Photo by Matthew Filipowicz

You drop a line that you thought was funny, only to have the INTP staring back at you with a sordid expression. They counter with a defense to your joke, as if you had been serious.

“Geez, what did I say?” you think to yourself. “They are seriously overreacting!”

Unfortunately for you, the INTP probably got your humor. There’s a good chance that your INTP friend is messing with your head. What you’re seeing as a serious reaction is actually their way of playing into your original joke.

A great example: You say something outrageously funny. The INTP asks you “What?” as if you had just spoken a foreign language.

While you may think they didn’t hear you (which, in a few rare cases could be true), they probably feel that their deadpan disbelief is appropriate as a humorous comeback.

And when you’re listening to an INTP try to tell a pre-planned joke… well, you’re out of luck.

The INTP fails at most joke telling.

Due to the fact that an INTP has already thought through the entire joke a few hundred times to think of the funniest aspects, they’re probably going to still be reviewing it in their head while they’re telling you.

That means a lot of double guessing, losing their place in the joke, and generally fudging the presentation.

…but the INTP is great at off-hand humor!

The INTP’s best humor tends to come out in their off-hand, observational humor. It allows them to play on their strengths: dry subtlety and playfulness.

What do you notice is a part of INTP humor?

Are you an INTP? Share your thoughts on your own sense of humor…

…and if you’re not an INTP, but you happen to know one, share what you think about how their sense of humor works in the real world.