Sense of humor is one of the best qualities a human can have.
Human personality is a complex outcome of many years of evolution. We started as hunter gatherers in small groups and now we stand at the cusp of an intergalactic era as a collective civilization. Our emotions have played an important role in our ascending to the top of food pyramid. We have learnt how to channel natural resources to our benefit. We are the undisputed champions of the physical world. Unimaginable amount of information has been collected and passed on throughout the generations. I suppose that this is the efficient side of human nature. Some of us burn the midnight oil and the rest follow. The critics may argue that there is more to life than efficiency and progress and I concur.
It is the human part that separates us from other species. We display a vast range of emotions such as from fear, disgust and shock to joy, happiness and satisfaction. These all are essential to our survival and mental health. Each emotion has its role in human psyche, but the one that makes life, pleasurable, content and lively is the sense of humor. I am not entirely sure where do i stand as far as my sense of humor quotient goes, but i have had the pleasure of meeting few people with an exceptional knack of making life better with the use of sense of humor. I appreciate sense of humor as it brings people together, can work on certain maladies and definitely better than conflict.
World is divided into many countries where people speak different languages, follow various beliefs and are culturally different. Sense of humor, on the other hand, has this uncanny ability of being universal. We all understand humor and can share it irrespective of our differences. For example, If i am in a TOEFL class full of students from around the world and my teacher’s wig fell on the floor, all students will certainly laugh. Even after the class, students will speak of teacher’s misfortunes for years to come. Similarly, using sense of humor is the best strategy when trying to break ice in personal or professional setting.
Furthermore, Sense of humor usually leads to laughter , at least it is supposed to. If used properly, Sense of humor can remove the ill effects of depression and melancholy. In my opinion, the mild depression arising from heartbreak can be effectively treated with sense of humor. In my country of origin, India, a few laughter clubs have been established where neighbors get together and start laughing. Laughing in a group seems to have therapeutic benefits that help relieve stress.
At last but not least , even a child understand that sense of humor is more pleasurable than conflict of any sort. We all grown ups understand its importance and value it more than fighting. Communication experts and intermediaries suggest using sense of humor so that differences and disagreements can be mended.
To conclude, i must insist that we all are going to live a short life when compared to the age of cosmos. We have numerous ways to express our feelings and emotions and all emotions have their place in defining what it means to be a human being, yet one emotion that in my opinion, surpasses all other emotions is our sense of humor for its universal application and dire need.