HUMOR MEASUREMENT

Some of the most recent trait-oriented, self-report instruments for measuring humor are briefly described. Assessment tools can be classified according to their primary measurement objective: Sense of humor, humor creation and/or humor appreciation, humor coping, and humor styles. Most instruments measure a global sense of humor that is the degree to which individuals tend to laugh, smile, create and express humor in their lives. Some instruments treat humor as a uniform construct, whereas others assess different components of humor. Few humor measurement tools address the potentially negative uses of humor, and different humor styles are measured by two instruments only. Researchers can choose a variety of tools to measure self-reported humor with acceptable psychometric properties. Instrument choice should be guided by consideration of the aim of the study and the operationalization adopted for humor.