Everyone, regardless of their culture or age, enjoys humor. However, experimental psychology has only recently recognized it as a crucial, fundamental human behavior. In the past, psychologists have framed humor negatively, claiming it shows arrogance, vulgarity, Freudian id conflict, or acts as a coping mechanism to mask one’s true emotions. According to this theory, humor can be used to degrade or disparage others or to exaggerate one’s own value. As a result, it was regarded as a bad habit that needed to be avoided. Psychologists also tended to disregard it as a topic for investigation.
But recently, research on humor has surfaced, and humor is now recognized as a virtue. Humor can be used to build intimacy, relieve stress, and make others feel good, according to positive psychology, a discipline that studies what people do well. A sense of humor is one of the qualities positive psychologists refer to as transcendence; along with gratitude, hope, and spirituality, it helps us connect with others and give our lives meaning. Humor appreciation is correlated with other virtues like wisdom and love of learning. Additionally, participating in humor-related activities or exercises makes you feel happier and more optimistic. For all of these reasons, researchers are now open to studying humor as a desirable behavior or skill in experimental psychology. A series of mental processes are needed to comprehend and create humor. According to cognitive psychologists, humor has three stages.
