These nine statements ask how accurately humor, laughter, and playfulness describe you in everyday situations. Answer based on what you generally do, rather than how funny or positive you think you should be. One item uses the word “tease,” which can mean welcome play or unwanted ridicule; answer according to what it means in your real relationships, and interpret the total with that ambiguity in mind.
Inside the assessment
This assessment uses the nine-item refined IPIP representation of the Humor/Playfulness scale from the historical IPIP-VIA family. The official key contains six positively keyed and three negatively keyed statements. The official comparison table reports coefficient alpha .84 in the Eugene–Springfield Community Sample. That coefficient describes item consistency in the source sample; it does not establish the accuracy, stability, or predictive value of an individual result. This public-domain IPIP representation is not the current VIA assessment.
Very Inaccurate through Very Accurate receive 1–5 points. The final three negatively keyed items are reverse scored from 5 to 1, and all nine keyed values are summed for a total from 9 to 45.
9-item IPIP representation of the Humor/Playfulness scale
International Personality Item Pool; scale based on an earlier VIA Humor/Playfulness construct
Assessment v1.1.0 · Source links checked at publication on September 11, 2026
International Personality Item Pool — public domain; items and scales may be used for any purpose without permission or a fee
A continuous summary of how strongly these nine self-descriptions reflect bringing humor, laughter, and playfulness into everyday situations. It describes this particular response pattern, not how funny, likable, resilient, or socially skilled you are.
Important limits
This brief self-report describes how you answered nine humor and playfulness statements in this session. It is not a percentile, diagnosis, measure of comedic skill, likability, emotional health, resilience, or social worth. It does not show whether another person welcomes a joke, and humor is not a substitute for acknowledging pain, respecting boundaries, resolving harm, or seeking support.
Related reflections
Relationships & communication · 6–8 minutes
Explore the blend of warmth, reserve, social energy, and direction you tend to bring into everyday interactions.
Explore What’s Your Interpersonal Style? →Gratitude & appreciation · 2 minutes
Explore how readily you notice, feel, and express appreciation with the public-domain, 8-item refined IPIP representation of Gratitude.
Explore How Does Gratitude Show Up in Your Life? →There are no right answers. Choose the response that feels most accurate in everyday life.
Begin the assessment