Attachment as a predictor of attraction to humor styles

Abstract

A sense of humor is highly valued in potential mates, although not all types of humor positively impact romantic relationships. In a preregistered study (N = 788), we examined whether adult attachment predicted attraction to humor styles using both frequentist and Bayesian analyses. We found an overall strong preference for positive humor styles that foster emotional closeness and relationship satisfaction (affiliative and self-enhancing) over negative humor styles that reduce emotional closeness and relationship satisfaction (aggressive and self-defeating). As expected, avoidant attachment was associated with relatively more attraction to negative humor styles and less attraction to positive humor styles. Though not consistent with our preregistered hypotheses, anxious attachment was also associated with relatively more attraction to negative humor styles and less attraction to an affiliative humor style, and these associations strengthened as avoidant attachment increased. Thus, insecure attachment was generally associated with greater attraction to humor styles that harm relationships and less attraction to humor styles that foster strong relationships.