Critical Thinking Dispositions and Humour Styles in Portuguese University Students

Critical thinking dispositions are essential motivational drivers for intellectual excellence; yet their relationship with socio-emotional traits, such as humour, remains under-researched. This study investigated associations between critical thinking dispositions and the four humour styles (Affiliative, Self-enhancing, Aggressive, Self-defeating) in higher education, controlling for gender, field of study, and academic year. A quantitative, correlational design was used with 382 Portuguese university students who completed the Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale and the Humour Styles Questionnaire. Our results showed that Open-mindedness predicted Affiliative humour, while CT Self-confidence and Cognitive maturity predicted Self-enhancing humour. Truth-seeking inversely predicted Aggressive humour, which was higher in males and students of Science and Technology. Self-defeating humour was uniquely predicted by lower Cognitive maturity. These findings underscore that adaptive humour aligns with reflective thinking, whereas maladaptive styles correlate with traits that may hinder epistemic engagement. These findings underscore that adaptive humour is associated with reflective thinking, whereas maladaptive humour styles correlate with dispositional traits that may impede epistemic engagement; taken together, the results highlight the importance of integrating educational strategies that foster critical thinking dispositions, as such strategies may facilitate the development of more adaptive humour styles.