Self-enhancing or self-deprecating: How humor rescues imperfect service robots

Although robots are increasingly common in hospitality service encounters, issues such as low response speed persist. This research examined the effects of two humor styles (self-enhancing vs. self-deprecating) on customers’ intentions to continue using imperfect service robots along with boundary conditions and underlying mechanisms. Three scenario-based experiments were conducted to test the proposed relationships. The results revealed that self-enhancing humor led to stronger continued usage intentions compared to self-deprecating humor, particularly in standardized service settings and luxury hotels. This effect was driven by higher perceptions of playfulness and expertise. This research contributes to the customer–robot interaction literature and provides practical implications for service robot design in cases of malfunction.