Autism-spectrum traits predict humor styles in the general population
-
Kimmo Eriksson
Kimmo Eriksson is a professor of mathematics at Mälardalen University and a guest professor at the Stockholm University Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution. While a fan of humor, his main research interest is processes of cultural change.
Abstract
Previous research shows that individuals with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism tend to have impaired processing of humor and laugh at things that are not commonly found funny. Here the relationship between humor styles and the broader autism phenotype was investigated in a sample of the general population. The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) and the humor styles questionnaire (HSQ) were administered to six hundred US participants recruited through an Internet-based service. On the whole, high scores on AQ were negatively related to positive humor styles and unrelated to negative humor styles. However, AQ subscales representing different autism-spectrum traits exhibited different patterns. In particular, the factor “poor mind-reading” was associated with higher scores on negative humor styles and the factor “attention to detail” was associated with higher scores on all humor styles, suggesting a more nuanced picture of the relationship between autism-spectrum traits and humor.
About the author
Kimmo Eriksson is a professor of mathematics at Mälardalen University and a guest professor at the Stockholm University Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution. While a fan of humor, his main research interest is processes of cultural change.
©[2013] by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Humor(lessness) elucidated – Sense of humor in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Review and Introduction
- Humor preference and the Autism Quotient in an undergraduate sample
- From Ice Age to Madagascar: Appreciation of slapstick humor in children with Asperger's syndrome
- Seven decades after Hans Asperger's observations: A comprehensive study of humor in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Autism-spectrum traits predict humor styles in the general population
- Humor as character strength and its relation to life satisfaction and happiness in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Humor(lessness) elucidated – Sense of humor in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Review and Introduction
- Humor preference and the Autism Quotient in an undergraduate sample
- From Ice Age to Madagascar: Appreciation of slapstick humor in children with Asperger's syndrome
- Seven decades after Hans Asperger's observations: A comprehensive study of humor in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Autism-spectrum traits predict humor styles in the general population
- Humor as character strength and its relation to life satisfaction and happiness in Autism Spectrum Disorders
