Genetic and environmental contributions to humor styles: a replication study
Philip A Vernon1, Rod A Martin, Julie Aitken Schermer
1Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. vernon@uwo.ca
Summary
Genetic factors significantly influence humor styles in UK adults, with heritability estimates ranging from 34% to 49%. Environmental factors also play a role in shaping individual differences in humor.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Genetics
- Psychology of Humor
Background:
- Humor styles are theorized to have both genetic and environmental influences.
- Previous research indicated differing genetic contributions to positive versus negative humor styles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the heritability of four humor styles (two positive, two negative) in a UK adult twin sample.
- To compare genetic and environmental influences on humor styles between UK and North American populations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) with 1,073 monozygotic (MZ) and 895 dizygotic (DZ) adult twin pairs from the UK.
- Applied univariate behavioral genetic model fitting to estimate heritability and environmental contributions.
Main Results:
- MZ twin correlations were approximately double DZ twin correlations across all four humor styles.
- Heritability estimates for humor styles ranged from .34 to .49, indicating significant genetic influence.
- Individual differences were explained by genetic and nonshared environmental factors.
Conclusions:
- Genetic factors significantly contribute to individual differences in all four humor styles in a UK population.
- Findings contrast with previous North American studies, suggesting cultural differences in humor appreciation may influence genetic expression.
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