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Self-Defeating Humor Style Scale

Do you always make yourself the punchline of your jokes? Discover if you have a 'self-defeating humor style' and if it's time to embrace a more self-affirming comedic routine.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

January 8, 2024

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Of all the existing senses of humor, self-defeating humor stands as a distinct humor style, characterized by self-deprecation and irony. This style involves making oneself the butt of the joke, using humor as a shield to mask underlying insecurities or negative feelings. It's a nuanced form of wit that may elicit laughter, but can also raise questions about the emotional well-being of the comedian. Self-defeating humor is a reflection of the interplay between comedy and self-perception, where the laughter often comes with a touch of vulnerability.

Identifying your self-defeating humor style aids in recognizing the potential impact of humor on your emotional landscape. While self-deprecating jokes can provide momentary amusement, they may also hint at underlying feelings of inadequacy or a need for external validation. Acknowledging and understanding self-defeating humor is a crucial step in navigating one's emotional well-being and fostering a more constructive relationship with humor.

The Humor Style Questionnaire navigates the depths of self-defeating humor and its three counterparts: self-enhancing, affiliative and aggressive humor. This engaging questionnaire acts as a tool for self-discovery, offering valuable insights into how our sense of humor shapes the way we perceive ourselves, others and life. By delving into the questionnaire, individuals gain awareness of their self-defeating humor tendencies, opening the door to a more self-compassionate and thoughtful approach to comedy.

You can take this test here. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, (2003)37. 48-75. doi:S0092-6566(02)00534-2

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. I let people laugh at me or make fun at my expense more than I should.

2. I will often get carried away in putting myself down if it makes my family or friends laugh.

3. I often try to make people like or accept me more by saying something funny about my own weaknesses, blunders or faults.

4. I often say funny things to put myself down.

5. I often go overboard in putting myself down when I am making jokes or trying to be funny.

6. When I am with friends or family, I often seem to be the one that other people make fun of or joke about.

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Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.