The wit: a personality analysis

Fifty-eight undergraduate psychology students were group tested on 12 variables thought to be related to the successful prediction of wit. In addition to a score on wit, scores on creativity, verbal fluency, need for play, need for impulsivity, self-confidence, dominance, exhibition, change, autonomy, personal adjustment, authoritarianism, and sex group were obtained. The results were analyzed in a stepwise multiple regression analysis. A significant Pearson product-moment correlation was obtained between wit and creativity (p < .01) and between wit and personal adjustment (p < .05). The multiple regression analysis indicated that creativity was the best single significant predictor of wit. Personal adjustment, in combination with creativity, provided the next highest significant contribution. The results are discussed and suggestions for further research are posited.