Humor is both the quality of being amusing and a person's ability to find a funny side in things and situations. Present in most human interactions, it is popularly known and proven that humor has positive effects on a person's health and well-being.
Such positive effects are not just popular knowledge or based on simple but nonetheless valid anecdotal testimonies. Scientific research has proven that truly, humor creates a plethora of benefits for a person's heart, mind, body, and soul.
Psychological theorist Abraham Maslow noted that a sense of humor is a characteristic of "self-actualized" individuals. Maslow derived his knowledge from his psychological practice and research.
Sigmund Freud, the precursor of psychoanalysis, wrote that humor is the highest defense mechanism as it allows the ego to win in the midst of adversity.
Studies on humor and its psychological advantages were pioneered by two psychology professors named Herbert Lefcourt and Rod A. Martin. Their initial study brought about the SHRQ or the Situational Humor Response Questionnaire. This questionnaire was used to confirm and back up the belief that humor reduces the impact of stress. Lefcourt and Martin discovered an association between humor and greater vitality and positive self-concept. Their study's findings suggest that subjects who are able to express humor despite being in some state of handicap have greater acceptance and/or transcendence of their disabilities and problems.
A study conducted by researchers Dean and Major found that humor paves the way for effective teamwork and team relationships, helps in dealing with various demands and stressful situations, and is effective in conveying empathy and recognizing the dignity of a person.
Kuiper, Martin, and Olinger did a study focusing on relationships between cognitive appraisals and sense of humor, validating that people who respond to life situations in a humorous way may be less likely to appraise their environment as threatening. This allows the person to generally experience less stress.