Different Types of Humor

Physical or Slapstick Humor: This is a physical kind of humor.
Self-Deprecating Humor: When someone is good at putting themselves down or making fun of themselves on purpose to amuse others.
Surreal or Absurd Humor: This type of humor is characterized by bizarre or nonsensical elements.
Improvisation or Improv Humor: This type of humor is created spontaneously.
Witty or Dry Humor: This type of humor is characterized by cleverness and subtlety.
Deadpan Humor: This type of humor is delivered in a monotone and matter-of-fact voice, complete with an expressionless face.
Dark Humor: This type of humor is characterized by making light of serious or taboo subjects.
Satire: This type of humor is used to criticize or ridicule human behavior or society.
Wordplay: This type of humor is characterized by puns, jokes, and other forms of wordplay.

Pantomime (/ˈpæntəˌmaɪm/;[1] informally panto)[2] is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale.[3][4] Pantomime is a participatory form of theatre developed in England in the 18th century, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.

Here are different types of humor:

Stand-Up Comedy: Involves a comedian performing jokes and stories based on personal experiences. 1
Satire: Uses irony and exaggeration to critique societal norms or political situations. 1
Slapstick: Relies on physical comedy characterized by exaggerated movements and situations. 1
Dark Humor: Involves making light of subjects that are generally considered serious or taboo. 1
Self-Deprecating Humor: Involves making fun of oneself to elicit laughter. 1
Physical Humor: Includes exaggerated body movements and absurd scenarios. 2
Puns and Wordplay: Involves clever use of language to create humor. 1
Observational Humor: Focuses on everyday life and common experiences. 1
These types of humor can be blended or used in various contexts to elicit laughter and entertain.

If you ask most people what they’re looking for in a partner ― whether romantic or platonic ― a good sense of humor is usually at the top of the list. But “sense of humor” is highly subjective, and there are a myriad of types of humor. Some go over well, and some don’t.

A good fart joke, for instance, can easily divide opinions in the humor stakes (how can people not like fart jokes?), while wit or wordplay also aren’t everyone’s idea of pun (sorry).

In fact, sharing a similar sense of humor is so important when it comes to finding the right partner, data scientists at eHarmony have conducted research in the hope of incorporating the results into the site’s algorithm to ensure better profile matches in future.

According to lead data scientist Jonathan Beber, the research kicked off after an analysis which focused on married couples in the first four years of marriage.

“We asked them about laughter with their partner: did they laugh at the same things? Share a similar humor? Do you laugh at things with your friends but not your partner?,” Beber told HuffPost Australia.

“What we found was married couples who shared a similar style of humor tended to have happier and more successful relationships in their first few years of marriage, and we wanted to dive deeper into that.”

There Are Nine Different Types Of Humor. Which One Are You?

Bodily humor is our favorite. Which type of humor are you?

From there, the team spent two months “scouring clips on YouTube in the name of research” to ascertain how many different sorts of humor there actually were. Their answer? Nine.

Which ones speak to you?

1. Physical'Slapstick humor' is number 1'Self-deprecating' humor is number 24. Improvisational5. Wit-Wordplay6. Topical7. ObservationalCaught in the act!I can't believe we described this as 'divisive'?!ur first block of text...

Also referred to as slapstick, this style of humor involves physicality. It can be everything from clowns to mimes to funny facial expressions to someone falling over. Or, in other words, the entire audience of ‘Australia’s Funniest Home Videos’.

2. Self-deprecating

This kind of humor is a favourite among stand-up comedians, in which they basically make themselves the butt of a joke and are rewarded with laughs.

It’s also a style that has been further popularised by the internet, particularly with memes.

3. Surreal

As suggested by the name, this style of humor can be pretty weird, featuring illogical events, absurd situations or nonsensical themes. Or in other words, just plain silly. The best example of this would have to be ‘Monty Python’... enjoy.

4.Improvisation or Improv Humor

Usually a play on words, this humor involves twisting language around with humorous results. (And yes, puns do fall into this category. Dads everywhere, rejoice.)

Humor based on current events or trends. ‘Saturday Night Live’ would be a prime example of this, as would most sketch comedy shows or late-night talk shows. This sort of humor requires having a thorough knowledge of what’s going on in the world (news, elections, pop culture etc.) and the ability to put a humorous spin on it.

5.Witty or Dry HumorSometimes called: deadpan, highbrow, quippy, repartee (witty conversation), wisecrack, quick, clever, droll, wry, sarcastic
The ability to poke fun at everyday life.

6.Wordplay Humor or Puns

7Observational Humor

This is probably the easiest one to explain. It is a physical kind of humor. This means someone is using exaggerated or wild body movements. Usually, there is gags, pranks and practical jokes involved but it always has to do with the body, or comedy around the body behaving oddly. Often times people are getting hurt, maybe they slip and fall, maybe something is falling on them. It can be painful to watch at times and yet it brings out the laughter in us humans.

Some classic examples of this type of humor could be Charlie Chaplin or the Three Stooges. If you ever enjoyed watching “America’s Funniest Home Videos” growing up, this is another perfect example. Modern day “GIFs” can sometimes capture this style of humor.

Usually a play on words, this humor involves twisting language around with humorous results. (And yes, puns do fall into this category. Dads everywhere, rejoice.)

The ability to poke fun at everyday life.

8. Bodily

Ah, yes, the home of the old toilet joke. This is everything to do with farts or other bodily functions. This is a divisive type of humor that tends to be popular with men and teenagers.

9. Dark

This style of humor usually involves some dark, depressing underlying themes, but throws some comical or unusual situations in this setting.

So, given the current political climate, you can refer back to joke #7. Or, you know. This.

It might come as a surprise that in a trial of 200 people, eHarmony found dark humor to be the least popular while physical humor came out on top.

1.Physical or Slapstick

2.HumorSelf-Deprecating Humor

3.Surreal or Absurd Humor

4.Improvisation or Improv Humor

5.Witty or Dry HumorSometimes called: deadpan, highbrow, quippy, repartee (witty conversation), wisecrack, quick, clever, droll, wry, sarcastic

6.Wordplay Humor or Puns

7Observational Humor

Examples:

When someone is a master (or really good) at

8.self-deprecating humor it means they are good at putting themselves down or making fun of themselves on purpose to amuse others. It is done in a way that makes everyone laugh rather than feel bad for them. Self-deprecating humor makes people feel comfortable because the person seems real and humble and able to make themselves vulnerable enough to laugh at themselves.

Example:

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which is a pity because this week the National Association of Beholders wrote to tell me that I’ve got a face like a rucksack full of dented bells.”

― Charlie Brooker

9.This is the kind of humor one can spot in the story (or movie) “Alice in Wonderland”. It takes the world and flips it upside dow. The result is so odd and strange that it ends up being funny – for some!

Sometimes called: weird, odd, offbeat, strange, quirky

Example:

10.Improv is a form of live theatre where everything is made up on the spot. It is quite a difficult thing to pull off comedy in the moment or on the spot, but often times that awkwardness is what makes it funny. It generally requires a team of actors working together to build up the comedy. Saturday Night Live is a show that relies heavily on improvisational humor.

“Don’t Think Twice” is a recent film all about the improv comedy world. If you are curious, I would recommend checking it out. You can watch the trailer here.

11. Witty humor requires your mind to be active and engaged.This can often be the most difficult humor to detect. It is an intelligent kind of humor that is the complete opposite of slapstick humor. It may not always be “laugh out loud” funny. In fact, the person who uses dry humor often shows little to no emotion at all. This is why it is often called “deadpan” humor. To have a deadpan face is to have an emotionless face. The way the person appears to be serious is a big part of what makes it funny.

Example of witty humor using irony and sarcasm:

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”

– Oscar Wilde

Witty humor sometimes uses → Irony, sarcasm, satire, parody (but not always)

11.Sarcasm can sometimes be a big part of witty humor. It is a kind of humor that can hurt someone else’s feelings when used in a mean way, but when used gently it can be funny without putting someone else down. A lot of sarcasm has to do with your tone of voice used and the use of irony. Let’s say you let someone at the office know they left their car lights on and that person barks back at you “Perfect, just what I needed to hear on this wonderful day”. They are using sarcasm to let you know they are having a really bad day. It doesn’t mean they are upset with you, it just means they are actually not having much of a wonderful day at all. Sarcasm is not common everywhere in the world but it is very common in North America. If you hear someone using sarcasm, please don’t take it personally as it is not about you and more about that person’s personality.

12. Sometimes called: “Dad jokes”, play on words

Wordplay Humor sometimes uses → “puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, double entendres, and telling character names” (from Wikipedia). Sometimes Wikipedia just has the all the right words and so we are just going to quote them on the subject.

13. Potty Humor

Sometimes called: Juvenile humor, gag jokes, toilet humor. I am not sure if much needs to be said about this one.

14. Dark Humor

This is the type of humor most often used by stand up comedians. They find the bits of humor in examining our day to day lives.

Other words to describe it: grim, black, bitter amusement, grotesque, or sick humor

Some people find humor in places that are dark or unpleasant. A “dark” topic would be death, for example. This is the type of humor most likely to offend others and so it is best tested on your friends who love you unconditionally. Have you ever played the card game “Cards Against Humanity”? It is a perfect example of what a dark sense of humor revels in. Nothing is “off the table” (not available) when it comes to this sense of humor.

Examples:

Question: Why don’t cannibals eat clowns? Answer: Because they taste funny.

Question: What did Kermit the Frog say at Jim Henson’s Funeral? Answer: Nothing

There are various types of joke structures and joke formats built around the basic formula of setup and punchline. Even one-liner jokes and kid-friendly knock-knock jokes have this simple story arc. Here are the most popular types of jokes.

1. Observational. “Have you ever noticed…” If you’ve ever seen Jerry Seinfeld perform comedy, you’re familiar with observational humor and jokes. They are an examination of everyday things or situations through a comedic lens. Observational comedy covers topics familiar to almost everyone, even the most trivial aspects of life.
2. Anecdotal. Anecdotal humor is pulled from the comedian’s personal life and is popular with audiences because we can identify with their stories. Writer, producer and director Judd Apatow, who also performs stand-up comedy, believes that stand-up gets better as it becomes more personal—that comics who lay themselves bare to the audience are often the strongest performers. He gives the following example: one of his daughters has gone to college. His remaining daughter is unhappy that she is the only one left in the house with Judd and his wife, because four people is a family, but three people is a child observing a weird couple. You get the most laughs when the audience recognizes themselves in your story or joke. Learn more about writing comedy from Judd here.
3. Situational. Situational humor is used to describe a genre of comedy and jokes that rely on a set of characters, a place, and an event. Television is a popular medium for situational comedies—or sitcoms, as they’re called—that follow recurring characters in different scenarios. Some examples are Friends, Big Bang Theory, and Black-ish.
4. Character. Some comedians create a different persona, or personas, for their comedy routine. Stephen Colbert played a fictional version of himself on The Colbert Report, staying in character even when he interviewed guests.
5. One-liner. “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.” That one-liner was delivered by Groucho Marx. Robin Williams once joked: “Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?” One-liners squeeze a setup and punchline into one succinct thought.
6. Ironic. Ironic jokes are contradictory, with two opposing concepts tugging at one another. For example: why do people park in a driveway but drive on a parkway?
7. Deadpan. Deadpan jokes are delivered in a matter-of-fact, monotone voice with no expression. Steven Wright is a deadpan comedian. The humor in his act comes from the combination of the trivial content and his emotionless utterance of the joke: “I’ve been getting into astronomy so I installed a skylight. The people who live above me are furious.”
8. Farcical. Farcical jokes and comedy are over-the-top plotlines (think The Hangover) with exaggerated stories, characters, and events.
9. Self-deprecating. Some comedians make fun of the person they know best—themselves. Rodney Dangerfield made a career of self-deprecating jokes poking fun at his looks and his love life with jokes like this: “I went to the psychiatrist, and he says ‘You're crazy.’ I tell him I want a second opinion. He says, ‘Okay, you're ugly too!’”
10. Slapstick. Slapstick jokes are also known as physical comedy. Comedy Legend Steve Martin credits Laurel and Hardy, two of the earliest slapstick performers, as an influence on his career. The Three Stooges are another famous slapstick group, getting into absurd situations where they would repeatedly get hit, slapped, or bonked by someone or something in a comedy of errors.

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