Humor is one of the great mysteries of the human order. If you ask a hundred experts on why we laugh, there would likely be a hundred different answers. In the same vein, intelligence is also a mystery as it can project a whole host of definitions. So the question comes – is sense of humor related to intelligence? The answer to the question is ‘Yes.’ If you look at the newborn babies, they express laughter in the presence of positive external stimuli, but can be related to humor? Probably not in quite the same sense as we are likely to think of it. I think a true sense of humor comes with development of intellectual capacity. So in that context, humor is obviously a sign of intelligence.

I have observed that people who have good sense of humor are intelligent in their mental makeup. If you see the live comedy shows on television, most of the comedians are very good with their dialogue timings, they are attentive and well prepared. They know when and how to fill the gaps and the exact moments where to make people laugh. They are clever and good observers. They draw very intelligent inferences of incidents happening around the world, they can detect nuances in delivering serious matters in an amusing way. Basically comedians are observant and are gifted people; they fill the gaps. They are good actors. I suppose intelligence, helps in understanding other people. It also helps in upgrading abilities both mental and physical. Humorists are usually quite introspective; with a passionate curiosity for “why people do what they do” and this curiosity about people is strongly correlated with intelligence.

The great, talented and endowed people such as P.K.Atre, P.L.Deshpande in Marathi were so intelligent in their speeches that people would throng and the venues of their speeches would be jam-packed. Their speeches were well worded, humorous and very well timed. They had the abilities to crack vulgar jokes without vulgar words or vulgar gestures. In Hindi cinema Mehmood, Jhony Walker, Mukri, Agha, Om Prakash and of course Kishore Kumar were the great lot of intelligent actors who could combine subtleness with a splash of vulgarity in their intelligent dialogue delivery and superb timing.  But, sadly today’s standup comedians don’t know where to draw a line; the more vulgar they speak, the less funny they sound.

It’s worth a recall that in 1960s comedians like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Lenny Bruce literally started a sexual revolution; their dialogues thrived on ‘F’ words. They liberated sexuality which was until then a forbidden topic.  They could think outside the box. It’s worth recognizing the fact that since the audience usually thinks inside the box, there is surprise that you didn’t really understand where the joke was going – this surprise is what makes humor work. And this is why timing is so crucial to humor. It’s too fast, too subtle, and no one in the audience understands.

Friends if you can laugh and if you enjoy comedy thank your stars, because there are so many people, those who appear to have no sense of humor at all; there is an evidence that people who have suffered brain damage, particularly to the right hemisphere of the brain, are less able to understand jokes. Other people who have all their mental faculties intact still seem to have a problem with humor. They make what they think are jokes, while remaining unmindful to the fact that no-one is laughing. Trust me; being able to hang on to a sense of humor is an incredibly positive trait. Humor has fantastic coping mechanism and has a escalation cycle, because the more you are able to see the funny side and laugh off the difficulties in life the more stronger you become emotionally and mentally.

Humor allows us to see things from a different perspective; it is something that all the best cartoonists and comedians in the world do. If you look the happiest and most successful people around you, one thing worth knowing about them is that they don’t just stop at one way of looking at a situation; they explore other ways. That’s also the basis of cognitive behavioral therapy, which is very successful in treating all kinds of depression.

We always find humor only within our fellow human beings. We see laughter in some animal species, but that appears to be a different expression from humor. So if we were to presume this anthropocentric viewpoint, then we see at least a correlation between the two.

Humor helps us to accept our own flaws; self-acceptance doesn’t have to be hard work. We can develop some of our most enjoyable flaws. Humor helps us to find out when not to have the last word. Humor also helps us to get rid of being afraid to ask silly questions. Please don’t forget that the most perfect moments usually happen at the most imperfect time. Having a sense of humor works, it tells us that we are imperfect beings and I feel that intelligence is needed to recognize this imperfection in ourselves.

Life is so short and we want to do so much – our list of doing things is big. As such, we should learn how to make it through life with a minimum of negative emotions that tend to drag us down. By simmering in our emotions, particularly the more powerful and self-destructive ones, we are not only shortening our lifespan, we are also making what time we do have here on earth less than fulfilling. So friends, make efforts of laughing as much as possible. Watch more comedy movies and comedy dramas. Read a lot of funny novels. Share something silly about yourself with friends, laugh at yourself, and help your friends to get a laugh out of them.

Humor is defined as “the tendency of particular cognitive responses to provoke laughter, physical reaction, and provide amusement.” It is experienced across all ages and cultures. It covers any human communication which makes people laugh or feel happy.

Humor is infectious. When your see people with roaring laughter, automatically we tend to have a smile. The contagiousness of laughter is truly positive; laughter has no caste, creed, and religion. It binds people. It helps you feel better and helping you bounce back. A home where the family shares laughter, enjoys joyful moments is a closely-knit and engaging family. It seems if you have pets at home, when you are happy, laughing your pets also enjoy – that’s the impact of laughter and humor. A good sense of humor, a positive attitude, and the support of friends and family plays a positive role in leading life successfully. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. It is the ability or quality of people, objects or situations to summon feelings of amusement in other people.

Most importantly, if you can work on activating your sense of humor along with laughter, it is of tremendous use to protect health of your heart.  According to a recent research by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, which in fact is the first one to indicate that laughter may help avert heart disease, the study found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

The study compared the humor responses of 300 people. Half of the participants had either suffered a heart attack or undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. The other 150 did not have heart disease. One questionnaire had a series of multiple-choice answers to find out how much or how little people laughed in certain situations, and the second one used true or false answers to measure anger and hostility. The most significant study finding was that people with heart disease responded less humorously to everyday life situations. They generally laughed less, even in positive situations, and they displayed more anger and hostility.

Who doesn’t enjoy a great laugh whenever possible? Laughter is a great healer and one of the most positive and rejuvenating human emotions.  It calms our nerves, reduce tension and stimulate creativity.

Many researchers including Drs. Lee Berk and Stanley Tan have studied the therapeutic benefits of laughter and humor. Laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol which narrow blood vessels, improves cardiovascular health by increasing the body’s ability to use oxygen, reduces anxiety, relaxes muscles, strengthens the immune system, releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Apart from the significant medical benefits of laughter, all of us enjoy being around people who make us laugh. We all love watching comic films, cartoons again and again simply because they help us relieve stress, and they brighten our day.

Mankind is ignorant about the purpose and meaning of laughter, and there is bliss in this ignorance. We laugh at just the right times, without consciously knowing why we do it. Most people think of laughter as a simple response to comedy, or an energizing mood-lifter. It is an instinctive behavior programmed by our genes. One of the remarkable things about laughter is that it occurs unconsciously. You don’t decide to do it. While we can consciously inhibit it, we can’t consciously produce laughter. That’s why it’s very hard to laugh on command; for that matter fake laughter is very difficult

Very little is known about the specific brain mechanisms responsible for laughter. But we do know that laughter is triggered by many sensations and thoughts, and that it activates many parts of the body.

People who can laugh at themselves or at their situation are usually more flexible when problems arise. Because they are able to see the lighter side of a difficulty, they are better equipped in putting their problems in the right perspective.

Do you know the first laughter appears at about 3.5 to 4 months of age, long before we’re able to speak; laughter, like crying, is a way for a preverbal infant to interact with the mother and other caregivers.

A teacher with a sense of humor is more appreciated by the students than serious teachers.  And, teacher who can add humor even to serious topics can handle the class without boring the students besides, the topic will be memorized better by the students. A teacher with a sense of humor sends an indirect message to students that he or she is enthusiastic about teaching; therefore, it becomes a positive force in the field of teaching-learning. Students remember those topics whether serious, boring, unexciting, dull, edgy etc with a pleasure. I think sense of humor is one of the most valuable resources a teacher can use in the classroom because it makes the classroom session enjoyable.

Why only teachers, don’t we all love our doctor, our lawyer, and our chartered accountant, every professional or not so professional people to have a good sense of humor? Instead of telling how serious our problems are, if these people can add little humor – the serious problems can be handled calmly. In marriage, if one partner has sense of humor, the marriage strengthens the bond between two partners; also both partners have lesser health issues.

Another thing about laughter is instead of laughing alone, or if watching a comedy film alone has its benefits, watching it with group of friends is more beneficial. In a group, laughter becomes contagious and lasts much longer than when you laugh by yourself.

Last but not least, life is not serious, we are serious. Many philosophers have said that if you can’t laugh, however rich you are, you are bankrupt. Intensity, deliberation, concentration, focus are not words synonymous to seriousness. Please realize seriousness never allows bringing out the best in us. It kills our enthusiasm, our passion, our creativity – thus killing the charm of doing a good job. Seriousness shallows our ability. Be cheerful if you want to achieve the best.

It seems, chimpanzees can share a joke just like any human but they are also capable of sharing a laugh even when they don’t find something particularly funny, scientists have discovered. A study was conducted in at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia. The study examined laughter in 59 wild chimpanzees and has found that laughter occurs not just when chimps are having fun but also when they want to promote some kind of social bonding; like human smile at each other to improve bonding and further a conversation. Now isn’t this amazing?

Therefore, friends just laugh, there is humor all over the place, I think laughter is a wonderful natural tranquilizer, use it in abundance.