Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Seeking Humor

We hear all the time that people looking for a mate want someone with a sense of humor. That is not simply a frivolous trait, it is an important component of overall health. Norman Cousins who laughed himself back to health with laughter after a devastating diagnosis famously said that an “adequate share of humor and laughter represent an essential part of the diet of the healthy person.” Ergo, looking for a mate with a sense of humor is simply seeking someone who is healthy.

I read recently about a woman who recounted that one day she went driving in the hope of finding a place where she could commit suicide. She wasn’t sure how and where she would do it, all she knew is that she could no longer keep going. As it happened the radio was on and the program host made a joke which suddenly made her smile. She hadn’t smiled in a long time, but the simple fact that she did smile made her realize all was not as bleak as she thought. She had welcomed humor. She decided to give life another try for one more day, she told herself, and that one extra day turned into days that made it possible for her to find a solution to her problems.

Mark Twain said, with humor “all our irritations and resentments flit away.” When we try to joke about the annoyances in our lives they become less important. And when we joke about whatever scares us it becomes less frightening. Just as we try to remove the fear our young grandchildren may experience by turning it around and making a game of it so they can deal with the fear, whether a monster under the bed or a scary noise.

Finding humor in whatever situation saddens us at whatever age should be a priority. It is certainly a good alternative to brooding in misery and despair.