An academic is exploring whether Scotland's obsession with dark comedy and dourness is turning into an international phenomenon.
David Manderson, from the University of the West of Scotland, has seen an increasing global interest in the topic, as other countries embrace darker films, books and television series.
The writer co-authored the book A Glass Half Full, with Scottish director Eleanor Yule on Scotland's so-called miserablist tendencies, which investigates the dark side of the Scottish psyche - from comedies to the export of Tartan Noir.
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And he believes our tendency to revel in misfortune and hardship is beginning to spread, leading him to start a new study on why the world has become so miserable.
David, a creative writing lecturer, said: "We see this side of the Scottish psyche almost every day, from comedies such as Still Game, Limmy and Rab C Nesbitt and films like Filth and Trainspotting, to our prolific Tartan Noir output from the likes of Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride and Christopher Brookmyre.
"We seem to embrace our sense of victimhood and turn that into something compelling - and it seems this is finding a larger audience almost every day.
"And it's not just here. Nordic Noir is more popular than ever.
"Hollywood's films and heroes are getting darker and it's increasingly hard for anyone who wants to have a 'cheery' drama or series commissioned for television.
"It could be argued we live in a more miserablist world than ever before."
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David was inspired to find out more about the international rise of miserablism after the unexpected popularity of A Glass Half Full.
Dealing with how stories for television and film are commissioned in Scotland, the book sparked international interest after its publication in 2013 and both authors found their inboxes flooded with requests to speak at conferences across the world.
David said: "We have been invited all over the world to talk about this; recently Finland and Germany - I've even been invited to Abu Dhabi.
"Every time we have gone to an event, you expect a room with a smattering of people, but it's always full. There's a fascination in the notion of miserablism."
David said he would "love to know" why dourness has become so popular, adding: "It may be due to religion - perhaps predominantly protestant countries lean towards miserablism more than others?
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"Perhaps wetter weather has something to do with it, which could also explain the success of Nordic Noir.
"It could simply be that we live in a world that's more, for want of a better explanation, miserable.
"Whatever the reason, it poses interesting questions about our psyche - do we actively seek to embrace negative notions? Is it good for us? Is the world 'becoming' more miserable?
"Shining a closer light on this issue may just answer these questions - and provide invaluable insight into future trends and how we, as an increasingly global community, perceive the world."
David and Eleanor take their miserablist ideas to an international convention of screenwriters in Leeds in September, with the aim of sharing Scotland's miserable outlook with the rest of the world.
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