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Humor, or more specifically, laughter is contagious. Have you ever gotten a case of the giggles, that you couldn’t stop? How many other people around you started laughing, too? Did they know what you found so amusing?
The endorphin hit we get from laughing, helps us relax and the laughter can signal safety. So, we’re attracted to people who are laughing.
What is humor?
Definitions of humor vary by culture, but one thing is true, we all laugh. Even babies do it, and we don’t usually know why.
Was it useful from an evolutionary perspective? It must have been otherwise why did it stick around? Why isn’t everyone walking around scowling?
Humor relieves tension and stress, so maybe that’s why the trait stayed with us. It also bonds people together. That would have been useful back in the day.
Humor helps us in many ways. The Mayo Clinic lists several benefits. Among them are,
- Activate and relieve your stress response
- Sooth tension
- Improve your immune system
- Relieve pain
- Improve your mood
Regardless of the reason, humor is a trait we all have. We don’t express it the same way, or with the same comedic timing of, Robin Williams, but we all use it.
Before we go much further, let’s get on the same page with a few definitions and research about humor.
Humor is:
the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.
It’s important to make a distinction between humor and laughter. Humor is an evoked response to storytelling and shifting expectations. Laughter is a social signal among humans. It’s like a punctuation mark. — Carl Marci, MD
To understand humor, it’s also good to distinguish between a sense of humor and a style of humor. The former involves our ability to understand, laugh at, and appreciate jokes. The latter is our approach to using humor.
Dr. Rod A. Martin created the Humor Styles Questionnaire to study how people use humor. His work isn’t about the jokes themselves. It’s about the adaptive or maladaptive use of humor in everyday life. He and his colleagues identified four styles of humor. As you read each, a few examples will likely pop into your head right away.
They are:
- Self-enhancing humor helps us feel good. If you’re able to cheer yourself up or poke fun at yourself in a good way, then this is you. You find humor in everyday life.
- Affiliative humor helps us build relationships with others. We banter back and forth. It’s all good, clean fun. It’s witty.
- Aggressive humor makes us feel good but at the expense of others. These are the jibes, snarky remarks, and hurtful teasing we do to put someone down.
- Self-defeating humor helps us build relationships with others, but at the expense of ourselves. We’re the butt of every joke.
Martin notes that we usually have a combination of the styles, but lean more toward one than the others. Take the quiz and discover your style.
Sarcastic humor — Is it all bad?
How do you feel about sarcasm? If you’re like most people, you think it’s okay, but believe there’s a line you shouldn’t cross — unless it’s with a sibling. They’re fair game.
Sarcasm comes from the Greek word sarkazein, which meant “to tear flesh like a dog.” This word led to the Greek noun sarkasmos, meaning “a sneering or hurtful remark.” Sarkasmos made its way through French and Latin first. Then showed up in English around the mid-16th century.
Today sarcasm means,
a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.
the use of irony to mock or convey contempt
We use it so often, and have for so long, that to not appreciate it could be a sign that your brain isn’t working quite right. Researchers have studied sarcasm for more than 20 years. They’ve discovered a few interesting side effects of using sarcasm.
For instance, our brains work harder to understand and breakdown sarcastic comments. It requires us to think about how someone is saying something (tone), and that the meaning isn’t literal. This last part involves the theory of mind (ToM).
Here’s an interesting tip the next time you encounter a customer service representative. Sarcastic complaints work better with customer service agents than anger. It helps the agent get more creative when solving problems.
Francesca Gino and her research partners found a connection between sarcasm and creativity. The right amount, with the right tone, in the right situation can increase creativity.
That’s a lot to get right, though. And they do acknowledge that trust is a big factor in those situations.
Keeping all that in mind, step lightly when using your sarcasm. We all know that in emails it doesn’t work. It’s also not a good idea in close relationships.
The Gottman Institute is a leader in the study of what makes marriages and couplehood work. Dr. John Gottman, a founding partner, is well known for his ability to predict divorce with 90% accuracy. He discovered that six behaviors predict divorce. Of the six, the Four Horsemen are the most lethal. They are,
- Criticism
- Contempt
- Defensiveness
- Stonewalling
Contempt is the most destructive because it involves defensive joking, aggressive/hostile humor (sarcasm), and mockery. You can stop this behavior from destroying your marriage or partnership. They explain how in, This one thing is the biggest predictor of divorce.
Is sarcasm all bad? No, not if it’s used a little to spice things up. Used too often though, and it erodes relationships. And, since we tend to use sarcasm with the people we’re closest to, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Cultural differences
Humor is difficult to translate. It takes into account the subtleties of a culture, that if you aren’t aware of, can mystify you. Oh, and cause you to miss the joke.
For example, British and American humor differ.
Dr. Tom Verghese shares a great example. Watch as he explains effective use of humor during a presentation.
Understanding cultural nuances is important in all communication, but especially humor.
Our Brain on Humor
When we hear a joke, the frontal lobe starts to search for patterns. Between the start of a joke and the punchline, our expectations get tossed around like a sack of laundry. Incongruity piques our curious prefrontal cortex located in the frontal lobe. This center for information processing devotes more attention to the story (joke). Then it starts to expect that the speaker meant something else. A data check happens between the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens. If everything checks out, this triggers an emotional response.
When we laugh, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins all release. Dopamine helps us process our emotions and experience pleasure. Sounds awesome, right? It gets better. Serotonin gives us a mood boost. Endorphins take care of pain and stress, and when we’re laughing we feel euphoric.
What are you waiting for? Get yourself a hit of happy brain chemicals!
Michael Jr. I was just jogging
The Humor-Resilience Connection
Everyone experiences hardships. For some people, humor is their go-to coping mechanism. For those for whom it’s not, consider developing this trait. Here’s why,
…high levels of coping humor are associated with more positive challenge appraisals for various life events. In turn, these positive appraisals can also generate greater enthusiasm and enjoyment for dealing with these events, and are thus strongly associated with more positive affect. — Nicholas A. Kuiper
He’s describing an upward spiral. How we respond to challenging events can influence our emotional and psychological outcomes. Viktor Frankl, Anne Frank, Nelson Mandela, and many others are great examples. They used humor to cope with horrible circumstances.
After the 9/11 attacks in NYC, humor is what helped me deal with the experience. I had no home and no clothes except what I wore the day it happened. Life as a consultant meant living in hotels for extended periods. Everything I had was in my hotel room, but I was in Brooklyn.
There wasn’t much to laugh about the day of the attack. There wasn’t even much to find amusing several days after. But, one night as I walked from a Walgreens back to the Saddle Down B&B, I chatted with my brother. He was “walking me home” via the phone. I joked about the noise of fighter jets passing overhead. I don’t recall now what I said, but it wasn’t the only time jokes saved conversations from tumbling into an abyss. And, kept me and others pushing forward.
The American Psychological Association (APA) created a resource to help people build resilience. 10 Ways to build resilience offers several strategies. Humor isn’t mentioned, but this is more a function of timing than a denouncement of humor as a strategy. Research in this area of positive psychology is on-going.
Interesting Research Tidbit
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine discovered that stimulating a specific area of the brain causes immediate laughter. A sense of calm and happiness follows the laughter. The electrical stimulation targets the cingulum bundle. When done, the effect is a reduction in anxiety. The cingulum bundle is beneath the cortex. It curves around the midbrain and looks like a girdle.
Why is this important? Stimulating this brain region helps patients feel happy. This means it could be useful in the treatment of disorders like depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.
Want to know more? Check out the article published in Science Daily.
Curious about the actual surgery? Watch this video:
How to create a humor habit
Improv is a fun way to learn more about humor. It can positively affect our cognitive processes in several areas. For example,
- divergent thinking
- flexibility
- language
- memory
- problem-solving
- co-construction
You might have experienced some of this if you’ve been part of a high-functioning team.
But, it also can happen when strangers come together, hit it off, and bounce banter like a ping-pong ball.
Have you tried improv? If so, let me know in the comments. I’ve considered it, but have been a bit chicken. I bet I’m not alone. Why should those of us who’ve never done it, try it?
The Fountain of Youth
Having a good sense of humor increases your life expectancy. Norwegian researchers’ findings from a 15-year study show,
- 73% lower risk of death from heart disease for women
- 83% lower risk of death from infection for women
- 74% reduced risk of death from infection for men
* Culture can play a part in the development of humor. I don’t have data on the original study. If you do, please share it!
Genetics and socialization are two aspects of humor. This tells us that we can influence some aspect of our humor development. Improv anyone?
The Bottom Line
Life is a lot more enjoyable with humor, and it’s consequence — laughter. It gets us through the rough times and makes the happy times more enjoyable.
Want to learn more?
Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute (2010, Spring). Humor, laughter and those ah-ha moments. On the Brain, 16(2), 1–3.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article be sure to check out some of my others.
Be sure to check out the challenges page if you’re looking for a new goal to achieve in the coming weeks or months.
