To Brag Or Not To Brag? Research Says You Can

Bragging isn't always narcissistic if you know how to do it right. Here's how to work on your 'humorbragging' routine to heighten your hireability.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | January 30, 2024

A new study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin explored the effects of "humorbragging"–a playful way to showcase one's accomplishments, strengths or abilities through humor or wit, often making them more relatable and entertaining for the listener.

Researchers suggest that humorbragging cleverly blends self-promotion with appropriate humor that resolves the paradox of self-promotion. This paradox occurs when an individual, such as a job candidate or an entrepreneur making a pitch to their investors, seeks to highlight their abilities with confidence, without appearing conceited or unlikable.

The study found that compared to solely self-promoting, humorbragging could increase one's hiring potential, improve job prospects and enhance their reputation.

How Humorbragging Makes You Hirable

The study found that a resume that incorporated humorbragging was more attractive to potential employers and also boosted entrepreneur's chances of securing funding for their businesses compared to other kinds of humor.

Researchers suggest that this is because humorbragging makes use of self-enhancing humor, which they define as "a type of humor that involves making jokes or funny remarks that draw attention to one's own positive qualities, achievements or abilities. It is often used as a social tool to subtly boost one's image or standing in the eyes of others while also entertaining them."

Self-enhancing humor makes a candidate appear simultaneously more warm, approachable and competent in the eyes of prospective employers. Most individuals may be wary of using such humor due to fears of undermining the seriousness of the situation and it is true that one must exercise caution and not overuse it. However, individuals in evaluative scenarios often prioritize projecting their competence over a sense of warmth, when both are essential to leaving a favorable impression on others.

Research shows that people prefer to associate with and help those who are warm and sociable. Humor signals warmth, diffusing the intensity of an evaluative situation. Further, the benign violation theory of humor implies that the use of humor in such situations is a subtle violation of social norms that projects power, intelligence and confidence which increases perceptions of competence.

How To Hack The Humorbrag

Researchers suggest that humorous comments can either be centered around oneself or others and used to either uplift or disparage the subject of the joke. Compared to any other style of humor, humorbragging elicits the best first impressions. Here are two ways to use humorbgragging correctly:

• Make yourself the target. Researchers assert that humor that is directed towards others can undermine the point of self-promotion by shifting the focus from oneself. In an evaluative scenario, it is best to keep the narrative centered on oneself to better highlight one's accomplishments. Using humor to bring others down also signals to an employer flaws in one's ability to function cohesively in a team.
• Self-enhance instead of self-diminishing. Even when the focus is on oneself, it is important not to minimize one's accomplishments in the attempt to appear humble or relatable. Humorbragging leads to successful outcomes only when humor is truly self-enhancing. On the opposite end, self-deprecating humor may create perceptions of warmth or humility but compromises impressions of one's competence and confidence, which are crucial for effective self-promotion.

Researchers also suggest using humorbragging in the "career objective" or introduction portion of one's resume. In the study, they used the following prompt which significantly raised interest in an applicant, compared to a more "matter-of-fact" use of self-promotion: "I am a driven sales representative who is detail-oriented and passionate about serving your company's goals. I have a proven track record of turning caffeine input into productivity output. The more coffee you can provide, the more output I will produce."

This approach imbues the situation with lightness while highlighting the applicant's abilities. It raises perceptions of the applicant's warmth and competence right off the bat.

Conclusion

Humorbragging allows individuals to skillfully intertwine self-enhancing humor with self-promotion. The strategic use of humorbragging necessitates determining contextual appropriateness. If used with intention, it serves as an opportunity to showcase the engaging personality behind one's accomplishments. So, while self-promotion in itself may suffice, your sense of humor can be a highly valuable asset in creating a compelling first impression.

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.