Humorous Life Lessons And The Emotional Response

By Sarah Price


Before an individual, or comedian can decide what is funny in life, humor must first be defined. To paraphrase, humor is any action or activity in life which produces or provokes laughter. In addition, experiences which provide amusement are also thought to be of a humorous variety. For example, while embarrassing at times, someone losing a top or swimsuit while sliding down a slide at a water park often induces laughter. As such, personal experiences like this and others are often the area in which most humorous life lessons are learned.

When it comes to comedies and sit-coms such as Madhouse, RV and others, individuals can often learn some invaluable lessons. For example, before heading out on a road trip, it might be feasible to assure an RV is in proper working condition. Whereas, when putting up Christmas lights, it is always best to check the strand and electrical outlets before hanging in, on or around a house. Still, when watching these movies the audience is prone to laughter, thus inducing an emotional response.

Whether creating, or laughing at inappropriate material, an individual is often considered to be discriminatory, often without realizing same. As such, it is also important for audience members to step up and let others know when this type situation exists. Whether that means, approaching a comedian at the end of a gig, explaining to others why a joke is offensive, or writing a film or television studio as to why a show created a negative response.

Most often, those lacking a sense of humor have been offended by the material. Otherwise, it could be that the individual did not understand or grasp the meaning behind the material. As reception is often based on taste and personal knowledge, these are often the two main reasons why a joke or story does not promote a response in the audience.

The best jokes are often those based on personal experience rather than attacking others. For example, baldness has often been the punchline of many jokes when it comes to comedians. While offensive, this trend tends to continue because no one has spoken up. In addition, there are many other areas in which a comedian can draw material beyond having to personally attack audience members.

Context, intelligence, education, maturity, culture, location, radio, sports and television can all contribute to creating an emotional response such as laughter and joy, or sadness and sorrow. Individuals involved theater productions often understand the difference between comedic, dramatic, horrific and terrific material. Many of these elements, while having the ability to include humor, are often focused on obtaining a more intense emotional response.

When telling a joke, it is important that the audience be of the appropriate age to understand the punchline. Otherwise, the joke could be repeated in inappropriate surroundings. Whereas, children often find cartoons and storybooks to be quite funny while adults often prefer more advanced forms of entertainment.

Most people believe humor to be either basic human nature or a gift from the Divine. Whereas, others believe it to be a sense of joy which has no explanation. Regardless, as laughter has now proven to have an overall healing effect on body, mind and spirit, telling a good joke or explaining a humorous personal experience is often a good thing.




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