Does Humor Restore Conflict

Norman Cousins said, “Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions" (Moss 1). Humor is studied by many researchers in sociology, psychology, art, literature, and medicine. When people wonder whether humor aids in areas other than health, a treasure trove of possible benefits to the learning or educational community is opened up. Humor can be used as a tool to promote learning.Research speaks to the many benefits of humor in healing, to its benefits in the classroom or boardroom, from reducing stress of students or employees, to boosting self-esteem and feelings of camaraderie. Additionally, studies show that those who use humor to convey a message are often more favorably perceived. Humor helps deliver the presenter's message to

Central Idea/ Thesis statement: There are several benefits of laughter in terms of physical, mental and social.

Modern society allows humorists to touch upon offensive topics without receiving much criticism. As Alain de Botton claimed in his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, humorists’ role is not merely to entertain but “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” De Botton’s argument proves legitimate. Many humorists, such as cartoonists and television hosts, decide to use their humor as a tool to prove an idea or express a belief that cannot be voiced candidly in public.

Humor has become manifested into nearly all aspects of the secular world. Whether it be in comics, writings, or television, some form of comedy is sure to be seen on a regular basis. It seems the world today depends on a good laugh every now and then, and Alain de Botton argued the purpose of this in his book Status Anxiety. He concluded that humorists are more than just a form of entertainment; They "convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly". These men and women are granted some degree of leeway to speak freely and candidly on ultimately any subject for the preservation of societal stability. Their representation of public sentiment results in the people feeling as if what they long to say is finally being heard on a larger platform. Humorists serve the vital role of being a true reflection of public opinion; however, they are not immune to

People always say that laughter alleviates tension. If this is the case, then it makes sense that the use of humor when discussing uncomfortable topics can make the conversation easier and more light-hearted. One of Mark Twain’s most frequently used devices in works such as “Advice to Youth”, “To the Person Sitting in Darkness”, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is satire, which can provide society a method to bond over uncomfortable topics, and facilitate the ability to sustain that bond through an easier way to create discussion.

In the BBC article “How comedy makes us better people” Mary O’Hara claims comedy holds a very relevant place in not only British politics and culture, but in the entire world because it can be used to comprehend and come to terms with confusing events or tragedies, challenge the authority of our governments, and destroy bigoted states of mind. Humor continues to mystify the people who study it to this day. Why does humor play a major part in our everyday lives? What is the significance of it? O’Hara interviews experts from many different fields discussing comedy and its impact on the emotions, politics, and differing points of view. For instance, the tragedy of 9/11 had many jokes following its events because people around the world were trying to grasp why such a terrible thing

Humor is viewed by some people as an important part of life. Most people enjoy amusement, and some turn to humorists as a source for that amusement. Some further view humorists as holding an important position in society because society allows humorists to say things that others can and will not say. Due to their unique position in society, humorists serve a role that is certainly unique and can be important, but not vital. Furthermore, humor can very well have a dangerous side, whether intentional or unintentional, so humorists should try to be careful with their powerful position.

While some may argue that humorists may serve a pointless purpose in the community, it is apparent they play a factor in the world. Humorists consist of cartoonists, stand-up comics, satirical writers, and hosts of television programs, all of which are actual jobs. Stating they just make people laugh discourages their self-esteem, ultimately affecting society because they are influentially deprived. Thereby, humorists should not be viewed as incompetent because they speak openly for a multitude of people, and impact them in solicitous

The concept of humor inciting change continues to be disagreed upon globally. Whereas mordant humor demands mental depth to understand the purpose, blatant impunity messages are accessible and easily created by humorists. Thus, humorists that are vital to society often rely upon humor with an underlying message. As a result, de Botton’s claim of humorists serving society is true, provided that the message is dangerous to state blatantly.

Research by Samson, Gross (2012) discussed that positive humor would be more effective at regulating negative emotions than negative humor. The author also discussed another study, which was conducted to remove various limitations of the previous study including the potential effects of differences in difficulty between the two humors conditions. Current research used participant's expectations or social desirability to measure such limitation. Although it seems like the author has analyzed everything to support the following hypothesis, this particular research still lacks credibility in various aspects.

However, the data from another study found that the effects of humor were stronger for long-term relationships than they were for short-term (9). This is inconsistent with the idea of humor as a result of sexual selection, because it should be important in both scenarios. In the same study, they also found that the humor as a signal of genetic quality hypothesis explain the results that high humor production causes an increase in the desirability of mates, regardless of their physical attractiveness. Therefore, it appears that the evolutionary purpose of humor has been to improve the attractiveness of individuals to potential mates. Specifically, this appears to be more prominent in males, as illustrated in previously mentioned

In this study, social media approach offers a useful method to study the social psychological characteristics of humor within participants with both high degrees of internal and external validity. Internal validity relates to the effect of the psychological behavior of participants once taking the Humor Styles Questionnaire, while external validity relates to a specific category of participants belonging to different

Cognitive demands involved with humor processing can decrease negative emotions. In other words (specifically, WedbMD journalist Kathleen Doheny’s words), good jokes cure bad moods. These statements are obviously composed in different syntax and were created to pertain to separate audiences. However, both are able to develop the same overarching reader interpretations.

At the time, this event seemed rather insignificant and did not merit remembrance. However, its catastrophic effects on my attitude that evening may have helped to mold me into the person I have become. I learned that suffering through such an event, as childish as it was, is quite necessary in any life. Such pains are part of an interminable cycle and only generate balance in one's life (p. 62, 'Life as Suffering'). Despite my horrid time spent that evening, the laughter brought since the incident is a worthy tradeoff. Laughter is an all too necessary function of life, just as suffering and the wide range of other emotions. "Some thinkers would emphasize the importance of sophistication in humor, but others would say that laughter itself is what is important." Whatever the case may be, laughter is an important ingredient in life, and must not be taken for granted nor ignored.

As humans, laughing and joking is something that comes natural. This is something that we have been doing even before we knew how to walk or talk. As we start to grow up, we all develop personality traits and our humor styles follow. Before taking this course, I have never consider identifying what my humor styles are until now. I took the Humor Style Questionnaire (Martin et al. 2003) and calculated that my top humor style is self-enhancing and closely following is affiliative. Throughout this paper I am going to reflect on my top humor styles with personal examples, and how it relates to my mental health, with several methods I can use to make myself healthier and happier. I will also be considering the other two styles and how then do not relate to my humor style and mental health.