Professors laughing at themselves too much: the negative effects of instructor self-defeating humor

Humor researchers have examined instructor self-disparaging humor in the college classroom, but not the use of a similar (yet more intense) construct known as self-defeating humor. Using Benign Violations Theory (BVT) as a framework, this study examined how instructor self-defeating humor impacted students’ perceptions of (a) affect, (b) instructor credibility, and (c) appropriateness, while controlling for moderation effects of (d) students’ own humor orientation (HO). One hundred fifty-seven students (N = 157) completed an online survey in which they reported their perceptions of an instructor’s use of self-defeating humor and the above-mentioned variables. Results indicated that instructor self-defeating humor use was negatively related to important instructional communication concepts such as instructor affect (r = -.28), instructor competence (r = -.32), and instructor appropriateness (r = -.59). Furthermore, students’ humor orientation demonstrated no interaction effect between instructor self-defeating humor and any of the outcome variables. While some instructors feel comfortable making fun of themselves, findings suggest that they should avoid self-defeating humor during instruction because students may find them less credible, less appropriate, and less likable overall. Ultimately, instructor appropriateness is a better predictor of student perceptions of affect and credibility than instructor self-defeating humor.