Humour is the habit of encountering unpleasant experiences that still give entertainment and/or laughter. Humour is an important part of everyday life. It has been called the third kidney of the body. The word comes from the Greek humus, meaning “a flowing fluid”. Humour is also considered a crucial contributor to the well-being of individuals, of groups, of associations and of governments.
Humour is an important force in our society – without it, there would be no funny hats, no jokes, no smiles, no jokes, no sarcasm and very few people around us would have any sense of humour. Humour is the fundamental belief system of most western societies and is present in all cultures. The word derives from the Greek humus, meaning “a flowing fluid”.
A joke is just a joke, and it is only a joke: if it can make you laugh and/or feel some kind of pleasure or relaxation. However, in order for the joke to have any real power to make you laugh, it needs to be understood and applied in an original and spontaneous manner. As the famous saying goes: There’s nothing funny about everything! Most quotations about humour and even jokes are on the subject of how to apply them or understand them in a new or original way so as to be able to enjoy them, to be able to enjoy being with people who share similar interests and to be able to use humour in a constructive way.
Humour is particularly important in the social interactions we have in our day to day lives: In the work place, for example, good humour can be a great help in team building and effective management of projects. In a public speaking role, good humour can be a wonderful way of silencing those people who are clearly not interested in what you are having to say. When using humour, you need to remember that it should be able to stand alone in its effectiveness without the need for added reference to the person or group you are commenting on. And, when using humour, ensure that the others do not get the wrong impression.
The art of humour: is about being able to tap into peoples’ emotions and allowing them to take charge and do something positive for themselves by the sheer enjoyment of your humour. But, if you are going to inject a measure of humour into a situation, remember that you are not a stand-up comedian and you need to be very careful about the jokes you choose to tell. There are limits about how much you can say, especially if you are taking part in live social interactions. And, if you are going to use humour as a way to release negative emotions, you must do this in a healthy way and remember that the result is always positive emotions being released – positive emotions which bring about solutions instead of problems.
Humour can also be an instrument of social transformation: Consider a situation where someone has achieved considerable success within their industry but is regarded as too ‘cool.’ In this case, the mere fact that they are popular will likely not make them feel better, but instead, it could prevent them from being promoted. So, in a way, it would be a good idea to inject a little humour into their persona to counterbalance their coolness.
By using self-deprecating humour coupled with an appealing personality – combined with some self-awareness, you can create a powerful combination that will have positive outcomes.