Humour styles (HSQ)

The four ways you use humour — to connect, to cope, to tease, or at your own expense — from the research-validated Humor Styles Questionnaire.

The Humor Styles Questionnaire (Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray & Weir, 2003) is a validated, widely used measure of how people use humour in everyday life. It distinguishes four independent styles along two axes — whether the humour is benign or potentially harmful, and whether it is aimed at the self or at others: affiliative and self-enhancing (the benign styles) and aggressive and self-defeating (the potentially harmful ones). You are scored on all four at once rather than sorted into one type, and researchers tend to link the benign styles to greater wellbeing. This is a descriptive self-report of habits, not a diagnosis or a verdict on your character. (Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray & Weir, 2003))

Dimensions

Affiliative humour (I rarely use humour to connect – I often joke to bring people together) — Affiliative humour is the easy, good-natured wit you use to amuse others, ease tension and strengthen bonds — bantering, telling jokes, laughing along. Leaning high means humour is one of your main ways of connecting with people; leaning low means you bond in other ways. This is the benign, other-directed style, and researchers tie it to social ease and wellbeing.
Self-enhancing humour (I rarely find the funny side under stress – I use humour to keep perspective) — Self-enhancing humour is the knack for keeping a humorous outlook on life and using it to cope — finding the funny side of your own troubles and staying amused when things go wrong. Leaning high means humour helps you regulate stress and keep perspective; leaning low means you lean on other coping tools. This is the benign, self-directed style, which researchers associate with resilience.
Aggressive humour (My jokes are rarely at others' expense – I often tease, mock or use sarcasm) — Aggressive humour is wit used to criticise, tease or put others down — sarcasm, ridicule, mockery and jokes at someone's expense. Leaning high means a sharper, more pointed edge to your humour; leaning low means you steer clear of laughs that land on other people. Researchers note this style can strain relationships — describing a habit, not judging the person.
Self-defeating humour (I rarely put myself down for laughs – I often make myself the butt of the joke) — Self-defeating humour is amusing others by excessively disparaging yourself — going along with being the butt of the joke and using self-mockery to win approval or deflect. Leaning high means a habit of getting laughs at your own expense; leaning low means your humour rarely runs yourself down. Researchers link heavy use to lower wellbeing — a descriptive pattern, not a verdict.

Humour styles (HSQ)

Dimensions

References

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