The Healing Power of Humor: What do we mean by a “Sense of Humor”?
Often times when you read about the relationship between humor and health the term “sense of humor” is thrown about without much clarification. Many types of behavior or sensibilities can be labeled as attributes of a “good” sense of humor. In his book Laugh After Laugh, Dr. Raymond A Moody describes six different meanings of the term. Starting with the most “egocentric” through the most “universalistic” meaning of the phrase we see that some senses of humor may be more beneficial to our health than others.
Excerpts from Laugh After Laugh: 1. The “He-Realizes-How-Funny-I-Am” Sense.
I may mean, by saying that another person has a good sense of humor, little or nothing more than I can easily get him to laugh whenever I want him to. Although this may be quite flattering to my ego, it is of rather minimal interest in considering the medical aspects of humor and laughter.2. The Conventional Sense
By imputing a good sense of humor to someone else, I may mean that he laughs, not necessarily at me, but, rather, at the same kinds of things (jokes, movies, cartoons, etc.) that I appreciate as being funny. Or, more universally still, I may mean that he laughs, fairly easily, at the same kinds of things that other people who are members of his sub-culture, society, or culture find amusing and laughable…this sense has a bit more relevance for the topic of medicine and humor, especially when one is considering the use of aberrations of laughter and humor in diagnosing illnesses of one kind or another.3. The “Life-of-the-Party” Sense
I may also mean, by saying that a person has a good sense of humor, that the person has an excellent repertoire of good jokes, that he has memorized a large number of funny stories, and that he is skilled at repeating them for the amusement of others. In this sense, I mean that he is able to make others, including me, laugh at his stories and/or antics.4. The Creative Sense
A person who has a “good sense of humor” in the creative sense is one whose creativity manifests itself in the production of new, original humorous remarks, stories, jokes, plays, etc. Professional writers of jokes and other humorous material display this talent to a more conspicuous degree than most of their fellow human beings, but people with such talent are obviously found in all walks of life.
5. The “Good Sport” Sense
In this sense of the phrase, a person with a good sense of humor is one who can, we say, “take a joke”, or “laugh at himself”, or “enjoy a joke at his own expense.” In a way, what one is saying when one makes such a remark about another person is more a statement about something he doesn’t do; namely he doesn’t blow up into a rage, pout and fume, or become overtly defensive or hostile when someone else “kids” him.
6. The “Cosmic Perspective” Sense
Finally, there is another, still broader meaning of the phrase, and one which I think is ultimately the most relevant when we come to consider the explanation of whatever “health-giving” value there might be in mirth. In this sense, a person with “a good sense of humor” is one who can see himself and others in the world in a somewhat distant and detached way. He views life from an altered perspective in which he can laugh at, yet remain in contact with and emotionally involved with people and events in a positive way. Such a person has the ability to perceive life comically without thereby losing any love or respect for himself or for humanity in general.
For further information on the healing power of humor and laughter please visit My Hyena for more humor and health articles and links.
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