What Humor Style Do You Have?
Did you know there is a sense of humor questionnaire? It’s called the Humor Styles Questionnaire and distinguishes between four styles of humor.
- Affiliative, use of humor to amuse others and facilitate relationships
- Self enhancing, use of humor to cope with stress and maintain a humorous outlook during times of difficulty
- Aggressive, use of sarcastic, manipulative, put-down, or disparaging humor
- Self-defeating, use of humor for excessive self-disparagement, ingratiation, or defensive denial
The first two positive styles are negatively correlated with anxiety and depression and positively correlated with self-esteem, extraversion, openness and agreeableness. The last two are negatively correlated with agreeableness and conscientiousness and positively correlated with neuroticism, hostility and aggression. But aside these correlations of more importance is the question: what does one of these styles tell you about the personality of the person with this distinct style pattern?
This was researched with a big five questionnaire (international personality item pool IPIP), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the humor styles questionnaire in 318 Australian participants of which 50% consisted of under and graduate university students and the remainder were chosen from the general population.
Four clusters of people were identified consisting of those who score: (1) above average on all of the styles, or (2) below average on all of the styles, or (3) above average on the positive styles (Affiliative and Self-enhancing), and below average on the negative styles (Aggressive and Self-defeating), or (4) above average on the negative styles and below average on the positive styles
Those participants who score high on average on all 4 styles are outgoing, impulsive and open to new experiences, those below average on all of the styles are restrained, not outgoing and well focused and organized. Recognizable, those with humor and those without are easily recognizable in these findings.
Those above average on the positive humor styles and below average on the negative humor styles are well balanced, low in anxiety, and positive towards themselves and others. They mostly use more lighthearted humor content, such as satire, irony,and philosophical humor.
Those in cluster 4, above average on the negative styles and below average on the positive styles are not open to new experiences and negative towards themselves as well as others:
Such people might use humor to defend against perceived threats to their self-image. Specifically, their use of aggressive humor can devalue those who they perceive as not valuing them. This could result in humor content which is sexist, racist, or sick
This research should be replicated and also focus more on other personality factors.
Galloway, G. (2010). Individual differences in personal humor styles: Identification of prominent patterns and their associates Personality and Individual Differences DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2009.12.007
February 1, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
New Scientist’s website has just put up a feature on the neuroscience of humour: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527451.400-the-comedy-circuit-when-your-brain-gets-the-joke.html
Seems to tie in well with this study!
February 1, 2010 @ 7:24 pm
That’s interesting…I guess we should all aim for the first style. And I think that the style of humour could be approached as a social skill to be learned, practiced, or taught, instead of as a type of fixed trait. I do wish they would just put these questionnaires into the public domain, it would be more fun and useful for us all if we had full access…the questionnaire might be overly serious though.
February 2, 2010 @ 8:33 am
@david, thnx for the link, enjoyed the article. Always a good source
@GK we should educate children about humor but not in a serious way. There’s a lack on emphasis on the healing power of humor especially in medical education.
Take care both, kind regards Dr Shock
October 9, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
Very Nice blog…
July 2, 2011 @ 11:30 pm
Hello, I just wanted to drop a quick note to say I like your blog a lot. It seems like you post about fun stuff…more than I can say for many of the boring blogs I see out there! Dug this post a lot, Thanks.
July 17, 2011 @ 12:48 am
I’ve just discovered your blog — Very excellent! — via Shrink Rap’s posting of “Beards and Bow Ties.” Which I, in turn, posted to my site with a commentary. Theft: it’s a wonderful thing for the creative process! I’ve put you on my blog roll.
Re this post: I love it when my intuitive sense of things is confirmed by research! Thank you!
February 29, 2012 @ 11:34 am
Thank you a lot for giving everyone a very brilliant chance to read in detail from this web site. It is usually so amazing plus full of fun for me personally and my office acquaintances to visit your website particularly 3 times in one week to read through the new guides you will have. And indeed, I am at all times fascinated with the excellent creative ideas you give. Selected 4 ideas in this post are easily the most suitable we have all had.
September 26, 2017 @ 11:50 am
Hi, can I ask you if you already know how to score the humor style questionnaire