Humor has long been one of the most important traits that individuals look for in friendships and significant others. Nowadays, many companies even specify having a sense of humor as a key qualification in their job postings. A good sense of humor is often associated with confidence, happiness, and high levels of intelligence. A poor sense of humor, on the other hand, can imply a lack of confidence, lower intelligence, and the inability to relate to others. How people interpret your sense of humor can, essentially, make or break a relationship.
To determine which personality types are most concerned with how others perceive their sense of humor, we asked our readers to agree or disagree with the statement, “Other people often do not understand your sense of humor.”
The data indicates that there are significant differences among nearly all of the personality traits, Roles, and Strategies in how people believe others perceive their sense of humor. Looking deeper at the data, however, reveals an interesting pattern: individuals with inwardly oriented personality traits, such as the Introverted (64% agreeing), Intuitive (61%), and Thinking (62%) traits, were much more likely to believe that others misunderstand their sense of humor. Individuals who possess the more outwardly oriented Extraverted (42%), Observant (42%), and Feeling (49%) traits, on the other hand, were much more likely to disagree with the statement.
Which personality types are most likely to feel as though their sense of humor is misunderstood? Let’s examine the results in the context of Roles and Strategies below.
Roles
Analysts (69% agreeing)
Analysts, particularly Introverted Logicians (INTP) (82% agreeing) and Architects (INTJ) (77%), were the Role most likely to feel that their humor is misunderstood. Their Introverted, Intuitive, and Thinking traits function by way of more internal processes that are perfect for creative problem-solving and generating ideas but that may not translate as well into humor. These visionary and highly intelligent personality types may engage in humor that they themselves understand but fail to make it relatable for others who are unfamiliar with their inner world.
Extraverted Analysts, especially those with the Assertive Identity, were much less likely than their Introverted counterparts to feel as though their sense of humor is misunderstood. Only 54% of Assertive Debaters (ENTP-A) and 49% of Assertive Commanders (ENTJ-A) agreed with our research statement. Extraverted and Assertive personalities have higher confidence in their abilities and are more outgoing – two traits that can enhance their belief that others understand their sense of humor. This combination of traits will be discussed in greater detail in the Strategies section below.
Diplomats (57%)
While some of the primary strengths of Diplomat personality types center on their relations with others, specifically tolerance and harmony, they are also the individuals most likely to take things personally and suffer from insecurity. Turbulent Mediators (INFP-T) (72%) and Advocates (INFJ-T) (69%) were very likely to feel as though others misunderstand their sense of humor. The desire of these types to create harmony and please others, coupled with their tendency to be overly sensitive, may be a recipe for feeling misunderstood.
As with the Extraverted Analysts, the Extraverted Diplomats were also less likely to believe that their humor is misunderstood. A majority of Protagonists (ENFJ) and Campaigners (ENFP) actually disagreed with the statement (58% and 51% disagreeing, respectively), further emphasizing the role that Extraversion appears to play in confidence and relating to others.
Explorers (48%)
Boldness and confidence, two characteristics of the Explorer Role, may explain why more Explorers disagreed with the statement that others do not understand their sense of humor. To say that Explorers have a better sense of humor than the other personality types would be incorrect; however, they are well known for their spontaneity and ability to think on their feet, both of which are important tools for effective humor.
As with the other Roles, Introverted Explorers were the most likely to agree with the statement, especially Turbulent Virtuosos (ISTP-T) (71%). This was in stark contrast to the Assertive Entertainers (ESFP-A), of which only 32% agreed with the statement. This may not come as a surprise, since Entertainers love the spotlight and are the most likely personality type to put on a show.
Sentinels (39%)
Ever the practical and responsible types, Sentinels prefer personal traits such as loyalty and trustworthiness to spontaneity or playfulness. Characterized by both the Observant and Judging traits, this Role values clarity, facts, and observable things, as opposed to the imaginative and the unexpected. Therefore, their sense of humor may consist of a tried-and-true, straightforward approach, rather than the more unpredictable humor that would be found among the Intuitive and Prospecting personality types.
Extraverted Sentinels, particularly the Consuls (ESFJ) (25%), were the least likely to believe that others do not understand their sense of humor. Consuls are especially opposed to conflict and criticism and, therefore, are less likely to engage in humor that others may find offensive. Extraverted Sentinels have the combination of sociability and confidence that likely prevents them from feeling as though their humor is misunderstood. Introverted Sentinels, such as the Logisticians (ISTJ) (61%), on the other hand, were much more likely to agree with the statement, due to their Introverted and Thinking traits, which make them less outwardly oriented than their Extraverted counterparts.
Strategies
Constant Improvement (68% agreeing)
The Introverted and Turbulent personality types who belong to the Constant Improvement Strategy are less confident in their abilities and tend to be perfectionists. Generally more likely to worry about what other people think of them, these individuals were consequently more likely to think that others do not understand their sense of humor. Turbulent Logicians (INTP-T) (82%), Architects (INTJ-T) (78%), Mediators (INFP-T) (73%), and Virtuosos (ISTP-T) (72%) reported the highest agreement with the statement, indicating that Introversion and Turbulent Identity appear to play the largest role in feeling misunderstood.
Confident Individualism and Social Engagement (56% and 49%)
The Confident Individualism Strategy and the Social Engagement Strategy (defined by Introverted Assertive types and Extraverted Turbulent types, respectively) were somewhat more neutral in their responses – the combinations of Extraverted and Turbulent traits and Introverted and Assertive traits actually serve to balance these personalities out in terms of confidence and sociability. Confident Individualists, such as Assertive Adventurers (ISFP-A) (45%) and Defenders (ISFJ-A) (36%), although Introverted, retain a higher sense of confidence due to their Assertive traits than do Turbulent types. Social Engagers, such as Turbulent Entertainers (ESFP-T) (35%) and Consuls (ESFJ-T) (30%), may lack some self-confidence due to their Turbulent traits but gain a certain amount of aplomb from the social aptitude that is more inherent in Extraverted personality types.
People Mastery (36%)
The Extraverted Assertive types who comprise the People Mastery Strategy are strong communicators and the most comfortable in social situations. Not only are they confident in their own abilities, but they are also not as concerned about what other people think of them, making them much less likely to believe (or care) that others do not understand their sense of humor. Assertive Consuls (ESFJ-A) (22%) were the least likely of all personality types to agree with the statement, due to their natural ability to connect with others and their high levels of self-esteem. Falling close behind, Assertive Executives (ESTJ-A) (37%), Protagonists (ENFJ-A) (35%), and Entertainers (ESFP-A) (32%) are not only confident in their social abilities but also tend to be more self-assured individuals in general.
Conclusions
A person’s perception of being understood, especially when it comes to humor, ultimately depends on how comfortable and confident they feel with their audience. It certainly cannot be stated that one personality type is more humorous than another, but our research demonstrates that certain personality types are more comfortable in their ability to use humor effectively.
Confidence, both in social interactions and in terms of self-assuredness, is greater in personality types that are Extraverted and Assertive. Unsurprisingly, personality types that thrive on social interaction, such as Entertainers, were more confident that others understand their sense of humor. Across Roles and Strategies, Turbulent types always agreed with our research statement more frequently than their Assertive counterparts, indicating that confidence does indeed play a rather significant role in feeling as though others understand one’s sense of humor.
Humor can also be very difficult to communicate effectively, and Intuitive types, such as the Analysts and Diplomats, may struggle to express their humor in a way that makes sense to more externally focused individuals. Consequently, they tend to read between the lines when communicating with others and feel as though they’ve been misunderstood when they don’t receive the response that they were looking for.
What are your thoughts on humor and personality type? Has your life been affected by how others perceive your sense of humor? Please let us know in the comments below.