The Importance of Humour in Mental Health
Unless you are able to keep your head in the sand, have no television or internet access, you cannot have missed the presidential election campaign in the US. Though it is a a particularly nasty campaign, there is always a possibility for humour. Last night, one such occasion occurred at the Al Smith Dinner. Many pundits have said how much better one candidate did on the humour front than the other.
This led me to consider the importance of humour in mental health. It is sort of a tradition in politics, and life in general, that where there is affection there is humour. Even when the affection is limited, humour is a way to relate to another person. Share a joke, you share commonality and connectedness.
I have mused on the following thought, if a person lacks a sense of humour, is there a knock on effect on that person’s mental health? I believe that this is true. A person who has a strong sense of self with good ego integrity can take a bit of a ribbing or a little teasing. If one does not, humour can be taken as personal and therefore the recipient will respond as if the good humour is an attack that must be repelled by all means possible. So remember a good sense of humour shows a good mental state.
