Differences between American, Egyptian and Lebanese Humor Styles

The purpose of this study is to search for differences in humor use between Arabs and Americans and to provide managerial insights regarding such differences. We use Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as a theoretical basis for hypothesizing differences in humor styles between Arabs and Americans. The results indicate that Americans scored significantly higher than Arabs on self-enhancing and self-defeating humor style. There was no significant difference regarding affiliative and aggressive humor. Both Arab and American men scored significantly higher in aggressive humor than did Arab and American women. Managerial implications are provided for both practitioners and researchers.