Preview

Humor

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1355 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Humor
Summary 1
Humor usually tends to provide amusement and provoke laughter. Anything funny usually makes people laugh, smile and be amused. Jean Harvey explains that people who have a great sense of humor appear to be disappointed less by failure and are more relaxed. On the other hand, those who appear anxious and solemn are often more serious and look as if something might be disturbing them. Humor always makes people ready to face new challenges that may come up in life. Humor usually equips us with a lot more interest in life since it is based on incongruity and novelty especially when ones expectations become violated. Also, the distance which exists in humor usually gives us a measure of certain objectivity especially when we look at ourselves. This makes us be more realistic and less egocentric when viewing the world from our own perspective.
This individual based approach assesses humor and its value based on how the individual faces life. He claims that sense of humor enables one to be objective and this may signal an increase in self esteem without one being egocentric. The problem with this is that expression of sense of humor is usually a social act hence, those involved or those who participate prove to be very crucial. Usually intentional humor involves a set of three crucial players. These include the initiator, the subject on which this humor is based, and the target audience. Thus, the response may be in two forms: the audience may break into laughter or they may not even smile, leave alone laughing. Hence, humor can be viewed as a risky business whereby its success depends on the response of those present and that is if the response occurs in a desired way. Oliver Goldsmith states that, “the jests of the rich are ever successful.” This also applies to daily observations. Humor is not always played in a field which is even. This is especially when the subject of this humor is present. People usually differ in regard to the kind of factors that come

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Botton's Arguments

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Humorists are people who are skillful in using humor for writing, talking, or acting. Their works bring laughter and elation to people. In Botton’s book, Status Anxiety, he believes that humorists not only entertain audience, but also convey important messages that cannot be said directly. Thus, he argues that humorists play a vital role in the society. In most cases, Botton’s claim is justified in that since the early nineteenth century, humorists express their thoughts about the society through humor. Some of these humorists do play important roles in the society by revealing crisis or events happening during that time period to bring awareness from the society.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Humor appear’s to help people’s psychological and physical well being.” It says in Peter McGraw’s essay “The Importance of Humor Research.” It has been proven that it is good for your body to react in such a way to a funny situation but the psychological portion of it is hard to understand. When someone laughs, endorphins are released from the brain and are sent throughout the body creating the feeling of pleasure. It is a healthy alternative to any negative situation, whether it be negative or awkward it can be made easier with a joke here or…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alan De Botton Humorists

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Although some humorists attempt to convey a message about society at large, the main focus of most humorists is to entertain and not effect societal change. The…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The article “Solve That Problem with Humor” by William D. Ellis discusses the importance of humor. He begins by pointing out that being funny is a better way to win arguments. Ellis further argues that humor can be used to solve many other everyday complicated situations that we face in relationships, for example, giving constructive feedback. Later in the article, Ellis talks about how a funny joke is the greatest way to reduce conflict and help to let the people guard down. By the end of the article, Ellis discusses the idea that in some rare situation joking can save people from darkness. In Viktor E Frankl’s experience stated that joking support him to go through the tough time. The most significant idea in this article is humor…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    By maintaining a sense of humor where possible can encourage an individual to relax and alleviate stress, especially if they are having a difficult home life or experiencing a challenging period of their life. If they are experiencing a difficult time it is important to be considerate.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sarah states that laughter is beneficial to health because it relieves stress and helps one socially. Information from another article Laughter is the Best Medicine concurs with what is being said. " Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. ....Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert" (Smith, Segal). She gives physical and mental effects of laughter such as decreased risk of heart attack, increase pain tolerance, increased intelligence, production of antibodies and protective cells that fight off disease and infections. Smith and Segal created charts, shown in fig 1, with lists that include benefits of laughter that Sarah mentions and more. In the article The Health Benefits of Laughter similar benefits are also mentioned: "research shows that when you laugh, there is an increase in oxygen-rich blood flow in your body, possibly due to the release of endorphins, which create a chemical rush that counters negative feelings and stress"(…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Popular Satire

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Humorists are essential to the function of society. Their ability to challenge authority, encourage thinking, and voice their opinions are the reasons we are characterized as a democracy. They showcase our free speech and freedom of the press as protected under the constitution and remind us of the principles that our great nation was founded…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and why not”, said by George Bernard Shaw (miscellaneous quotes). In society today, many people go about with things and don’t ask why they do such matter. In the article, “Corn-pone opinions” by Mark Twain, he uses a good example: he states that “fashion has established itself: it is admired, now, and no one laughs”. In other words, fashion is created, and people go along with it and never ask why they do so. Alain de Botton argues that humorists are not to entertain but “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly”. In agreement, humorists play a vital role in society.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Humorists

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, Alain De Botton argues that the chief aim of humorists is not merely to entertain but to convey with impunity, messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly. He believes humorists are allowed by society to say things that others won’t or do not want to express, thus serving a vital role in a functioning society.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    >By overviewing these topics i will be able to show how humor can help you both physically and mentally throughout your day.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor: John Morreall What humans find funny is so subjective, thus it is one of the strangest things that humans do. With just a few actions or a few words, our whole demeanor changes and, “…Our diaphragms move up and down in spasms, expelling air from our lungs and making staccato vocal sounds (Morreall, 2). Why do we laugh? What is humor?…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Humor is often used as an escape, a way for people to cope. It’s a way to connect with others and get along on this more intimate level. Humor is apart of our language as a way to lightheartedly show how we feel. More importantly it brings us together. It’s like a beaming light in a shadow of darkness, and it never goes unnoticed. Humorists can say things that others cannot, and get away with it too. Humor is not only found in obvious jokes, but in the very basic things in life. I catch myself laughing or finding humor in bizarre things, things that should make me upset but instead are so unbelievable that they are funny. Humor comes in varieties that are essential to life.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Humorist Paper

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sometimes life’s most important messages can be seen when you do not take it too seriously. Humorists are the ones who can help you do that with their witty remarks, clever remarks, and satirical material on life’s issues. Sure some humorist might look like they go to an extreme at times with their material, even to the point where you feel that they purposely offend you, but that is the best way to get their message heard without being heavily scrutinized by people. I believe that since humorist are meant to be a source of entertainment for people, they are more willing to hear what the humorist has to say about a certain major issue in the world, and that leads me to believe that humorist do a play a vital role in our society.…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Amigo Brothers

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Being around people that are funny you are more likely to want to stay that person's friend and it makes them more interesting. I find people who are funny more comfortable to be around than other people making me want to become their friend. When I had failed one of my test one of my friends cheered me up by making jokes about on how stupid the test was.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Definition Essay On Humor

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Seeing silver-linings through tough situations is an artform in itself that I am still trying to conquer day by day. Humor allows me to look on the bright side and keep on reaching for my goals. Not only does having a sense of humor help myself but it also helps others who I surround myself with. Helping friends when they are upset by making them laugh is one of the most rewarding things in the universe. Smiling through the tears is one of the hardest and challenging trials throughout life. My humor gives off the impression in awkward situations that I am comfortable when in reality I am stressed and nervous. Using humor lets me cope with stress in a safe and healthy way which many people can not do. In the future, I can count on my humor to expand and help me reach my…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics