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Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ)3

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

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

26,254 views

3,008 completions

2,572 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

People express and perceive humor in different ways. Below is a list of statements describing various ways of expressing humor. Please read each statement carefully and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with it using a seven-point scale.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Slightly disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Slightly agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 32 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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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.