I imagine it's a lot like choosing a saddle, largely a matter of trying different ones until you find something that suits you. If you can manage to try out a few bikes with different bar styles that might give you some ideas. The first thing I'd try on your own bike is playing with any adjustability your existing bars might have (which could be none, depending on the bars). After that, try bar styles that don't require you to buy any other new components.

What other people like isn't really that useful in figuring out what's comfortable for you, since it's such a personal thing. I've found that I am very comfortable with the flat bars people love to hate, and very uncomfortable with drop bars.