Investigating individual differences in humor has become a popular topic for personality research. Three approaches to humor-related styles were proposed in the literature, namely Craik, Lampert, and ...Nelson's (1996) five bipolar styles of humorous conduct, Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, and Weir's (2003) four humor styles, and Ruch, Heintz, Platt, Wagner, and Proyer (2018) eight comic styles. The present study aims to determine how many styles can be empirically distinguished by comparing the Humor Styles Questionnaire (Martin et al., 2003) and the Comic Style Markers (Ruch, Heintz et al., 2018) in a sample of 570 German-speaking adults. The findings showed redundancies among three scales, namely the affiliative, self-enhancing, and aggressive humor styles and the comic styles fun, benevolent humor, and sarcasm. One humor style (self-defeating) and five comic styles (nonsense, wit, irony, satire, and cynicism) were distinguishable between the two measures. Thus, these findings suggest that at least nine styles should be distinguished. Eventually, developing a comprehensive model and valid measures of individual differences in humor in cumulative research programs is needed to understand how humor unfolds in our everyday lives and how it can be applied effectively in interventions.
•Investigates the relationships between 4 humor styles and 8 comic styles•Results in a list of nine distinguishable humor-related styles•Redundancies among affiliative/fun, self-enhancing/benevolent, aggressive/sarcasm•Guides future research (e.g., models) and applications (e.g., trainings) of humor
An earlier review (Schneider et al.,
2018
) examined the connection between humor styles and mental health. The present article supplements and extends Schneider et al.'s review by surveying a ...broader concept, subjective well-being (SWB), and investigating the moderating effects of culture and age. To this end, we collected data from 85 studies, with 27,562 participants of varying ages and cultures. Meta-analysis results indicate that affiliative and self-enhancing humor enhances SWB, whereas aggressive and self-defeating humor damages SWB. Culture and age do not moderate the relation between humor styles and SWB. We discuss implications for better understanding of the relationships among culture, age, humor, and SWB.
The aim of this study is to investigate relations between humor styles and Alternative Five-Factor Model of personality traits and to explain relations between personality and humor style on the ...basis of the idea of individual differences in optimal cortical arousal. Participants (N = 253) completed Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Auja Personality Questionnaire-Short Form and the Humor Style Questionnaire. Sensation Seeking was identified as a principal personality variable that correlated significantly with each humor style. Affiliative (0.57) and self-enhancing humor styles (0.47) both correlated strongly with Extraversion. A lower positive correlation was found between the aggressive humor style and Aggressiveness (0.22). Self-defeating humor style correlated positively with Neuroticism (0.33). Multiple regression analysis showed a good predictive power of alternative five personality traits for all humor styles. Factor analysis found both benign humor styles located in the Extraversion, self-defeating style in the Neuroticism and aggressive style in the Sensation Seeking factor.
In general, the results suggest that cortical arousal might be an underlying variable common for each of the four humor styles. It can be concluded that the AFFM could be a useful framework for understanding the nature of humor styles.
The present set of studies employs two cognitive interviewing techniques (thinking aloud and online cognitive probing) of the scale assessing the self-defeating humor style, aiming at delineating the ...role that self-defeating humor plays in self-esteem and emotions. The self-defeating humor style comprises humor to enhance one’s relationships with others at the expense of oneself, and has often been related to lower well-being. The analyses are based on 392 item responses of a typical sample (Study 1) and 104 item responses of high scorers on the self-defeating scale (Study 2). Content analyses revealed that higher scores on the self-defeating scale went along with humor (Study 1), with higher state self-esteem, with an improvement of one’s interpersonal relationships, and with more facial displays of positive emotions (Study 2). Additionally, the more humor was entailed in the item responses, the higher the state self-esteem and the improvement of relationships was and the more positive emotion words were employed. Thus, the humor entailed in the self-defeating humor style seemed rather beneficial both for oneself and others. These findings call for a reevaluation of past findings with this humor style and provide opportunities for future research and applications of humor interventions to improve well-being.
The recently-developed Dual Self-Directed Humor Scale (DSDHS) is the first instrument for measuring individual differences between two dimensions of self-directed humor (SDH): negative (deleterious ...SDH) and positive (benign SDH). Thus far, the DSDHS has shown high validity and reliability. However, further validation of the underlying causal relationship between SDH and well-being is required. This study estimated the causal relationship between SDH and several well-being indicators via a two-wave, three-month interval, longitudinal dataset of college students (N = 453). A cross-lagged panel analysis showed that deleterious SDH predicted increased depression over time, while benign SDH predicted decreased depression and anxiety. There was also a two-way causal relationship, with anxiety decreasing benign SDH. These results enhance our understanding of the relationship between SDH and well-being.
•This study collected longitudinal data on self-directed humor (SDH) and well-being.•The analysis was performed via cross-lagged panel model.•Deleterious self-directed humor predicted an increase in depression over time.•Benign self-directed humor led to a decrease in depression and anxiety over time.
While people value a good sense of humor in their potential romantic partners, we know comparatively less about the function of humor in long-term relationships. Using the survey method, we measured ...the production, appreciation, and quality of humor along with humor styles and dyadic adjustment in long-term relationships among 149 heterosexual couples. Men produced more jokes than women, but the sexes responded to their partners' jokes at the same frequency. Men also rated their jokes as funnier than the jokes of their partners. Partners were matched in aggressive and self-defeating humor styles. Laughing and humor quality ratings as well as humor styles had effects for men's and women's dyadic adjustment. We conclude that in long-term, romantic relationships, a sense of humor is part of the mechanisms involved in building relationships.
•In long-term relationships, men produce more jokes than women.•Men rate their jokes as funnier than the jokes of their partners.•Men use more aggressive and self-enhancing humor styles than women.•Aggressive and self-defeating humor correlate between members of the couple.•Joking, laughing, humor ratings and humor styles had effects for dyadic adjustment.
This research investigated the relationships of the Dark Triad traits, humor styles, and schadenfreude with 169 participants who completed the Short Dark Triad, the Humor Style Questionnaire, and a ...measure of schadenfreude. Significant correlations imply that those with salient dark traits (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism) elicit pleasure from others' misfortune. Additionally, schadenfreude can be a product of self‐defeating and aggressive humor styles. Indirect effect analysis revealed the significance of the indirect effect of the measured aggressive humor style on the Dark Triad's direct effects on schadenfreude. These results imply that those with salient Dark Triad traits enjoy others' misery as a means to undermine them. Hence, individuals with salient Dark Triad traits tend to engage in downward social comparison.
Previous relationships between Dark Triad and Humor styles are theoretically difficult to interpret since Dark Triad traits present general and specific sources of variance. In the present study, we ...used structural equation modelling techniques to allow us to separate the two sources and detect which source of variance of Dark Triad plays the main role in the relationship observed with Humor styles. Similarly, it was tested if relationships among measures of Self-esteem and Humor styles are replicated at structural level. Moreover, the vast majority of previous studies have been conducted with university samples, which represents a limitation. Hence, a series of bi-factor models to test the relationship between Dark Triad and Humor styles and structural models for Self-esteem and Humor styles were fitted on a community sample of 987 Spanish people. Results suggest that the common variance of the Dark Triad traits was mainly responsible for the reported relationships with Humor styles. It is noteworthy that relations reported for Aggressive and Self-defeating humor styles were higher than those observed in previous studies. Similarly, a higher correlation between Self-esteem and Self-defeating was observed at the structural level. Futures studies are suggested to better establish the psychological reasons behind these relationships.
Self concept is an experiential formation gained as a result of certain experiences. The concept of self-concept has an interesting intersection with the psychological field of humour. The aim of the ...study is to examine the relationship between the humor styles and self-perceptions of primary school 4th grade students and to conduct the validity-reliability study of the humor styles measurement tool. The study group of the research was carried out with 525 students attending the 4th grade of primary school. “Humor Styles Questionnaire for Young Children” (HSQ-Y) and “Self-Perception Profile for Children” (CIBAP) were used as data collection tools. In the analysis of the research, first of all, the validity-reliability study of the humor styles questionnaire was conducted and the correlational scanning method of the general scanning model was used to examine the relationship between humor styles and self-perceptions of primary school students. In the results of the research; The humor styles questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable. In the relationship between; The sub-dimension of the humor styles questionnaire reveals the positive and significant relationship of the "participatory humor style" with all the sub-dimensions of the self-perception profile for children, and the "self-enhancing humor style" with the sub-dimension of "social acceptance". In the study, it was also observed that "aggressive humor style" was negatively related to "educational competence", "behavioral management", "social acceptance" "general self-worth" sub-dimensions, and "self-destructive humor style" was negatively related to "athletic competence" sub-dimensions.
Self concept is an experiential formation gained as a result of certain experiences. The concept of self-concept has an interesting intersection with the psychological field of humour. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between the humor styles and self-perceptions of primary school 4th grade students and to conduct the validity-reliability study of the humor styles measurement tool. The study group of the research was carried out with 525 students attending the 4th grade of primary school. “Humor Styles Questionnaire for Young Children” (HSQ-Y) and “Self-Perception Profile for Children” (CIBAP) were used as data collection tools. In the analysis of the research, first of all, the validity-reliability study of the humor styles questionnaire was conducted and the correlational scanning method of the general scanning model was used to examine the relationship between humor styles and self-perceptions of primary school students. In the results of the research; The humor styles questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable. In the relationship between; The sub-dimension of the humor styles questionnaire reveals the positive and significant relationship of the "participatory humor style" with all the sub-dimensions of the self-perception profile for children, and the "self-enhancing humor style" with the sub-dimension of "social acceptance". In the study, it was also observed that "aggressive humor style" was negatively related to "educational competence", "behavioral management", "social acceptance" "general self-worth" sub-dimensions, and "self-destructive humor style" was negatively related to "athletic competence" sub-dimensions.
Although psychological humor research has expanded in the last decades, the humor behaviors that people show in their everyday lives are still poorly understood. To fill this gap, this diary study ...explores the dimensionality of 45 daily humor behaviors and their relationships with the Big Five personality traits and subjective well-being. Furthermore, the humor behaviors were utilized to investigate the criterion validity of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. A hierarchical factor analysis of the humor behaviors (N=123) revealed seven dimensions: Cheerful, witty, deriding, amused, sarcastic, self-directed, and canned. These humor behavior dimensions correlated with emotional stability, extraversion, lower agreeableness, and culture/openness. Also cheerful, amused, and self-directed humor behaviors correlated positively with subjective well-being, even when personality and the humor styles were controlled for. The criterion correlations of the humor styles to their constituting humor behaviors were medium to large for affiliative and self-enhancing, and small to medium for aggressive and self-defeating. Overall, investigating humor behaviors seems a promising venue for future research and applications of individual differences in humor.
•Finds seven underlying dimensions in a diverse set of 45 daily humor behaviors•The humor behavior dimensions correlated with 4 of the Big Five personality traits.•Several humor behavior dimensions positively correlated with subjective well-being.•This effect was stable even when personality and humor styles were controlled for.•Criterion validity in terms of humor was supported for two of the four humor styles.
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