Humor Styles, Social Competence and Loneliness: A Study among 337 Youngsters in Hong Kong and Hangzhou

Abstract

In this study, associations among humor styles, social competence and loneliness were examined among a sample of 159 youngsters (72 males, 87 females) in Hong Kong and 178 youngsters in Hangzhou (74 males, 104 females). The sampled youngsters completed a questionnaire consisting of the Humor Styles Questionnaire (Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, & Weir, 2003), the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (Buhrmester, Furman, Wittenberg, & Reis, 1988), and the Emotional and Social Loneliness Scales (Wittenberg, 1986). The results showed that youngsters in Hong Kong used more maladaptive humor styles and less adaptive humor styles than did their counterparts in Hangzhou. In regard to gender, males used more maladaptive humor styles than did females. Adaptive styles of humor were positively associated with social competence and were negatively associated with loneliness, while maladaptive styles of humor were negatively associated with social competence and were positively associated with loneliness. Use of affiliative and self-defeating styles partially mediated the relationship between social competence and loneliness. Self-defeating humor served as a moderator to the effect of social competence on loneliness. Implications of these findings for future research are noted.