Humor and anxiety: The relationship between the comic styles, worry and general well-being

Little research was conducted to understand how comic styles relate to anxiety and well-being. To fill this gap, the present study tested the relationship between eight comic styles (fun, benevolent humor, nonsense, wit, irony, satire, sarcasm, and cynicism), worry and general well-being. A sample of 254 adults (131 men and 123 women aged 18 to 67 years, M = 38.97 years; SD = 12.46) completed the Comic Style Markers (CSM), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The best predictors for cognitive worry were humor and fun (positively) and cynicism (negatively), and the best predictors for well-being were fun and humor. The findings suggest that comic styles relate differently to cognitive worry and to general well-being. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies.