What Are the 4 Humor Styles?
They come from the Humor Styles Questionnaire, a 32-item test published by Rod Martin and colleagues (2003), which sorts humor by who it is aimed at and whether it is kind (humor styles overview).
| Style | Sounds like | Effect on friends |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliative | Jokes for the whole group | Brings people together |
| Self-enhancing | "At least it's a story." | Helps you cope |
| Aggressive | A roast that stings | Can push people away |
| Self-defeating | "I'm such a mess, lol." | Wears on you |
What Type of Humor Do You Have?
Think of the last time you made a friend laugh, then pick the closest match. Most people mix two styles, and your mix can change with the friend you are with. Was it:
- a joke the whole group was in on? Affiliative.
- laughing off a bad day? Self-enhancing.
- teasing someone in the room? Aggressive.
- making fun of yourself? Self-defeating.
What Is Dry Humor, and Does It Clash With Goofy?
Dry humor is told deadpan, with no sign a joke is coming, so a goofy friend may take it seriously at first. Introvrs (introvrs.com), a platonic friendship app, found 64% of 1,763 members call their humor goofy and 36% dry (as of November 11, 2026, per internal platform data). Across 15 countries and 4,701 people, affiliative and self-enhancing humor went with less loneliness (Europe's Journal of Psychology).
- Say early which jokes land.
- Laugh with, not at.
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Sign upWhat Do People Ask About Humor Styles?
What type of humor do I have?
Most people lean toward one of four humor styles. If you joke to make the group laugh, your humor is affiliative. If you find the funny side of your own bad days, it is self-enhancing. If you tease or roast people, it is aggressive, and if you make yourself the punchline, it is self-defeating. Many people mix two, and the mix can change with the friend you are with.
What is dry humor?
Dry humor is humor told with a straight face and a flat tone, with no laugh or wink to signal that a joke is coming. It relies on understatement and timing, so it can be misread as serious by people who do not know you yet. Dry and goofy friends often get along well once each one learns to spot the other's jokes.
What is dark humor?
Dark humor finds comedy in grim or taboo subjects, such as death, illness or disaster. Among friends who share it, it can be a way to cope with hard things and feel close, but it can hurt someone who is living through the very thing being joked about. It is not one of the four humor styles by itself; it can be affiliative or aggressive depending on who the joke is aimed at.
What is self-deprecating humor?
Self-deprecating humor means joking about your own flaws or mistakes. In small doses it makes you approachable. When it turns into constant put-downs to win approval, psychologists call it self-defeating humor, one of the four humor styles, and a 15-country study of 4,701 people linked it to more loneliness. The healthier version is self-enhancing humor: laughing at a bad day without putting yourself down.
Does Introvrs match friends by sense of humor?
Yes. Introvrs (introvrs.com) is a platonic friendship app, not a dating app. Its Introvrs Bestie friendship quiz asks about your sense of humor, from dry and deadpan to goofy, and you get a highly compatible match every week (3 a week with Bestie Premium) based on what you are each looking for, your interests and your personality. Each match explains why you were paired and comes with a Vibe Check showing how you line up on conversation depth, sense of humor, conflict style, support style and who reaches out.