Scientists have identified 4 types of humor - here's how to find out which one you are
- Four main styles of humor were identified by psychologist Rod Martin in 2003.
- They include affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating humor.
- You can find out which style of you lean toward by taking the Humor Styles Questionnaire.
Humor varies greatly from person to person, and what one person finds funny won't necessarily appeal to someone else.
Psychologist Rod Martin took a stab at quantifying humor, and in 2003 he identified what he called the four broad styles of humor:
- affiliative
- self-enhancing
- aggressive
- self-defeating
Martin broke down each style in the Journal of Research in Personality. Affiliative humor, he said, is used "to enhance one's relationships with others," and involves engaging in banter and cracking jokes with friends. Self-enhancing humor involves making yourself feel better by finding humor in your situation. Aggressive humor is marked by sarcasm, teasing, and ridicule, and self-defeating humor involves putting yourself down to gain approval from others.
Virtually everyone's sense of humor is a blend of different humor styles, but many people tend to lean in one direction, Martin said.
If you're curious about which style of humor you have, you're in luck. Along with his findings, Martin published a questionnaire that is available to take online at The Cut.
The questionnaire asks you to rate on a scale from 1 to 5 how much you agree with statements like "I often go overboard in putting myself down when I am making jokes or trying to be funny" and "If I am feeling sad or upset, I usually lose my sense of humor."
Each style of humor has its advantages and disadvantages and can reveal a lot about the individual. Affiliative and self-enhancing humor are both linked to extroversion, for example, while self-defeating humor is linked to neuroticism. But every type of humor, even aggressive humor, has its place, Martin said.
"It's really the way we use humor that is most important," he said. "Not so much how funny you are, but how you use humor in advancing relationships or in detrimental ways."
Regardless of your specific humor style, the benefits of having a sense of humor are clear. Studies have shown funny people are rated more attractive and that humor boosts perceptions of confidence and status. And humor between romantic partners is critical in building a lasting relationship, one researcher found.