What Are The Benefits Of Humor For Our Mind?
Have you ever wondered what are the benefits of humor? When we are in a good mood, doubts seem to dissipate and worries cease to concern us. Laughter is a mysterious gift from nature that is part of our baggage at the time of birth. We are the “ homo ridens ” although paradoxically we are born crying.
Humor is a very interesting subject which encompasses many areas. It is linked to the anthropological roots of the human being and to its various manifestations. Humor is found in literature, movies, comics, jokes, riddles, magic, etc. According to Rojas Marcos (1998), “ the condition for laughing with envy is to be free from pain and sadness and to enjoy a healthy moral state. It’s like the purring of cats: they can only be heard when they are happy ”.
Humor and science
With the development of the humanities, researchers have developed scientific research about humor. Freud has also devoted a few pages to this in his work The Word of Mind and Its Relation to the Unconscious .
In fact, researchers only started studying humor about 30 years ago. They first studied it as human behavior. In fact, the theme had hitherto been considered not very serious compared to other themes in social psychology or clinical psychology.
It should be noted that studies and scientific work on humor are increasing. There are also specific magazines such as “ Humor: International Journal “. What is this boom in the scientific study of humor due to? The answer is clear: humor heals, heals and integrates us.
“Blessed are those who laugh at themselves, for they will never lack an excuse to laugh.”
-Anonymous-
What is humor?
The nature of humor is free, unpredictable and surprising. According to Angel Rodriguez Idigoras, locking this term behind words involves an atrocity and a contradiction. Jardiel Ponciela once said that defining humor is like trying to cross the wings of a butterfly with a phone booth.
So what is humor? According to Mingote, humor is associated with not being afraid to think. Humor is therefore not necessarily associated with laughter or even with a smile. Humor is achieved when we are open-minded about things and habits. The fact of separating ourselves from the routine and pushing us towards unsuspected paths is a proof of humor.
The benefits of humor for the mind
Humor is an intellectual activity. Poor humor can therefore contribute to altering the mental health of individuals. However, good management of humor can be very beneficial in preventing or improving certain mental disorders. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of seeing things in a fun way:
Humor teaches people to be less arrogant
Therefore, they become more modest. And as Jaume Perich said in one of his quotes, If we compare the vastness of the sea with man, man also loses out. By this affirmation, he wishing to return its insignificance to humanity which believed itself above all.
When we use humor, we distance ourselves from arrogance. We make visible the flaws that we did not want to show. In the end, we are being less arrogant and more modest.
Humor helps find solutions to everyday problems
Another benefit of humor is its ability to find unexpected ways out of dead ends. To use humor, you have to show ingenuity, liveliness, spontaneity …
So it can help us to solve problems. Through humor, we can find paths we never thought of before. In addition, when we are in a good mood, we see everything in a different color, with optimism.
Humor promotes adaptation to change
Each new situation can be interpreted as threatening. With humor, we can express unpleasant ideas to the receiver without making the receiver feel uncomfortable.
One can present to others realities that are undiscovered or not admitted. We know moreover that in the Court of many kings, the only ones being able to make fun of the monarchy were the jesters. By using the pretext of their comic work, they allowed themselves to deviate from the rules of the palace.
These are some of the benefits of humor. However the list is not exhaustive, there are many more. Discover them little by little by making good use of your sense of humor.
Our thoughts Humor and laughter are powerful allies in the face of life’s trials and tragedies. How to use them to more easily collect …
