What your brand of humour could be saying about you (or them)
- May 19, 2023
- 2 min read
Most of us enjoy a good chuckle. Quite a few of us reminisce over moments where we get to laugh until our stomach hurts long after the moment has passed. Laughter releases the right hormones (i.e. serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin), it eases tension, it helps us forget and allows us to be carefree - even if it's just for a moment.
Look up humour therapy, a complementary / alternative form of therapy in the mental healthcare space, and you'll see just how effective it is in improving mood, symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as general outlook on life.
Laughter can be the best medicine but it can also be the highest defence mechanism. Don't roll your eyes just yet...
Laughter is the most obvious consequence of humour and although humour can be used as a protective tactic against hidden depression, anxiety and low self-esteem, it isn't always an indication of depression, anxiety or a low self-esteem.
Each person has a specific kind of humour that they generally lean towards. Let's see if you can identify yours or someone else's as we go over them briefly:
Affiliative humour
This type of humour is generally used to put others at ease and can be useful in facilitating healthy relationships. Any joke/s on everyday life that anybody would typically laugh at falls under this category.
Self-enhancing humour
If you laugh at yourself after spilling coffee on your white shirt or when you realise that you just greeted the wrong person, you've made use of self-enhancing humour. This is basically the ability to laugh at yourself, cheer yourself up and maintain a positive outlook even in awkward situations.
Aggressive humour
Think of the person that uses jokes to put others down. You know, the bigot that hides behind offensive jokes. Could be a colleague or your favourite comedian. That's what aggressive humour typically looks like.
Self-defeating humour
Thembisa or Jacques have been bullied about their weight before so Thembisa or Jacques tend to make negative jokes about their weight before anyone else is able to do so. Thembisa or Jacques are examples of people that have used self-defeating humour. This is a form of humour that is rooted in low self-esteem and is basically used to amuse others at the individual's own expense.
What style of humour do you use most often?
Not sure? Try the Humour Styles Questionnaire to help you figure it out: http://www.humorstyles.com/
A positive style or blend of humour is obviously great; some can even counter symptoms of depression and anxiety along with other benefits mentioned above.
The alternative, however, could be an indication of a need for a little introspection or a cry for help.
That being said, everything is subject to change so don't stop laughing!
Live. Love. Laugh
Chat soon
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