Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2019 Law of laughter (LOL) Yakov Smirnoff Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Smirnoff, Yakov, "Law of laughter (LOL)" (2019). Theses and Dissertations. 1086. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1086 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology LAW OF LAUGHTER (LOL) A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership by Yakov Smirnoff July, 2019 Farzin Madjidi, Ed.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Yakov Smirnoff under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: Farzin Madjidi, Ed.D., Chairperson Gabriella Miramontes, Ed.D., Co-Chair/Committee Maria Brahme, Ed.D., Co-Chair/Committee © Copyright by Yakov Smirnoff (2019) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii PRELUDE.................................................................................................................................... viii VITA ............................................................................................................................................. xii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... xviii Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 The Needs of Men and Women .......................................................................................... 2 Communication: How Men and Women Communicate .................................................... 3 Processing ............................................................................................................... 4 Structural Differences ............................................................................................. 4 Understanding Gender Differences..................................................................................... 5 Humor ................................................................................................................................. 7 Laughter, a Gauge to Happiness ......................................................................................... 8 Laughter Dies in Many Romantic Relationships .................................................... 9 No Laughter, No Intimacy Leads to Divorce........................................................ 11 Problem Statement ............................................................................................................ 11 Purpose of this Study ........................................................................................................ 12 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 13 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 13 Assumptions of the Study ................................................................................................. 14 Limitations of the Study.................................................................................................... 15 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................... 15 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 16 Chapter 2. Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 17 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 17 Needs Being Met............................................................................................................... 19 Strategies to Meet Each Other's Needs ............................................................................. 22 Recommendations for Successful Marriages and Relationships ...................................... 26 Contradicting Theory ........................................................................................................ 33 Challenges to Meeting Needs ........................................................................................... 34 Romantic Love Lasts Only a Year ........................................................................ 34 When Needs Are Not Met..................................................................................... 37 Tracking Success in Meeting Needs ................................................................................. 41 Sense of Humor................................................................................................................. 45 v Motivation in Humor ............................................................................................ 51 How Humor Functions in Relationships ............................................................... 52 The Importance of Laughter ................................................................................. 56 Shared Laughter .................................................................................................... 60 Chapter 2 Summary .......................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3. Research Design and Methodology............................................................................. 63 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 63 Re-Statement of Research Questions ................................................................................ 64 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................... 64 Methodology - Phenomenological .................................................................................... 67 Structured Process of Phenomenology ............................................................................. 68 Research Design................................................................................................................ 68 Participant Selection ......................................................................................................... 69 Human Subject Consideration .......................................................................................... 71 Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 72 Interview Protocol ............................................................................................................. 73 Relationship Between Research and Interview Questions................................................ 73 Reliability and Validity of the Study ................................................................................ 76 Statement of Limitations and Personal Bias ..................................................................... 80 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 81 Inter-Rater Reliability ....................................................................................................... 83 Chapter 3 Summary .......................................................................................................... 83 Chapter 4. Findings ....................................................................................................................... 85 Background/Introduction .................................................................................................. 85 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 85 Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 86 Participant Selection ......................................................................................................... 87 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 89 Inter-Rater Reliability ....................................................................................................... 90 Data Display...................................................................................................................... 90 Research Question 1 ........................................................................................................