Humor Styles, Cognitive Styles and Emotional Expressions- A Correlational Study

Abstract

Humor in simpler terms is understood as a way of communication using jokes and puns which all humans use to communicate. Humor may be used as satire, innocent jokes, defense expression etc. However the use of humor is different depending on the context and situation it is being used. A major factor of the style of humor usage also depends on with whom it is being used and who is using it. Each one of us has a different style of humor which is being used on a daily basis. The humor style is a way of emotional expression as well as it also depends on the cognitive abilities and style of cognition. Humor styles adopted by people are also heavily influenced by how people think and how they express their emotions. Study aimed to understand the correlation of humor style with cognitive styles and emotional expression. The study had a sample of 100 participants. The random and snowball sampling methods were employed for the sample selection. The research was done using 3 standardized questionnaires i.e. Humor Style Questionnaire by Martin & Doris, 2003; Cognitive Style Inventory by Lorna P. Martin, 1983; and Barkley Expressivity Questionnaire by Gross & John, 2000. The results drawn from the data showed a positively significant correlation between specific humor and cognitive styles as well as emotional expression