The Impact of Humor Styles on Perceived Stress Among Young Adults in Pakistan
Humor and Stress
Keywords:
Humor Styles, Perceived Stress, Adaptive Humor, Coping MechanismsAbstract
The current paper analyzed the correlation between humor styles and perceived stress in Pakistani students participating in university education, where academic and social stress is extremely high. The study employed a quantitative and cross-sectional research design in which 350 respondents aged between 16 and 33 years (M = 23.7, SD = 2.9) completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale. Pearson correlation showed that affiliative humor (r = –.39, p < .001) and self-enhancing humor (r = –.39, p < .001) were associated with lower perceived stress. Aggressive humor had a low negative correlation with stress (r = –.18, p = .001), and self-defeating humor showed no significant correlation with perceived stress (r = .04, p = .446). Hierarchical multiple regression showed that affiliative humor (β = –.21, p < .001), self-enhancing humor (β = –.33, p < .001), and self-defeating humor (β = .14, p = .005) significantly predicted perceived stress after demographic factors were statistically controlled. The aggressive humor did not contribute a lot as a predictor in the regression model. This evidence suggests that adaptive humor might be viewed as a defense mechanism, and self-defeating humor might be a factor in stress given the appropriate conditions (controlling other variables). The results propose that humor-based interventions can be effective in campus wellness programs as an economical, culturally intuitively influential intervention in achieving student mental health.
References
Alghamdi, K., Altahini, K., & Alkhuraymi, Y. (2026). Humor Styles, Perceived Stress Scores, and Depression Scores among Psychiatry Residents in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study. Journal of Contemporary Medical Sciences, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.22317/jcms.v12i2.2119
Altan-Atalay, A., & Fatih Boluvat, M. (2024). Cognitive flexibility and depression: The moderator roles of humor styles. Current Psychology, 43(23), 20814–20823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05931-8
Altmann, T. (2024). Development and validation of three brief versions of the humor styles questionnaire. Acta Psychologica, 243, 104141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104141
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. In American Psychologist (Vol. 55, Issue 5, pp. 469–480) [doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469]. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934
Choudhry, F. R., Khan, N., & Munawar, K. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to mental health care: A systematic review in Pakistan [Doi: 10.1080/00207411.2021.1941563]. International Journal of Mental Health, 52(2), 124–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207411.2021.1941563
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
Copeland, W. E., McGinnis, E., Bai, Y., Adams, Z., Nardone, H., Devadanam, V., Rettew, J., & Hudziak, J. J. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on College Student Mental Health and Wellness [Doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.466]. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(1), 134–141.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.466
Dionigi, A., Duradoni, M., & Vagnoli, L. (2023). Understanding the Association Between Humor and Emotional Distress: The Role of Light and Dark Humor in Predicting Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.10013
Erduran Tekin, Ö. (2026). ‘Lose Everything, But Do Not Lose Your Joy.’ The Role of Humor in the Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Life Satisfaction Among University Students: A Mixed-Methods Study. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 21(2), 859–879. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-026-10557-y
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and Promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 745–774. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141456
Fritz, H. L. (2020). Why are humor styles associated with well-being, and does social competence matter? Examining relations to psychological and physical well-being, reappraisal, and social support. Personality and Individual Differences, 154, 109641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109641
Fruehwirth, J. C., Biswas, S., & Perreira, K. M. (2021). The Covid-19 pandemic and mental health of first-year college students: Examining the effect of Covid-19 stressors using longitudinal data [Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247999]. PLOS ONE, 16(3), e0247999. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247999
Fu, W., Yan, S., Zong, Q., Anderson-Luxford, D., Song, X., Lv, Z., & Lv, C. (2021). Mental health of college students during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Journal of Affective Disorders, 280, 7–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.11.032
Graves, B. S., Hall, M. E., Dias-Karch, C., Haischer, M. H., & Apter, C. (2021). Gender differences in perceived stress and coping among college students [Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0255634]. PLOS ONE, 16(8), e0255634. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255634
Huckins, J. F., daSilva, A. W., Wang, W., Hedlund, E., Rogers, C., Nepal, S. K., Wu, J., Obuchi, M., Murphy, E. I., Meyer, M. L., Wagner, D. D, Holtzheimer, P. E., & Campbell, A. T. (2020). Mental Health and Behavior of College Students During the Early Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Smartphone and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. J Med Internet Res, 22(6), e20185. https://doi.org/10.2196/20185
Jiang, F., Lu, S., Jiang, T., & Jia, H. (2020). Does the Relation Between Humor Styles and Subjective Well-Being Vary Across Culture and Age? A Meta-Analysis [Systematic Review]. Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 11–2020. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02213
Jiang, T., Li, H., & Hou, Y. (2019). Cultural Differences in Humor Perception, Usage, and Implications [Review]. Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 10–2019. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00123
Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study [Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239696]. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0239696. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239696
Kokkinos, C. M., & Koutsospyros, A. (2023). The Moderating Role of University Students’ Humor Styles on the Association between General Mental Health and Subjective Well-Being [Doi: 10.1080/00223980.2023.2244128]. The Journal of Psychology, 157(8), 473–495. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2023.2244128
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer.
Leñero-Cirujano, M., González-Ordi, H., Torres-González, J. I., Gómez-Higuera, J., Piñar-Rodríguez, S., López-Bermejo Minaya, E., Alcalá-Albert, G. J., Carmona-Pestaña, Á., & Moro-Tejedor, M. N. (2025). Relation Between Humor Styles and Psychopathological Symptoms in Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study. In Nursing Reports (Vol. 15, Issue 1, p. 21). https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep15010021
Lu, S., Jiang, F., Lan, J., & Wang, T. (2024). The funnier, the happier? The interplay between interpersonal humor styles on mental health via gratitude. Current Psychology, 43(5), 4394–4403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04665-3
Martin, R. A. (2007). The Psychology of Humor: An Integrative Approach. Elsevier Academic Press.
Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00534-2
Odriozola-González, P., Planchuelo-Gómez, Á., Irurtia, M. J., & de Luis-García, R. (2020). Psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown among students and workers of a Spanish university. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113108
Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., & Parker, A. G. (2020). The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education [Doi: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823]. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823
Richards, K., & Kruger, G. (2017). Humor Styles as Moderators in the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Physical Health [Doi: 10.1177/2158244017711485]. Sage Open, 7(2), 2158244017711485. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017711485
Ruch, W., & Heintz, S. (2016). The German Version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties and Overlap With Other Styles of Humor. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1116
Saipol, M., Siti Aisyah Panatik, & Syazwina Muhammad Khir. (2025). The Effect of Humor Styles and Stress Perception on Well-Being of Part-Time Students. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, IX(IX), 9080–9092. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.909000749
Samson, A. C., & Gross, J. J. (2012). Humour as emotion regulation: The differential consequences of negative versus positive humour [Doi: 10.1080/02699931.2011.585069]. Cognition and Emotion, 26(2), 375–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2011.585069
Shanahan, L., Steinhoff, A., Bechtiger, L., Murray, A. L., Nivette, A., Hepp, U., Ribeaud, D., & Eisner, M. (2022). Emotional distress in young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence of risk and resilience from a longitudinal cohort study. Psychological Medicine, 52(5), 824–833. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329172000241X
Simione, L., & Gnagnarella, C. (2023). Humor Coping Reduces the Positive Relationship between Avoidance Coping Strategies and Perceived Stress: A Moderation Analysis. In Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 13, Issue 2, p. 179). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13020179
van der Wal, C. N., & Kok, R. N. (2019). Laughter-inducing therapies: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 232, 473–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.02.018
Wang, C. C., Godecker, A., & Rose, S. L. (2022). Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. Gynecologic Oncology Reports, 42, 101020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gore.2022.101020
Čekrlija, Đ., Kulakow, S., Aluja, A., & Garca, L. F. (2024). The Relationship Between Humor Styles, Optimism and Quality of life, and the Role of the Gender, Age and Socio-Economic Status: A Typological Approach. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 10(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-024-00208-8
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pakistan Journal of Positive Psychology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
