Humor

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Humor

Humor or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humors (Latin: humor, "body fluid"), control human health and emotion.

People of all ages and cultures respond to humor. The majority of people are able to experience humor, i.e., to be amused, to laugh or smile at something funny, and thus they are considered to have a sense of humor. The hypothetical person lacking a sense of humor would likely find the behaviour induced by humor to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately decided by personal taste, the extent to which an individual will find something humorous depends upon a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and context. For example, young children may favour slapstick, such as Punch and Judy puppet shows or cartoons such as Tom and Jerry. Satire may rely more on understanding the target of the humor and thus tends to appeal to more mature audiences. Nonsatirical humor can be specifically termed "recreational drollery".

Many theories exist about what humor is and what social function it serves. The prevailing types of theories attempting to account for the existence of humor include psychological theories, the vast majority of which consider humor-induced behavior to be very healthy; spiritual theories, which may, for instance, consider humor to be a "gift from God"; and theories which consider humor to be an unexplainable mystery, very much like a mystical experience.

Funny Happenings

  • While working on the biography of the Marquis de Sade, when a phone call came in. I wanted to talk,. but also wanted to finish my writing. When type his name, my finger hit the adjoining key. Somehow, "Marquis de Safe" is just plain wrong!

Great quotes

  • You've heard of "the Rain Man" and "Forest Gump" - I'm a cross between the two: you may call me "Rain Forest"
  • "Life is an ongoing war in which no one is allowed to be a conscientious objector!" from "Irma La Douce"

Funny Stories

See also Gag

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