim of the present research is to come closer to the understanding of what dance is? In the present article we are looking for the answer to this question, on the one hand, with help of the analysis of the main questions of psychology of dance and, on the other hand, with help of the analysis of structuralist’s ideas about semiotics of dance.
Key words: dance, psychology of dance, semiotics of dance.
Play and playfulness have been seminal to human culture for millennia. Twentieth-century scientific enquiry was largely concerned with their evolutionary benefits, though humanistic psychology, and later positive psychology came to view them as attached to greater human values and meaning creation. Due to their myriad forms and manifestations, play and playfulness have been difficult to define and measure. This paper will explore the nature of these problematics. It will also highlight the most salient research concerning the benefits of play and playfulness, and the subsequent implications for coaching. Based on the latest literature, a definition of play and playfulness apposite to the coaching framework is offered, along with suggestions for future research directions.
Few studies of adult playfulness exist, but limited research on older adults and playfulness suggests that playfulness in later life improves cognitive, emotional, social, and psychological functioning and healthy aging overall. Older adults represent a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population, underscoring the need to
understand the aging process. In this article, the authors report on the first three steps of a four-step, multimethod approach to test the hypothesis that playfulness is an important component of healthy aging in older adults. Step 1 determines the characteristics of older-adult playfulness, extending Barnett’s (2007) study of young-adult playfulness and recruiting participants from a different age group (older adults rather than younger adults). Based on findings from Step 1, in Step 2 the authors develop the Older Adult Playfulness (OAP) scale to measure playfulness in older adults. In Step 3, they validate the reliability of the OAP scale. A
forthcoming manuscript will report on the relationship between older adult playfulness and healthy aging (Step 4).
The coverage of and interest in non‐Western and cross‐cultural aspects of leisure seems to be on the increase in leisure studies. Although this is a welcome trend in the current climate of multiculturalism, there is currently no systematic agenda for the anthropological study of leisure. I suggest that four issues should be addressed to serve as a foundation for an anthropology of leisure. These include (a) the ethnography of leisure, (b) the cross‐cultural validity of the concept of leisure, (c) leisure and adaptation, and (d) leisure and the evolution of culture. Although my position is scientific, materialistic, and comparative, researchers who bring other perspectives can also contribute to the cross‐cultural understanding of leisure. Most important, anthropologists must come to realize that leisure is a topic worth their attention, and leisure researchers must make use of anthropological resources and not just reprise old and erroneous beliefs about leisure and culture that have become canonical in the field.
Examined the consequences of mate preferences for the processes of assortative mating and sexual selection. In Study 1, 92 married couples (aged 18–40 yrs) completed measures such as the California Psychological Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Data were used to identify (a) the mate characteristics that were consensually more and less desired, (b) the mate characteristics that showed strong sex differences in their preferred value, (c) the degree to which married couples were correlated in selection preferences, and (d) the relations between expressed preferences and the personality and background characteristics of obtained spouses. Marital preference factors included Religious, Kind/Considerate, Artistic/Intelligent, and Easygoing/Adaptable. Study 2, with 100 unmarried undergraduates, replicated the sex differences and consensual ordering of mate preferences found in Study 1, using a different methodology. Alternative hypotheses are presented to account for the replicated sex differences in preferences for attractiveness and earning potential. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Contemporary mate preferences can provide important clues to human reproductive history. Little is known about which characteristics people value in potential mates. Five predictions were made about sex differences in human mate preferences based on evolutionary conceptions of parental investment, sexual selection, human reproductive capacity, and sexual asymmetries regarding certainty of paternity versus maternity. The predictions centered on how each sex valued earning capacity, ambition— industriousness, youth, physical attractiveness, and chastity. Predictions were tested in data from 37 samples drawn from 33 countries located on six continents and five islands (total N = 10,047). For 27 countries, demographic data on actual age at marriage provided a validity check on questionnaire data. Females were found to value cues to resource acquisition in potential mates more highly than males. Characteristics signaling reproductive capacity were valued more by males than by females. These sex differences may reflect different evolutionary selection pressures on human males and females; they provide powerful cross-cultural evidence of current sex differences in reproductive strategies. Discussion focuses on proximate mechanisms underlying mate preferences, consequences for human intrasexual competition, and the limitations of this study.
The present study investigated the role of 24 character strengths in 87 adolescent romantic relationships focusing on their role in partner selection and their role in mates' life satisfaction. Measures included the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth, the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, and an Ideal Partner Profiler for the composition of an ideal partner. Honesty, humor, and love were the most preferred character strengths in an ideal partner. Hope, religiousness, honesty, and fairness showed the most substantial assortment coefficients. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed targets' character strengths as explaining variance in targets' life satisfaction. Furthermore, to a lesser degree, specific character strengths of partners and couples' similarity in certain character strengths explained variance in targets' life satisfaction beyond targets' character strengths. This first research on this topic showed that character strengths play a significant role in adolescent romantic relationships.
ABSTRACT Although personality characteristics figure prominently in what people want in a mate, little is known about precisely which personality characteristics are most important, whether men and women differ in their personality preferences, whether individual women or men differ in what they want, and whether individuals actually get what they want. To explore these issues, two parallel studies were conducted, one using a sample of dating couples (N= 118) and one using a sample of married couples (N= 216). The five-factor model, operationalized in adjectival form, was used to assess personality characteristics via three data sources—self-report, partner report, and independent interviewer reports. Participants evaluated on a parallel 40-item instrument their preferences for the ideal personality characteristics of their mates. Results were consistent across both studies. Women expressed a greater preference than men for a wide array of socially desirable personality traits. Individuals differed in which characteristics they desired, preferring mates who were similar to themselves and actually obtaining mates who embodied what they desired. Finally, the personality characteristics of one's partner significantly predicted marital and sexual dissatisfaction, most notably when the partner was lower on Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect-Openness than desired.
Playful people are uniquely able to transform virtually any environment to make it more stimulating, enjoyable and entertaining. Efforts to more systematically characterize the playful person have proven more fruitful with children than with adults. To determine if playfulness could be identified as a meaningful psychological construct in adults, focus groups of undergraduate students first described characteristics of highly playful and nonplayful people. Six hundred and forty-nine students rated themselves on playfulness and on these descriptors, and then identified and rated others high and low in playfulness. Fifteen qualities were found to uniquely describe a playful individual, resulting in four component qualities of “gregarious”, “uninhibited”, “comedic” and “dynamic” for both men and women. Participants defined playfulness and its inherent qualities in the same way whether they perceived it in themselves or in others.
Background: It was hypothetisized that playfulness in adults (i.e., the predisposition to play) is robustly associated with the “good character.” Playfulness in adults can be tested via a global cognitive evaluation and an instrument for distinguishing five different facets of playful behaviors (spontaneous, expressive, creative, fun, and silly). Character strengths can be assessed within the framework of the Values-in-Action (VIA) classification of strengths.
Results: Data were collected in an online study and the sample consisted of 268 adults. A regression analysis revealed that adult playfulness was best predicted by humor, the appreciation of beauty and excellence, low prudence, creativity, and teamwork. As expected, single strengths (e.g., creativity, zest, and hope) demonstrated strong relations with facets of playfulness with its fun-variants yielding the numerically highest relations. The fun-variant of playfulness was most strongly related with emotional strengths while intellectual strengths yielded robust relations with all facets of playfulness. Strengths of restraint were negatively related with spontaneous, expressive, and silly-variants of playfulness.
Conclusions: The findings were in line with expectations and are discussed within a broader framework of research in playfulness in adults. The results indicate that playfulness in adults relates to positive psychological functioning and that more studies further illuminating the contribution of playfulness to well-being in adults are warranted.
Keywords: adult playfulness, character strengths, humor, playfulness, VIA, virtuousness
This study introduces and reports an initial test of a theoretical model of play in romantic relationships. It was hypothesized that self-esteem and humor orientation would be positively associated with playfulness in romantic relationships. Playfulness in romantic relationships was predicted to be positively associated with the experience of positive emotion. Positive emotion, in turn, was predicted to be associated with relationship satisfaction. A self-report instrument was administered to students and community members (aged 17-62 yrs) via snowball sampling. Path analysis revealed that the data were consistent with the proposed model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA )
This study sought to identify the effects of culture and sex on mate preferences using samples drawn world-wide. Thirty-seven samples were obtained from 33 countries located on six continents and five islands (N = 9,474). Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed strong effects of both culture and sex, moderated by specific mate characteristics. Chastity proved to be the mate characteristic on which cultures varied the most. The preference ordering of each sample was contrasted with an international complement. Each culture displayed a unique preference ordering, but there were some similarities among all cultures as reflected in a positive manifold of the cross-country correlation matrix. Multidimensional scaling of the cultures yielded a five dimensional solution, the first two of which were interpreted. The first dimension was interpreted as Traditional versus Modern, with China, India, Iran, and Nigeria anchoring one end and the Netherlands, Great Britain, Finland, and Sweden anchoring the other. The second dimension involved valuation of education, intelligence, and refinement. Consistent sex differences in value attached to eaming potential and physical attractiveness supported evolution-based hypotheses about the importance of resources and reproductive value in mates. Discussion emphasizes the importance of psychological mate preferences for scientific disciplines ranging from evolutionary biology to sociology.
This article proposes a contextual-evolutionary theory of human mating strategies. Both men and women are hypothesized to have evolved distinct psychological mechanisms that underlie short-term and long-term strategies. Men and women confront different adaptive problems in short-term as opposed to long-term mating contexts. Consequently, different mate preferences become activated from their strategic repertoires. Nine key hypotheses and 22 predictions from Sexual Strategies Theory are outlined and tested empirically. Adaptive problems sensitive to context include sexual accessibility, fertility assessment, commitment seeking and avoidance, immediate and enduring resource procurement, paternity certainty, assessment of mate value, and parental investment. Discussion summarizes 6 additional sources of behavioral data, outlines adaptive problems common to both sexes, and suggests additional contexts likely to cause shifts in mating strategy.
The theologian Hugo Rahner argued that the homo ludens is a man of ‘Ernstheiterkeit’ (seriouscheerfulness), a person who can smile under tears but also recognizes the gravity in all earthly cheerfulness. The primary aim of this study was to test the validity of this notion: Do homines ludentes exist? Two hundred sixty-three adult subjects were measured for (1) seriousness and cheerfulness and (2) playfulness. Results provided unequivocal support for Rahner’s thesis. Numerous subjects scored high in both seriousness and cheerfulness thus confirming the existence of homines ludentes. It was further found that these subjects were among those scoring highest in playfulness. Subjects scoring high in cheerfulness but low in seriousness were, however, even more closely associated with playfulness. The scores for homines ludentes did not differ from the rest of the subjects in the creative and dynamic facets of playfulness. The importance of developing empirical research to investigate hypotheses derived from non-scientific concepts is discussed.
Playfulness is normally associated with children and remains poorly documented in adulthood. Studies have confirmed that playfulness is present in adulthood but do not provide any information on its specific nature. An enhanced comprehension of play fulness in adulthood is needed to determine its possible use in occupational therapy intervention with an adult clientele. A qualitative study led to a conceptual definition of play fulness in adulthood. Playfulness can be defined as an internal predisposition characterized by creativity, curiosity, pleasure, sense of humor, and spontaneity. This attitude extends to all life situations and modifies how adults perceive, evaluate, and approach situations. Playfulness enables adults to distance themselves from others, from situations, and from conventions to approach situations with an open mind to find original solutions to problems, to confront difficulties, and to accept failure. Therefore, it may be an important tool in occupational therapy to develop and enhance adults' ability to perform occupations.
We develop a theory-based measure of adults' playfulness, the Adult Playfulness Scale. Five studies, conducted in laboratory and field sites with over 300 individuals, examine the psychometric properties and correlates of playfulness. As expected, playfulness relates to a set of psychological traits, including cognitive spontaneity and creativity, as well as to functional orientation and rank. No definitive relationships were found, however, between adults' playfulness and gender or age, but playfulness related positively to work outcomes, including task evaluations, perceptions, involvement, and performance, and provided more predictive efficacy than other psychological constructs studied here. Finally, the Adult Playfulness Scale demonstrates good reliability and shows promise for the study of playfulness in the workplace.
In this article, the author describes a new theoretical perspective on positive emotions and situates this new perspective within the emerging field of positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory posits that experiences of positive emotions broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires, which in turn serves to build their enduring personal resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources. Preliminary empirical evidence supporting the broaden-and-build theory is reviewed, and open empirical questions that remain to be tested are identified. The theory and findings suggest that the capacity to experience positive emotions may be a fundamental human strength central to the study of human flourishing.
The prime aim of this set of studies was to test the disposition to play (playfulness) in adults in its relation with various measures of personality but also ability (self-estimated but also psychometri-cally measured ingenuity). Study 1 (n = 180) shows that adults playfulness relates primarily to extraversion, lower conscientiousness, and higher endorsements of culture; joy of being laughed at (gelotophilia) and agreeableness were also predictive in a regression analysis; Study 2 (n = 264) shows that playfulness relates primarily to a high expectation of intrinsic and a low expectation of extrinsic goals as well as greater intrinsic and lower extrinsic importance of goals (for expressive and fun-variants of playfulness); Study 3 (n = 212) shows that playfulness relates to greater self-perception of one's degree of ingenuity and psychometric ingenuity correlated primarily with greater spontaneous and creative variants of playfulness (in about the same range for origence and fluidity of the productions). Overall, the findings were in line with the expectations and could stimulate further studies of playfulness in adults.
The overwhelming majority of play research concerns juveniles. However, a full understanding of the phenomenon requires knowledge of play and playfulness across the life spans of those animals, including humans, who play in adulthood. The authors investigate a theory of play based on Darwin's concept of sexual selection that may account for the existence of play among adult humans. The authors hypothesize that playfulness becomes a highly desired characteristic in potential long-term mates but also that the reasons for desiring playful mates differ for males and females. The authors suggest that for males, playfulness in females signals youth and, hence, fecundity; for females, playfulness in males signals nonaggressiveness. They test these hypotheses using mate-preference data.
Play in couple counseling has been proposed as an intervention, but research has not determined the effectiveness of couple play in increasing satisfaction and stability in couples. This study examined the influence of couple play on relationship factors that predict couple satisfaction and stability. The 30 couples in the study completed measures of couple play, relationship satisfaction, communication, conflict resolution, the couple’s view of the relationship, physical health, and individual emotional health. The frequency of couple play was predictive of the relationship measures, but not of individual physical or emotional health. The implications of the findings for using couple play in assessment and intervention in couples counseling are discussed.
The primary aim of this study was testing the structure of adult playfulness in a joint analysis of seventeen
questionnaires and testing the relation of the factors with the big five personality traits. A sample of 244 adults completed the questionnaires and a five factor-solution fit the data best; i.e., (a) Humorousness; (b) Cheerfulness–Uninhibitedness; (c) Expressiveness; (d) Other-directedness; and (e) Intellectuality–Creativity. Correlation analyses (bivariate, canonical) and regression analyses indicated strong overlap of the broader personality factors and the Cheerfulness–Uninhibitedness-factor (extraversion and emotional stability) as well as the Expressiveness-factor (extraversion). The study contributes towards a better understanding of the structure of playfulness in questionnaires developed for adults. Implications for future research are discussed.
Much of the play in daily life likely occurs at times or during activities other than those commonly viewed as leisure. Humor is one form of play that appears to accompany many nonleisure activities, while also being the basis for some forms of entertainment that engage people during leisure. With the use of a humor diary and mood measures, this study examined the frequency and types of humorous experiences of university students and their relationship to psychological well‐being during a day. Mass media provided the fewest playful incidents of humor, while social interaction generated the largest number. Increases in positive moods and decreases in negative moods were associated significantly with greater numbers of incidents of humor and overt laughter. It is argued that leisure researchers should give more attention to the psychology of everyday playful behaviors, such as humor, day‐dreaming, fantasy, and make‐believe.
Thirty-three clinical couples (17 sex therapy and 16 marital therapy) and fifty non-clinical couples were examined for potential differences in relationship playfulness utilizing the Couples Play Questionnaire. For clinical couples, Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Edmond's Marital Conventionalization Scale scores were also comparcd. Both sex therapy and marital therapy couples were found to be deficient in play compared to non-clinical couples, while marital therapy couples were found to be most deficient. Greater marital conventionalization scores were found for sex therapy couples suggesting that they favorably distort their self-assessmcnts. Results suggest that sex therapy couples may be the more inflexible of the three sample groups and may need therapeutic assistance with general relationship play as well as sexual play.
[describes] research on the neurochemical basis of social play, especially rough and tumble . . . play, in animals [rats] / takes issue with the views of many psychologists who have great difficulty in thinking in terms of fundamental brain mechanisms underlying specific behaviors with adaptive functions / argues that these mechanisms are phylogenetically ancient and are essentially shared by all mammals as a homology
suggests that variability can occur in the presence of a single underlying mechanism because play is filtered and channeled through the higher information processing networks in the cortex / this neuropsychological underpinning is conceptualized as a dopamine-based reward system, closely linked to (but quite possibly separate from) exploratory activity
[concludes] with the provocative idea that since play produced positive emotional states, it could be used as a reinforcer for good behavior in academic settings (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The focus of this study was to investigate the relationship between adolescent playfulness, the perception of daily stressors and the coping strategies engaged by adolescents within the context of school and leisure. A mixed method approach was used including semi-structured interviews, scales and survey questionnaires. Two hundred ninety adolescents' ages 12 to 19 participated in the study. Results suggest that playful teens are less prone to experience stress of a personal nature or in relation to their peers. Yet they were more prone to experience stress concerning their future or their parents' future. A number of contextual variations were identified. Playfulness as a personality disposition had significant predictive value pertaining to the adolescents' leisure experience, the perception of daily stressors and overall well being. No significant differences across gender or coping mechanisms (active, internal, and withdrawal) were observed. Contrary to previous assumptions, high playful and low playful teens appear to engage in very similar coping processes for very similar stressors, thus playfulness has a low predictability in terms of adolescent coping. Practical implications of this study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In this study we examined the personality and relationship correlates of the six different “styles of loving” described by Lee (1973). Eighty-eight subjects completed a battery of tests, including the Love Attitudes Questionnaire, the Personality Research Form, the Eysenck Personality Inventory, the Sensation-Seeking Scale, the Social Skills Inventory, and a questionnaire dealing with their current relationship and their relationship history. In contrast to previous research on this topic, the only loving style which showed clear gender differences was Eros, on which males scored significantly higher than females. The patterns of personality correlates for Ludus, Mania, and Pragma, on the other hand, were generally consistent with predictions derived from Lee's descriptions. In addition, the patterns for personality correlates were generally stronger and more consistent than those for relationship variables. These results are discussed in terms of both Lee's original account and also more recent research and theorizing on loving styles.
The study examines the relation between subjectively assessed adult playfulness and psychometric and self-estimated intelligence in a sample of 254 students. As expected, playfulness existed widely independently from psychometric intelligence. Correlations pointed in the direction of higher expressive playfulness and numeric intelligence and lower creative playfulness and figural intelligence. However, the size of the coefficients suggests that the results should not be over-interpreted. The same was true for self-estimates of intelligence. Those scoring lower in the total score of all self-estimates (median split) yielded higher scores in creative playfulness but those with higher self-estimates were higher in the silly-aspects of playfulness (i.e., childlike or unpredictable). Playfulness was associated with better academic performance (i.e., better grades in an exam). Also, students who described themselves as playful were more likely to do the extra reading that went beyond what was needed to pass the exam. This can be seen as first evidence of a positive relation between playfulness in adults and academic achievement. Data are interpreted within current literature and future research directions are given.Research highlights► Playfulness in adults was studied in its relation to intellectual ability. ► Adult playfulness exists widely independently from psychometric intelligence. ► Self-estimated intelligence tended to be negatively related to intelligence. ► Higher playfulness was associated with better grades in an exam. ► Adults playfulness seems to contribute positively to academic performance.
Despite huge interest in human mate choice in the last two decades, intraspecific variation in human mate preferences has received relatively little attention. We investigated individual variation in mate preferences in a group of university students (n = 292) relative to perceptions of equality and autonomy. If the constraints of societal role occupancy strongly influence sex differences in the ranking of mate preferences, then we predict that these sex differences should diminish with increasing endorsement of gender equality and autonomy. Women's mate preferences did not emulate men's with increasing endorsement of gender equality. The importance placed on bearning potentialQ in a potential mate decreased with increasing bfeministQ attitude score, however, feminist attitude was not related to the importance of bphysical attractiveness.Q Findings reflect the variation in women's mate preferences and are discussed in terms of evolved conditional strategies.
Two studies are reported on intimate play in same-sex friendships and in opposite-sex romantic relationships. In Study 1, a typology of eight play forms was derived: private verbal coding, role-playing, teasing, prosocial physical play, antisocial physical play, games, gossiping, and public performances. Study 1 also modified the Betcher PQII paper-and-pencil measure of perceived playfulness for use in nonmarital relationships, finding playfulness a strong correlate of relationship closeness. Study 2 examined the multidimensional structure of the play typology, finding three underlying dimensions for the play forms: verbal versus nonverbal, antisocial versus prosocial, and assumed-identity versus self-identity. Study 2 also examined perceptions of the functions performed by the types of play, finding differences among the eight play forms on the functions of indexing intimacy, lessening interpersonal risk, distancing self from the interaction, and conflict management.
Two studies examined expressed mate selection preferences in German and American samples. In the first study (German N=343; American N=313), subjects ranked 13 characteristics on their desirability in a potential mate. Large and consistent sex differences were predicted and found within each country on valuation of good earning capacity (females more) and physical attractiveness (males more). The largest cultural differences were found for valuation of the characteristics Good Housekeeper (Germans more) and Physical Attractiveness (Americans more). A second study (German N=751; American N=1137) was conducted to replicate and extend these results using two separate testing instruments and larger more diverse samples within each country. The basic sex differences within countries and cultural differences across sexes were robustly replicated. None the less, the two countries showed remarkable similarity in patterns of mating preferences across characteristics. Discussion emphasizes the theoretical significance of these findings and identifies important directions for future research in human mating systems.
Patterns in the data on human sexuality support the hypothesis that the bases of sexual emotions are products of natural selection. Most generally, the universal existence of laws, rules, and gossip about sex, the pervasive interest in other people's sex lives, the widespread seeking of privacy for sexual intercourse, and the secrecy that normally permeates sexual conduct imply a history of reproductive competition. More specifically, the typical differences between men and women in sexual feelings can be explained most parsimoniously as resulting from the extraordinarily different reproductive opportunities and constraints males and females normally encountered during the course of evolutionary history. Men are more likely than women to desire multiple mates; to desire a variety of sexual partners; to experience sexual jealousy of a spouse irrespective of specific circumstances; to be sexually aroused by the sight of a member of the other sex; to experience an autonomous desire for sexual intercourse; and to evaluate sexual desirability primarily on the bases of physical appearance and youth.
The evolutionary causes of human sexuality have been obscured by attempts to find harmony in natural creative processes and human social life and to view sex differences as complementary. The human female's capacity for orgasm and the loss of estrus, for example, have been persistently interpreted as marriage-maintaining adaptations. Available evidence is more consistent with the view that few sex differences in sexuality are complementary, that many aspects of sexuality undermine marriage, and that sexuality is less a unifying than a divisive force in human affairs.
This article offers an overview of the expanding field of couple therapy, focusing on what the author considers to be new and even revolutionary in this field. In terms of outcome research, this article suggests that differential treatment effects are discernable. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) appears to demonstrate the best outcomes at present. The most significant differences between research studies and everyday clinical practice may be the levels of therapist supervision rather than the essential nature of clients. The manualization of treatment is also viewed positively in this review. Areas of growth are the mapping of the territory of distress, understanding the process of change, couple therapy as an effective intervention for "individual" disorders, and the integration into couple therapy of clinical research, such as the research on gender and responses in therapy, and research on adult attachment. Practitioner-scientists can contribute to this evolving field by systematic observation and by reminding researchers of the need for clinical relevance. Couple therapy is now integrating description, prediction and explanation. As a result, theory, practice and systematic investigation are beginning to create a coherent whole.
The broaden-and-build theory describes the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment and love. A key proposition is that these positive emotions broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire: joy sparks the urge to play, interest sparks the urge to explore, contentment sparks the urge to savour and integrate, and love sparks a recurring cycle of each of these urges within safe, close relationships. The broadened mindsets arising from these positive emotions are contrasted to the narrowed mindsets sparked by many negative emotions (i.e. specific action tendencies, such as attack or flee). A second key proposition concerns the consequences of these broadened mindsets: by broadening an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire--whether through play, exploration or similar activities--positive emotions promote discovery of novel and creative actions, ideas and social bonds, which in turn build that individual's personal resources; ranging from physical and intellectual resources, to social and psychological resources. Importantly, these resources function as reserves that can be drawn on later to improve the odds of successful coping and survival. This chapter reviews the latest empirical evidence supporting the broaden-and-build theory and draws out implications the theory holds for optimizing health and well-being.
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