Humor appreciation mediates the relationship between autistic traits and humorous coping: evidence from autistic and non-autistic adults

Abstract Although humor plays a key role in regulating negative emotions, few studies have examined the relationship between autistic traits and the use of humor as a coping strategy. This study aimed to investigate whether humor appreciation mediates the relationship between autistic traits and humorous coping strategies in autistic and non-autistic adults. Five hundred participants, including autistic and non-autistic individuals, completed questionnaires assessing autistic traits, humor appreciation, and humorous coping strategies. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that social communication and interaction (SCI) difficulties were negatively associated with humorous coping, while restricted interests and repetitive behaviors (RRB) were positively associated. Further, mediation analyses revealed that humor appreciation mediated these associations: lower SCI and higher RRB predicted greater humor appreciation, which predicted higher humorous coping. These findings suggest that the ability to appreciate humor is a psychological mechanism that links autistic traits to the adaptive use of humor. The results underscore the importance of considering humor appreciation when understanding emotion regulation and designing psychosocial interventions for individuals with high autistic traits.