Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) Test

Understand how you use humor to connect, cope, or clash in just 6 minutes. 32 quick items reveal four humor styles with clear, actionable insights for relationships and resilience.

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Questions: 326 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

23,302 views

2,698 completions

2,365 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

26/56

Self-Defeating Humor (SDH)

Measures how often a person uses self-deprecating jokes to gain others’ approval, sometimes at the expense of self-respect.

Low

Moderate

High

8 – 18: Low | 19 – 39: Moderate | 40 – 56: High

A score of 26 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting you sometimes use self-deprecating humor to fit in or ease social situations, but it is not a dominant style.

example score

26/56

Aggressive Humor (AH)

Measures how often a person uses sarcasm, ridicule, or teasing that can assert dominance or manipulate others in social interactions.

Low

Moderate

High

8 – 23: Low | 24 – 42: Moderate | 43 – 56: High

A score of 26 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting occasional use of sarcastic or teasing humor that may sometimes be felt as sharp or confrontational by others.

example score

29/56

Self-Enhancing Humor (SEH)

Measures how often a person uses humor to stay optimistic and regulate emotions when facing stress or difficulties.

Low

Moderate

High

8 – 25: Low | 26 – 44: Moderate | 45 – 56: High

A score of 29 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting you sometimes use humor to maintain a positive outlook and cope with stress, though it may not be your most consistent strategy.

example score

26/56

Affiliative Humor (AH)

Measures how often a person uses warm, inclusive humor to build rapport, ease social interaction, and strengthen relationships.

Low

Moderate

High

8 – 28: Low | 29 – 46: Moderate | 47 – 56: High

A score of 26 falls in the Low range, suggesting affiliative humor is used less frequently than average for creating a friendly, bonding atmosphere.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Relationship and communication improvers

41%OF USERS

People who want to understand how their jokes affect closeness, conflict, and everyday conversations with partners, friends, or family.

Stress coping and resilience seekers

34%OF USERS

Those using humor to get through tough periods and who want to see whether their style supports well-being or masks problems.

Psychologists, coaches, and trainers

25%OF USERS

Professionals who use the results to tailor counseling, team training, or personal development work around adaptive and risky humor habits.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Self-deprecating humor (Sh)

Average

43.4

Normal range

36.5 — 50.3

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Aggressive humor (Ah)

Average

38.2

Normal range

31.8 — 44.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Self-Supporting Humor (SH)

Average

41.5

Normal range

34.7 — 48.4

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Affiliative humor (Ah)

Average

35.8

Normal range

27.6 — 44.1

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures four common humor styles: affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating. Results describe typical ways humor is used in social interaction and coping.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

It includes 32 statements and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete.

How should responses be selected?

Each statement is rated by how often it applies, using the provided response scale. Choose the option that best reflects usual behavior rather than a single recent event.

How are the results interpreted?

Scores are reported separately for each style and can be compared to identify higher and lower tendencies. The scores indicate preference patterns and are not clinical diagnoses.

Who can use the results and for what purposes?

Results can support psychological assessment, counseling, coaching, and training by clarifying interpersonal humor patterns. They can guide work that strengthens adaptive styles and reduces problematic styles.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Martin's Humor Styles Questionnaire, HSQ Test

Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

sense of humor communication style

The measure assesses individual differences in the ways people typically use humor in daily interactions and coping. The Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) is designed to characterize humor-related tendencies that may be adaptive or maladaptive in interpersonal and emotional functioning.

It is a self-report inventory of 32 items and takes about 6 minutes to complete. Respondents rate how well statements describe their usual humor-related behaviors, yielding scores across distinct humor styles that can be considered in case formulation and treatment planning.

In clinical and counseling contexts, the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) may help clarify patterns linked to rapport building, emotion regulation, and potential interpersonal strain, and can support discussion of strengths and targets for change when interpreted alongside other assessment data.

Author: rod-a-martin

Literature: Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. 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.

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