By Carola Gomila Bravo
“He who laughs, lasts.”
Have you ever had those days when everything seems to go wrong? The kind of day when you spill breakfast on your perfectly planned outfit of the day; when you tell a joke in a group of people and nobody seems to get it; or when you are walking down the street and you trip and fall in front of a crowd of random strangers, wishing the earth could just swallow you whole? Chances are, most people have experienced something like this at least once if not multiple times in their lives. While these moments can feel like the worst personal disaster at the time, a slight change in perspective can turn them into hilarious stories you later laugh about with friends.
Laughing at ourselves may come more easily to some than to others, but nearly everyone has something that they find genuinely amusing. Some might enjoy a good stand-up comedy show, others might crack up while scrolling on social media, and many may find the best laughs spending time with friends. On top of the amusing effect that these comedic situations have, humor can also be a powerful tool to reduce stress and anxiety, and ultimately, for boosting our overall well-being (Jiang et al., 2020).
What is Humor? Different Types of Humor
The value of humor has been discussed since ancient times. A proverb found in the Bible reads, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”, in other words, a cheerful heart can be a good medicine (King James Bible, 1769/2017). Mark Twain also said, “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” What is it about humor that people from all eras place it in such high esteem?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, humor is defined as “the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous.” or, “the ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny” (Merriam-Webster, 2025). To explain this concept even further, recent scholars have proposed several theories. Martin and Ford (2018) described three of the most prominent theories of humor.
The first is the relief theory, which suggests that humor functions as a way to release tension. For example, imagine a group of friends nervously waiting outside the classroom before a big exam. The mood is tense until one of them cracks a joke that makes everyone laugh, and for a moment, they all feel a little bit more relaxed. In this sense, humor can help people cope with stress by providing emotional relief. Second, Martin and Ford (2018) described the superiority theory, which proposes that humor functions as a way to enhance self-esteem. From this view, laughter is the result of using the errors or misfortune of others, promoting feelings of superiority. Lastly, the incongruity theory focuses on humor as the result of anticipating a different outcome than expected. For example, imagine taking a seat at your first college class, which happens to be calculus, and you are feeling the nervousness of being a freshman. All of a sudden, the professor starts the class by singing his favorite song at the top of his lungs. This kind of humor is the result of surprise and absurdity that comes from something that defies expectations (Martin & Ford, 2018; as cited in Lonczak, 2020).
Benefits of Humor
Considerable research has shown that humor is more than just a source of entertainment, it plays a significant role in promoting psychological and physiological well-being (Dionigi et al., 2023). However, the impact that it has on well-being highly depends on the styles of humor used most frequently.
While certain styles can be psychologically positive and adaptive, other forms of humor can represent more negative and less healthy ways of interaction (Dozois et al., 2008). Some styles identified as adaptive include affiliative humor, characterized by making spontaneous jokes and funny comments in order to amuse others and facilitate relationships; and self-enhancing humor, which involves coping with stress and regulating emotions by holding a cheerful outlook on life (Martin et al., 2003). Maladaptive styles of humor include the use of aggressive humor which seeks to demean or manipulate others, usually with sarcasm or ridicule, and self-defeating humor, which attempts to amuse others at one’s expense, using self-deprecation jokes to gain external approval and integration (Martin et al., 2003). A study conducted by Dionigi et al. (2023), revealed that benign forms of humor, such as affiliative and self-enhancing humor positively correlated with subjective well-being. People who used this type of humor reported feeling less stress, anxiety, and depression. In contrast, maladaptive humor was found to be negatively associated with subjective well-being, and people reported higher stress and anxiety levels.
Overall, humor can be a protective factor that helps to cope with negative emotions and experiences. Individuals who use benign humor are more likely to reinterpret challenges and stressful situations in a lighter, more positive way (Martin et al., 2003). Other studies have found that laughter has the potential to significantly lower cortisol levels, even after a single laughter session (Kramer & Leitao, 2023). Additionally, using this good-natured humor also helps us connect with others, boosting our perceived social support and social skills, which is also a key contributor to our well-being (Gelkopf, 2009). The module “Supporting Relationships” is a great source for ideas on how to strengthen those relationships that contribute to our joy experiences. Humor has also been found to moderate the effects of negative life events on mood, enabling individuals to engage in more adaptive coping strategies and maintain a more positive emotional state during challenging times (Martin & Ford, 2018). This powerful tool is not just fun, but it can help us see things more clearly and maintain a stable mood even during tough times.
How can you improve humor?
Now that we have discussed how fun and healthy humor can be for us, you are probably wondering, “Ok… but how? How can I improve my humor?” The answer is that there are many ways to enhance humor, and each person may find some ideas more useful than others. The key is to find what works for you. One simple way to start is surrounding yourself with humor by posting funny quotes or images where you know you will see them often; you can also watch comedy videos or movies, or follow humorous accounts on social media (Brennan, 2023; Schacht, n.d.). Moreover, finding something to laugh about each day, even if it feels forced at first, can make a real difference. For example, you can try exaggerating a frustrating situation in your mind until it becomes so ridiculous that it becomes funny, or you can turn daily annoyances into light-hearted games, like counting how many red lights you hit on the way home. Another idea is sharing funny stories with friends or finding things to contribute to their jokes (Brennan, 2023; Schacht, n.d.). Humor can also be found in simple things, such as focusing on what makes you happy or thinking back on happy memories can have a positive impact on your mindset (Brennan, 2023). In all, practicing benign and adaptive styles of humor is one strategy that can promote and maintain human flourishing.
Want to learn more about the power of humor? Check out these resources:
https://positivepsychology.com/humor-psychology/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10936143/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02213/full
“A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.”
References
Brennan, Dan. (2023, April 5). How Does Humor Affect Mental Health?. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/how-does-humor-affect-mental-health
Dionigi, A., Duradoni, M., & Vagnoli, L. (2023). Understanding the association between humor and emotional distress: The role of light and dark humor in predicting depression, anxiety, and stress. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 19(4), 358–370. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.10013
Dozois, D. J. A., Martin, R. A., & Bieling, P. J. (2009). Early maladaptive schemas and adaptive/maladaptive styles of humor. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 33(6), 585–596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-008-9223-9
Gelkopf, M. (2011). The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011(1), 342837. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/nep106
Jiang, F., Lu, S., Jiang, T., & Jia, H. (2020). Does the relation between humor styles and subjective well-being vary across culture and age? A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02213
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)
Kramer, C. K., & Leitao, C. B. (2023). Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels. Plos One, 18(5), e0286260. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286260
Lonczak, Heather S. (2020, July 8). Humor in Psychology: Coping and Laughing Your Woes Away. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/humor-psychology/
Martin, R. A., & Ford, T. E. (2018). Chapter 1 - introduction to the psychology of humor. In R. A. Martin, & T. E. Ford (Eds.), The psychology of humor (second edition) (pp. 1–32). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812143-6.00001-1
Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the humor styles questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00534-2
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Humor. Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 16, 2025, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humor
Schacht, Liz. (n.d.). Wellness Tips: Managing Stress Through Humor. Carver College of Medicine. https://medicine.uiowa.edu/md/sites/medicine.uiowa.edu.md/files/wysiwyg_uploads/Humor%20Tips%2C%20UPDATED%2C%20100120.pdf