Self‐Ratings, Partner Perceptions, and Ideal Partner Preferences of Gelotophobia, Gelotophilia, and Katagelasticism in Couples: Congruence and Associations With Relationship Satisfaction

OBJECTIVE: How people deal with ridicule and being laughed at plays a role for romantic relationships. Gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (joy in being laughed at), and katagelasticism (joy in laughing at others) describe individual differences in dealing with laughter. We studied how differential perceptions among partners' traits and their profiles converge to address the description and effects of congruence. METHOD: We collected data from 286 opposite-gender couples (relationship duration: M = 6.8 years), who provided self- and partner ratings and ideal partner preferences for these laughter-related dispositions. We analyzed the congruence between different types of perceptions of the laughter-related dispositions and whether this congruence was associated with relationship satisfaction. We computed profile-based congruence analyses and conducted supplementary Dyadic Response Surface Analyses. RESULTS: We found that perceptions are interdependent within and between partners and that profile congruence between partner perceptions and ideal partner preferences is associated with greater relationship satisfaction above and beyond actor, partner, and stereotype effects. CONCLUSION: Self-, partner-, and ideal partner perceptions are differentially interrelated and congruence in their distinctive profiles relates to couples' satisfaction. We discuss the findings from the perspective of the Ideal Standards Model and encourage further research on perceptions less across traits.