Introverts and Humor – Aha or Nah?
Do introverts have an edge because of their personality when it comes to humor? What the research shows.
When I came across an article claiming a relationship between introversion and having a first-rate sense of humor, I was skeptical. Of course I knew of many famous standup comedians and humorous actors who were or are introverts, including Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin and Amy Schumer. But I assumed they were outliers. In everyday life, introverts seem unlikely to attract attention and praise for being funny. After all, we’re rarely viewed as “the life of the party.”
It turns out that there’s loads of research on personality and humor. For example, psychologists have identified four styles of humor:
1. Affiliative: This type of humor entertains others and strengthen social ties. Here we see the jokesters who always crack people up at get-togethers, as well as the folks who habitually sprinkle funny stuff into their friendly small talk. According to researchers, this type of humor is significantly more characteristic of extroverts, who highly value social interaction. Supposedly such humor eases tensions and boosts the likeability of the person using it. I say “supposedly” because I tend to be the left-out person who doesn’t “get” the banter. That doesn’t prompt me to like the banterer!
2. Self-enhancing: This involves people using humor to enhance their own well-being and keep adversity at a distance. It’s humor as a coping strategy: staying upbeat by finding the lighter side of life’s challenges. For instance, someone who’s been hospitalized for a while might make jokes about the boring food or not being able to get attention from nurses. Although both introverts and extroverts use humor in this way, it’s slightly more common for extroverts.
3. Aggressive: Sarcasm, teasing, ridicule, and hurtful or manipulative humor fall into this category. It involves belittling, mocking or demeaning individuals or groups. Imagine someone saying “They should sell this guy as a cure for insomnia,” for example, after a colleague’s presentation. Extroverts are more likely to use this style of humor, as a means of asserting power, dominance or control over others.
4. Self-defeating: In this humor style, people make fun of themselves. By disparaging themselves, they try to ingratiate themselves with others, avoid conflict, deal with their own negative feelings or appear more relatable. Someone might put down their poor cooking skills by joking that they can’t even be trusted to boil water, for instance. Introverts use this type of humor more often than extroverts, perhaps from self-consciousness.
As for the question of whether humor can rightly be considered an introvert superpower, some commentators point to introverts’ observational skills, reflectiveness, writerly attention to craft and creativity. Because of our inward orientation, our sense of humor leans toward subtle dry wit rather than belly-laugh hilarity.
On the other hand, due to extroverts’ greater investment in social interaction, they have more opportunities to joke around and refine their humor. They’re also more likely to have a demeanor of cheerful animation and a habit of spontaneity, both of which enhance kidding around. And when their quips don’t land, they may not care as much as introverts would. For these reasons, I concede the humor advantage to extroverts.
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