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Summary: The Social Power Of Humor

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Lundberg states that positive humor is nurturing and makes everyone feel good. According to Goodman (1992), "Laughing with others builds confidence, brings people together, and pokes fun at our common dilemmas. Humor is laughter made from pain, not pain inflicted by laughter."
In a study conducted by Keltner and Bonanno (1997), it was asserted that bereaved persons when engage in humor become more involved in their ongoing experiences and less dedicated to reminiscence and involvement with their past. This involvement enhances the likelihood that they will engage in their social groups once again, and will protect them from the negative experiences of their stressful lives. Lefcourt (2001) opinionated that humor is a quality that enhances …show more content…

humor and laughter signal empathy and a readiness to cooperate (Jung, 2003)
f. humor is a form of group-selected honest signalling that coordinates the emotions and actions of group members (Gervais & Wilson, 2005)
g. humor may have partly evolved as an indicator of intelligence for potential mates (Greengross & Miller, 2011).
The social power of humor is as follows (Helpguide.org, 2016):
a. Form a stronger bond with other people – An individual’s health and happiness depend, to a large degree, on the quality of his relationships with together people. Humor and laughter binds people together
b. Smooth over differences – Humor can be used as a way in which one can gently discuss various issues, especially the most sensitive ones.
c. Diffuse tension - A well-timed joke can ease a tense situation and help resolve disagreements.
d. Overcome problems and setbacks - A sense of humor is the key to resilience. It helps a person to deal with various setbacks, hardships, troublesome situations of life tactfully.
e. Put things into perspective – Perceiving problematic things and situations from a humorous point of view can make one perceive that situation from a positive bent of mind. Humor can help reframe problems that might otherwise seem overwhelming and

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This is an example of changing the situation. B. Based on Critchley’s article humor functions as anti-depressant by allowing the cognitive relation to, oneself and the world. “Humor has the same formal structure as depression but it’s an anti-depressant”. It’s a way to suppress depression by being able to find positive functions for the superego.

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“The Influence on the Unconscious” As young adults, we have laid around our homes for countless hours watching different types of television programing. Many of us, have a good idea on whether a program tries to offend viewers with their content. For over a decade, the popular television show “Family Guy” created by Seth MacFarlane, has shown controversial content that many people throughout the world have either loved or hated. In the writing piece titled, “Family Guy and Freud: Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious” by Antonia Peacocke that is discussed below encourages us to distinguish between offensive and insightful content that airs on Family Guy.

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Critchley says (p. 9) that true humor has to change the situation. By this statement, I believe he meant that true humor allows one to shed light on topics or issues that might have been left in the dark due to pride or fears of expressing them, in an attempt to help release tension or change the situation or environment. True humor can change one’s perceptions of things. An example of true humor was presented in the story “Santa Land Diaries”, when he mentioned a husband sat on Santa’s lap and when asked what he had wanted for Christmas, another men yelled “I want a broad with big tits”. I think this is true humor because it helped to release the tension in others and changed the environment by causing others laugh.

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In “Good Country People”, O’Connor uses humor. The humor is found among the characters. She uses humor to create plot twists. The way the humor is set up ends in a tragic event.

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It’s hard to understand much else about the why’s and how’s of laughter, but they seem to know, simply, that it works. This means that in order for readers to further understand the reality of things like humor in Kesey’s book, oneself should have to ignore their feelings and sacrifice the pleasure and ask questions that help people to discover what it is about humor that is so powerful. Laughter does not only play a major role in the story, but in life as

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The Impact of Humor As Leo Rosten, an American humorist and author states, “Humor is the affectionate communication of insight” Humor is an intelligent way to enforce an argument to your audience. With the employment of humor, the authors are able to persuade their readers into understanding, and sometimes agreeing with their opinions. Humor allows authors to have the insight about their topic thus, giving the author credibility and zealousness. In Laura Fraser's essay, “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian”, she employs the element of humor to strengthen her essay in a myriad of ways.

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Humor comes in many shapes in sizes, appealing to different ages, genders, time periods, and even different intellect levels. In the 2011 blockbuster hit “Bridesmaids”, there are comical devices used that attract a crowd through low comedy. This implements comedy through vulgar language and jokes, indecency, and exaggeration. Although, this sort of humor may appeal to millions according to the outstanding ratings and exceptional critiques, this does not excite the same reaction to myself as it may to others. “Full of heart, warmth and enough excrement to fill an all-white bridal shop.”

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In fact, according to Alexander P. Vilaythong, et al in the journal article, “Humor and Hope: Can Humor Increase Hope”, they state that, “It has been empirically demonstrated that humor can positively affect psychological and physical well-being, and that sense of humor is a major component of high-hope individuals” (Vilaythong, et al 79-89). The character of Mark Watney shows this to be true in his particular case. His sense of humor and his ability to make light of some of the most perilous situations that he finds himself in is an important tool in his wheelhouse. His wit and humor allow him to push off some of the negative effects of stress, such as distracted thinking or obsessive

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Humor is the ingredient that keeps it all moving, holds the bigger picture, inspires and brings a sense of gratitude for life. Aspiring to these qualities illuminates the lack of them at times. When I hit this kind of wall or low, I turn to the smile and humor to elevate my

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By taking away the seriousness out of these topics through humor, allows readers to take their focus away from the negativity to

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One of the most valuable aspects of personality is humor – we value one’s sense of humor and make friends often based on finding certain things funny. But how and why do we consider things to be funny at all? Human beings have strived to uncover fundamental truths about human nature for centuries – even millennia – but humor itself is still yet to be pinpointed. Henri Bergson is only one of many who has attempted this feat, and his essay Laughter: an essay on the meaning of the comic from 1911 breaks down comedy into what he believes to be its essential forms and origins. While Bergson makes many valid points, Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times that was brought to screens only twenty years later seems to contradict many of Bergson’s theories, while Bergson seems to contradict even himself over the course of his essay.

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