A Sage and a Guru Walk into a Bar: Wisdom and Humor Styles

Abstract

Two studies investigated the relationship between wisdom, humor styles, comic styles, and wellbeing. In Study 1, 325 English-speaking college students completed the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) and the Humor Styles Questionnaire. As predicted, overall wisdom, as well as all five wisdom subscales, was positively correlated with adaptive humor styles. Furthermore, the SAWS humor subscale correlated positively with all humor styles, most strongly with the adaptive styles. In Study 2, 189 German-speaking university students and adults from the general population completed the SAWS, the Comic Style Markers, and measures of positive mental health (meaning in life, optimism, and resilience). The SAWS subscales and especially the humor subscale correlated positively with all comic styles, except for sarcasm. SAWS humor and the comic styles incrementally predicted three of the four mental health outcomes, and a significant interaction between SAWS humor and benevolent humor suggests that humor and wisdom are both relevant for mental health. Overall, the study extends our understanding of the complex interplay between different aspects of wisdom and different humor-related styles as well as their relevance for mental health.