Sense of humour test
Tell me what you laugh at and I'll tell you who you are
Martin's four humour styles: the one that bonds (affiliative), the one that carries you (self-enhancing), the one that cuts (aggressive) and the one that makes you the target (self-defeating). The first two track with wellbeing; the last two send invoices.
Sense of humour · 4
Affiliative humour
Humour that bonds: jokes that include people and build the group.
Self-enhancing humour
Humour as your own shock absorber: laughing at the mess so it does not sink you.
Aggressive humour
Humour at other people’s expense: sarcasm, digs and targeted mockery.
Self-defeating humour
Humour at your own expense: putting yourself down to be liked or fit in.
Where this comes from
This test draws on published, peer-reviewed instruments. It is not a certified adaptation: the items are rewritten in everyday language.
- [1]Martin et al. (2003). Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48–75
The original instrument: the Humor Styles Questionnaire and its 4 styles
- [2]Schneider, Voracek & Tran (2018). Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 59(3)
Meta-analysis: which styles track with wellbeing and which with distress
- [3]Plessen et al. (2020). Personality and Individual Differences, 154, 110218
Meta-analysis: how humour styles map onto the Big Five