Be it funny memes, a comedy movie, or a joke your friend said, a moment of laughter can often raise our spirits. But can humor make us overall more positive? According to Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, Dr. James C. Kaufman, that depends on the kind of humor one engages in.
“I think humor can play a notable role, whether good or bad. A lot depends on someone’s sense of humor,” he told Bored Panda in a recent interview.
“There are different humor styles, and they can be positive or negative. Positive styles are self-enhancing, in which you use humor to cheer yourself up, and affiliative, in which humor is used to connect with other people (think of inside jokes). But some people have self-defeating styles, which means they’ll make jokes that make fun of themselves—beyond a usual amount. Other people have aggressive styles, which have barely hidden hostility or anger toward others.
“Humor is a lens through which we see other people and the world, and it can help boost us up, or make us feel worse and isolated,” Prof. Kaufman explained.
Talking about how jokes and humor can affect our mood and well-being, Prof. Kaufman suggested that that, too, depends on the situation and the kind of humor one uses.
“They may say that laughter is the best medicine, but it really depends on how you use it. If you have the positive humor styles, where you lift yourself and others up, then it can be a wonderful thing. People with these styles have less anxiety and depression and can use their humor to cope with bad life events.
“But negative humor styles can cause problems,” he added. “A lot of times when we think reverse psychology should work, it really doesn’t. Listening to sad or angry music makes you sadder and angrier. Hitting a pillow increases aggression. And if ‘dark’ humor is too negative or shared indiscriminately, it can end up making things worse—you can end up wallowing in bad feelings, lowering your self-esteem, or alienating other people.”
“With the caveat that consistent negative humor will likely not be beneficial, I do think that being exposed to humor on a regular basis would have a positive effect on a person’s well-being,” Prof. Kaufman continued. “One thing humor can do is distract us from things that might be upsetting us, whether in our personal lives or in world events. We aren’t obsessing over sad or infuriating thoughts when we’re laughing at a funny cat video.”
While a funny cat video or hilarious memes can definitely evoke a fit of laughter, according to a linguist and humor scholar, Dr. Don Nilsen, humor often requires the involvement of other people. “[Certain] humor requires a person to listen as well as to talk in a conversation, because humor is interactive; it is a social bonding device.”
He continued to note that in addition to being a bonding device, it can also have a positive effect on a person’s body and mind, as well as their creativity. “There is a very close relationship between humor and creativity. In both cases, the person is able to ‘think outside of the box,’” the expert noted.
Prof. Kaufman seconded the idea that humor and creativity are closely linked. “Any time someone is funny in an original way—whether writing a funny caption to a photo, thinking of something witty, or spontaneously making a quip—it’s creative.
“Of course, there are different levels of creativity,” he added. “Sometimes it can be what we call ‘mini-c,’ or very small advances or insights that might only be new to the creator. Think of a younger sibling making a pun that countless other people have already made. It’s still new to them, but you likely wouldn’t find it funny.
“It is also possible to make people laugh by sharing funny memes or repeating jokes; maybe your delivery is good enough that it counts as being creative, but most likely the real creativity was on the part of the person who first made the joke.”
“Being exposed to humorous memes and other forms of humor does indeed affect well-being,” said Dr. Nilsen, adding that smiling, laughing, and creating an inviting and fun environment can be beneficial, too. “So, keep active, keep smiling, and keep having fun.”
