Humour (used in Commonwealth countries) or humor (used in American English) refers to the way experiences can cause laughter and amusement. The word comes from the idea of humoral medicine in ancient Greece, which believed that the balance of body fluids, called "humours" (Latin: humor, meaning "body fluid"), affected health and emotions.

People of all ages and cultures enjoy humour. Most individuals can feel amusement, smile, or laugh at something funny, like a joke or a pun, and are said to have a sense of humour. A person without a sense of humour might find humorous behaviour confusing, odd, or hard to understand. While personal preferences play a role, how funny something seems depends on many factors, such as where a person lives, their culture, age, education, intelligence, and the situation. For example, young children often enjoy slapstick comedy, like the puppet show Punch and Judy or cartoons such as Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes, because these use physical actions that are easy to understand. More complex types of humour, like satire, require understanding social meanings and situations, and are usually preferred by older audiences.

Theories

Many ideas exist about what humor is and how it helps people in social situations. The main types of theories that try to explain humor include psychological theories, most of which say that humor-related behavior is good for health; spiritual theories, which might think of humor as a "gift from God"; and theories that see humor as something that cannot be fully explained, much like a spiritual experience.

The benign-violation theory, supported by Peter McGraw, tries to explain why humor exists. This theory states that humor happens when something seems wrong, unsettling, or dangerous, but also seems okay, acceptable, or safe. Humor can help people interact with others by reducing the awkward or uncomfortable feelings that sometimes happen during social interactions.

Some people believe that "using humor in the right way can help people interact with each other better."

Views

Some people believe that humor should not be explained. Author E. B. White once said, "Humor can be examined closely, but doing so may cause it to lose its meaning, and the details are only interesting to those who study things very carefully." Others argue that when people protest against "offensive" cartoons, they are analyzing humor or its absence. This analysis does not always remove a sense of humor but instead focuses on its connection to politics and the idea that humor is the same for everyone.

Arthur Schopenhauer expressed sadness about how the word "humor" (a German word borrowed from English) is sometimes used to describe any kind of comedy. However, the terms "humor" and "comic" are often used when discussing the subject. The meanings of "humor" and "comic" are said to differ: "humor" relates to a person's reaction, while "comic" refers to something that causes a reaction. Humor was also thought to involve a mix of silliness and cleverness in a person; an example is Shakespeare's character Sir John Falstaff. The French were slow to use the word "humor"; in French, "humeur" and "humour" are still different words. "Humeur" refers to a person's mood or the old idea of the four humors.

Non-satirical humor can be called droll humor or recreational drollery. Humor is also observed in great apes.

Sociological factors

Humor is a form of entertainment that changes based on social factors and personal preferences. Throughout history, people around the world have used comedy in many places, such as the courts of Western kings and villages in the Far East. Humor can show both social manners and cleverness through wit and sarcasm. In the 18th century, German writer Georg Lichtenberg said, "The more you understand humor, the more you value it."

Western ideas about humor began with Plato, who described Socrates (as a character in a dialogue) as believing that humor comes from the weakness of people who cannot defend themselves when laughed at. Later, Aristotle wrote in his Poetics that humor involves an ugliness that does not cause disgust.

In ancient Indian drama, the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni listed humor (hāsyam) as one of nine main emotional responses (rasas) that actors could inspire in an audience. Each rasa was linked to specific emotions shown by performers.

The words "comedy" and "satire" became similar after Aristotle’s Poetics was translated into Arabic during the medieval Islamic world. Arabic writers and philosophers like Abu Bischr, Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes expanded on these ideas. They connected comedy to Arabic poetry styles, such as hija (satirical poetry), and saw it as "the art of criticism," not as light-hearted stories with happy endings. In Islamic teachings, mocking others through humor is not allowed, especially when it involves sacred figures, religious symbols, or holy events.

In 1957, Mento musician Lord Flea said, "West Indians have the best sense of humor in the world. Even in serious songs, like Las Kean Fine (about a tragic event), their humor shines through."

In China, Confucian and Neo-Confucian traditions often viewed humor as inappropriate or disrespectful. However, the Analects (a Confucian text) shows Confucius using self-deprecating humor. Daoist texts, like those by Zhuangzi, mocked Confucian seriousness. Over time, joke books, storytelling, and poetry became popular in China. Famous Chinese humorists include ancient jesters, writers from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and modern authors and performers like Lu Xun, Lin Yutang, and Ge You.

Modern Chinese humor has been influenced by both local traditions and foreign styles, spread through books, films, TV, and the internet. In the 1930s, Lin Yutang introduced the term yōumò (幽默) for humor, sparking interest in humorous writing. During Mao Zedong’s rule, some comedy was allowed, but the government generally limited humor. In recent decades, more freedom in the 1980s and 1990s, along with the internet, helped new forms of humor grow in China.

The social transformation model of humor suggests that traits like physical attractiveness affect how people respond to humor. This model connects the humorist, the audience, and the topic of the humor. It explains how humor can change how people see the humorist and how they interact. This model is used in self-deprecating humor, where someone uses humor to gain acceptance into a social group. Even though self-deprecating humor shows weakness, it can increase romantic attraction if other factors are favorable.

In Western cultures, humor is often seen as an attractive trait for men. In the mid-20th century, many American college students said a sense of humor was important in a romantic partner. In the late 20th century, British students ranked humor and honesty as the most important traits in a partner. Humor becomes more important as a relationship becomes more serious. Recent studies suggest that humor and physical attractiveness are key factors in wanting to interact with someone. Self-deprecating humor can make someone more desirable for a committed relationship if other conditions are met.

Women often value humor more than physical attractiveness in a romantic partner. Studies show that women find humorous men more desirable for serious relationships or marriage, especially if those men are physically attractive. However, women rate humorous men as less honest and intelligent compared to nonhumorous men, even though they still choose them as partners.

People who are humorous are sometimes seen as less intellectual than those who are not. In one study, women chose funny men as potential partners even though they rated them as less honest and intelligent. Research found no clear link between the quality of humor and how people judge someone positively.

In some studies, humor can increase a man’s desirability as a partner if women evaluate him. However, it is unclear whether men prefer women with a sense of humor as partners or if women prefer other women with a sense of humor.

In cultures outside the West, humor is not always as important in choosing a partner. Studies in East Asia show that humor is ranked lower than other traits, especially by men.

Psychological well-being

It is widely understood that humor can improve how people feel about their health, both physically and mentally. Earlier studies on humor and mental health show that humor plays an important role in improving and keeping mental wellbeing. This idea is called the general facilitative hypothesis for humor. It suggests that using positive humor can lead to better health. However, not all recent research agrees that humor always improves mental wellbeing. Some earlier studies had limits because they only looked at humor in one way, assuming it was always positive. They did not consider other types of humor, such as self-defeating or aggressive humor. Research has identified two main types of humor, each with two styles, making four styles total. The two types are adaptive humor and maladaptive humor. Adaptive humor includes facilitative humor (helping others feel connected) and self-enhancing humor (helping oneself feel better). Maladaptive humor includes self-defeating humor (hurting oneself) and aggressive humor (hurting others). Each of these styles can affect mental health and overall happiness differently.

Studies on humor and mental wellbeing show that people who use a lot of adaptive humor (facilitative and self-enhancing) often have better self-esteem, more positive emotions, greater confidence in their abilities, better control over anxiety, and stronger social relationships. These factors are important parts of mental wellbeing. Adaptive humor may also help people stay happy even when facing mental challenges. In contrast, people who use maladaptive humor (aggressive or self-defeating) often have worse mental wellbeing, including more anxiety and depression. Therefore, humor can harm mental wellbeing only if it is of a negative type.

Physiological effects

Humor is often used to make difficult or stressful situations less serious and to improve the mood in social settings. Many people enjoy humor, so it is reasonable to think that it might have positive effects on the body's functions.

In 1994, a study by Karen Zwyer, Barbara Velker, and Willibald Ruch tested the effects of humor on pain tolerance. Participants watched a short humorous video and then took the cold pressor test, which measures how much pain a person can tolerate. The 56 female participants were divided into three groups: cheerfulness, exhilaration, and humor production. They were also grouped based on their levels of Trait-Cheerfulness or Trait-Seriousness using the State-Trait-Cheerfulness-Inventory. Each group had specific instructions: the cheerfulness group was told to feel excited without laughing or smiling, the exhilaration group was asked to laugh and smile more than usual, and the humor production group was instructed to make jokes about the video. A survey later confirmed that the video was found humorous, with an average score of 3.64 out of 5. The results showed that all groups had higher pain thresholds and tolerance after watching the video, but there was no significant difference between the groups.

Humor may also affect the immune system. SIgA is an antibody that helps protect the body from infections. In a similar experiment, participants watched a humorous video and were tested for SIgA levels. The results showed a significant increase in SIgA levels after watching the video.

Some people claim that laughter can act as a substitute for cardiovascular exercise and improve muscle tone. However, a study by Paskind J. found that laughter may actually reduce muscle tone because the brief muscle contractions during laughter are followed by longer periods of relaxation. Another study showed that laughter does not significantly affect oxygen levels in the blood, even though it causes occasional deep breathing.

Since humor is often used to reduce tension, it might also help with anxiety. A study by Yovetich N, Dale A, and Hudak M. tested how humor affects anxiety. Participants were told they might receive an electric shock after a certain time. One group was exposed to humorous content, while the other was not. Anxiety levels were measured through self-reports and heart rate. Participants who scored high on a sense of humor reported less anxiety in both groups, while those with lower scores reported less anxiety in the group that saw humorous material. However, there was no significant difference in heart rate between the groups.

In the workplace

Humor is a common and important part of life and plays a significant role in workplaces. It helps people feel more connected to their coworkers and can improve the work environment.

Laughter and fun in the workplace are recognized as important social aspects. They can help reduce stress, build better relationships among coworkers, and create a more positive atmosphere. Humor is often used as a way to deal with difficult situations or challenges at work.

When coworkers share a laugh, it can improve their moods and help them feel more capable of handling problems. Fun and enjoyment are important for people’s happiness and can help create a sense of unity and teamwork. Humor can also help reduce negative feelings about work tasks and may prevent the use of harsh language or other unproductive coping methods.

In addition, humor can help ease difficult emotions and allow people to talk about personal challenges in a more lighthearted way. This can reduce anxiety and increase positive feelings. Managers may use humor, such as making self-deprecating jokes, to appear more approachable and human to their employees.

Many companies now recognize that fun and play in the workplace can have positive effects. It can improve creativity, increase employee morale, and help workers accept the demands of their jobs. As a result, some companies actively support playful practices to help achieve their goals. Fun at work is no longer seen as unimportant.

The idea of using humor and play in the workplace began in North America. It has grown so much that some states now celebrate an official "fun at work" day. Studies suggest that this movement has led to better well-being for employees, improved customer experiences, and increased productivity. Research also shows that playfulness can help people achieve a state of focus and creativity, known as "flow," and support mental health and motivation. This movement is connected to the field of positive psychology, which studies how to improve people’s happiness and potential.

Encouraging fun and laughter in the workplace is believed to increase enjoyment, improve well-being, and boost energy, performance, and commitment among workers.

At school

Humor is important for how young people grow and develop. Research shows that humor is especially important when young people interact with friends. When students start school, the role of parents becomes less important, and interacting with peers becomes more important. Conflicts often happen during these interactions. Using humor helps resolve conflicts and can lead to better school performance and mental well-being. Humor that others find acceptable can reduce the chance of being bullied, while making fun of oneself can increase the chance of being bullied. If students are bullied and they use self-disparaging humor, it can make the negative effects on their mental well-being worse.

Studies

Modern psychological research on humor and laughter focuses on understanding how these two are connected. Studies show that laughter and humor are not always directly linked. Earlier theories often treated them as the same, but scientific research has explored their relationship more carefully, examining what it means and how it affects people.

In 2009, Diana Szameitat studied how people recognize emotions in laughter. She asked actors to laugh while focusing on specific emotions, such as joy, tickle, schadenfreude (pleasure from someone else’s misfortune), and taunt (mocking). People correctly identified the emotions about 44% of the time. Joy and tickle were recognized most often, while schadenfreude was recognized least. A second experiment showed that different types of laughter reflect different emotional states, with some emotions causing high or low levels of excitement or happiness. This study proved that laughter can be linked to both positive (like joy) and negative (like schadenfreude) emotions.

This raises questions about how humor is defined. If humor is tied to laughter, it might include both positive and negative emotions. But if humor is only about positive emotions, it must be separated from laughter and studied more clearly.

Using humor in helpful ways can help people handle stress and reduce negative feelings. However, using humor in harmful ways can make negative feelings worse.

In 2009, researchers at Radboud University found that jokes can distract people who are grieving. In their study, people who saw funny content after viewing upsetting images or sentences felt less negative emotion. Humor was especially helpful when the negative feelings were strong. This suggests that humor is best for dealing with short-term stress, while stronger problems may need other solutions.

Humor is linked to positive emotions in the "broaden-and-build" theory, which explains how positive feelings help people grow mentally and socially.

Studies on the "undoing hypothesis" show that humor can help people recover from negative emotions. For example, people who smiled during sad events recovered faster than those who did not smile.

Humor can help people with cancer and others facing serious health challenges, though its effectiveness for some conditions, like schizophrenia, is still being studied.

Humor helps people cope with difficult situations by creating distance from stress. In 1997, researchers found that laughter linked to genuine happiness (Duchenne laughter) helped people feel less distressed. Positive emotions can reduce the power of negative feelings, helping people think more broadly and build better relationships.

Humor supports healthy aging in three ways: improving physical health, strengthening social connections, and increasing life satisfaction.

Studies show that people who use humor regularly during aging experience better health, including higher self-esteem, less depression, and lower stress. Humor also helps people with certain illnesses feel better. Overall, consistent use of humor is strongly linked to better health in older adults.

Humor helps aging individuals build and keep strong social relationships, especially during life changes like moving to a nursing home. Humor reduces stress and makes it easier to connect with others, including those who cause changes in their lives. These new relationships are important for adapting to new situations.

Humor also helps aging individuals feel more satisfied with life. Changes like losing the ability to drive can lower life satisfaction, but humor can ease this by reducing stress and helping people feel better about their situation. This can help them stay satisfied with their changing lives.

A study published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience found that humor involves parts of the brain, including the frontal lobe and areas that process emotions and rewards. The study explains that humor activates brain regions that detect and resolve unexpected situations and those that process rewards and important experiences.

Formula

Humor can be spoken, seen, or shown through actions. Other ways to communicate without words, like music or art, can also be funny.

In a documentary called Funny Business, Rowan Atkinson explains that an object or person can become funny in three different ways.

Many funny visual jokes, called sight gags, fall into one or more of these categories.

Some experts in humor believe that exaggeration is a common tool used in comedy. It can appear in many different types of comedy, but all forms depend on the idea that making things funny is often done by exaggerating their important features until they become absurd.

Taxonomy

There are many ways to classify funny content. One system used to sort humorous tweets is described in (Rayz 2012).

Culture

Different cultures have different ideas about what is funny, so comedy shows may not always work well when shared with people from other cultures. For example, a 2004 BBC News article mentioned that some British comedians believe Americans and Germans may not understand irony, which can make UK sitcoms less enjoyable for them.