Birds of a feather laugh together: An investigation of humour style similarity in married couples

Abstract

The present research investigated the degree of similarity in humour styles between spouses as assessed with the Humour Styles Questionnaire (HSQ). Furthermore, self-esteem was investigated as a potential moderator of partner humour style similarity. A sample of 116 heterosexual, married couples independently completed questionnaires assessing self-reported humour styles across the 32 item HSQ, as well as global self-esteem. Results indicated that there is significant positive association between the humour styles of married partners. This association was moderated by individual self-esteem. Specifically, participants with high self-esteem were found to have greater humour style similarity with their partners. Similarity was also greater for positive compared to negative types of humour. Implications for the use of dyadic data in investigating the roles of humour within couples are discussed.

The upsides and downsides of high self-control: Evidence for effects of similarity and situation dependency

“…One of the main predictors of whether a person likes another person is similarity ( Byrne & Nelson, 1965 ). The so-called similarity hypothesis has received a lot of support with regard to personality traits such as optimism in romantic relationships ( Böhm, Schütz, Rentzsch, Körner, & Funke, 2010 ), personality and physical attractiveness in roommate relationships ( Carli, Ganley, & Pierce-Otay, 1991 ), humor style in married couples ( Hahn & Campbell, 2016 ), gender-role self-concept and selection of dating partners ( Morell, Twillman, & Sullaway, 1989 ), socially undesirable traits such as Machiavellianism ( Ináncsi, Láng, & Bereczkei, 2016 ), and same-sex friendships regardless of duration or closeness ( Morry, 2005 ). The meta-analytic effect of interpersonal attraction and perceived similarity was estimated to be r = .39 ( Montoya, Horton, & Kirchner, 2008 ).…”

A Study on the Comparison of Kyrgyz and Turkish University Students in Terms of Anger Expression Styles, Humor and Obedience

“…In another study, which examined the relationship between humor types and the quality of the relationships among married and divorced individuals [54], it was found that the satisfaction obtained from marriage was high in individuals with similar humor types and that using the participatory and self-progressive humor was low among the divorced couples. Hahn and Campbell [55] found that there were significant similarities between humor types of individuals who had happy marriages. In the same study, it was found that the similarity between the humor types of couples who had high ego respect was higher [55].…”

“…Hahn and Campbell [55] found that there were significant similarities between humor types of individuals who had happy marriages. In the same study, it was found that the similarity between the humor types of couples who had high ego respect was higher [55].…”

Psychological investigations of humor and laughter: Honoring the research contributions of Professor Rod Martin: Opening Comments

“…Other novel aspects of humor styles examined in the current set of studies include: (7) the degree of similarity in humor styles between spouses ( Hahn & Campbell, 2016 , this issue), (8) childrens’ understanding of self-evaluative and self-defeating humor styles ( James & Fox, 2016 , this issue), and (9) adaptations of the Humor Styles Questionnaire for use with German speaking populations ( Ruch & Heintz, 2016 , this issue).…”