A sense of humor helps us to get through the dull times, cope with the difficult times, enjoy the good times and manage the scary times
By Nazarul Islam
A sense of humor is one of the finest gifts a person inherits in life. It is our capacity to express or perceive what’s funny. This invaluable gift ushers us into a unique world of attention, and is both, a source of laughter and entertainment. This is rightfully deemed as a means of coping with difficult or awkward situations and stressful events. Although it provokes laughter, humor can also be serious business.
From its most lighthearted forms to the absurd ones, humor can play an instrumental role in forming social bonds, releasing tension, or attracting someone you like.
Remember how you chuckled at a party when a friend asked the crowd “How many ____ does it take to change a light bulb?” So why do we crack up at some jokes while others fall flat? Scientists have proposed competing explanations for why some things are funnier than others, but it seems clear that humor often involves the violation of expectations. Culture, age, political orientation, and many other factors likely, also play a role in what people find funny.
The theory of benign violations proposes that something is funny when it seems both wrong or threatening and essentially harmless—as when a comedian says something shocking but clearly nonserious!
People who are funnier than most may exhibit qualities such as a willingness to take risks when making jokes and a sensitivity to how their attempts at humor are perceived.
Some tips for becoming a funny person may include practicing joke-telling, taking comedic risks (knowing that some jokes will fail to get a laugh), and, of course our indulgence in I look watching, listening to, and reading the work of comedians.
Humor is a welcome ability among the traits women have indicated they most desire in a romantic partner, and they appear to prioritize it more, on average, than men do. Funniness may be attractive in part because it advertises a potential mate’s intelligence.
Surely, humor and wit can make stressful situations better. In addition to the positive feelings that joking and laughing stirs. Some have proposed increased feelings of their inner support and an improved ability to rethink distressing situations as potential reasons for a stress-buffering effect.
Again, Laughter is pleasurable in itself, but humor serves other important functions, too. Being able to laugh may cushion the emotional blow of a trying experience and lighten up a tense atmosphere. As a shared experience, humor can help bring friends, family, and romantic partners close together.
Certain personality traits seem to correspond with the style of humor, which people tend to use. Research suggests those who are drawn to humor as a way to affiliate with people or to support their own well-being are likely to rate higher on the traits of extraversion, agreeableness, and their openness to experience. More agreeable and conscientious people also seem less likely to use humor in a disparaging or offensive way.
Humor can have a variety of social benefits. From diffusing tense situations to strengthening social bond between new or long-time friends (it’s sometimes called a “social lubricant”). A sense of humor may even serve as a kind of ‘social radar’ helping one detect and connect with like-minded people.
In light of the positive impact humor can have on well-being, many have claimed that it can improve health as well. While the links between humor and different aspects of physical health—such as immune function or heart health—have been explored, however the evidence is largely inconclusive.
A sense of humor is the best indicator that you will recover; it is often the best indicator that people will love you. Sustain that and from this, you will automatically derive hope!
Humor can also make a serious difference. In the workplace, at home, in all areas of life – looking for a reason to laugh is necessary. A sense of humor helps us to get through the dull times, cope with the difficult times, enjoy the good times and manage the scary times.
Read: Twinkle, twinkle little stars…
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The Bengal-born writer Nazarul Islam is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America. He is author of a recently published book ‘Chasing Hope’ – a compilation of his articles.
