Getting Serious About Being Funny: Using Humor as A Defense Mechanism
Legend has it that shortly after Adam was created, he complained: ‘O, Lord! You have given the lion fierce teeth and claws, and the elephant formidable tusks; you have given the deer swiftness of legs, and the turtle a protective shell; you have given the birds of flight wings, but you have left me altogether defenseless.’ And the Lord said unto Adam: ‘I shall give you an invisible weapon that will serve you and your children better than any weapons of fight or flight, a power that will save you even from yourself. I shall give you the sense of humor.’
The belief that laughter heals the mind has been around for centuries. And why not? Humor just feels good; it distracts us from our problems, promotes a lighter perspective, and serves as a great defense mechanism. In this article, I would like to discuss my experience and perspective on using humor as a positive defense mechanism.
Defense mechanisms are believed to protect the ego from emotional pain through the unconscious mind’s distortion of reality. In Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, defense mechanisms are used to “manipulate, deny, or distort reality” to reduce anxiety and control impulses or to maintain dignity. All defense mechanisms are responses by the subconscious/unconscious to handle the stresses of a social situation. The use of defense mechanisms may have positive or negative ramifications depending upon the mechanism and how it is used.
Humor may function as an adaptive ego defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations. In this respect, humor serves as both a defense mechanism and a way of coping with adversity. Research has supported this idea. For example, in a study by Samson, Glassco, Lee, and Gross (2014), humorous coping applied after viewing negative pictures was found to increase positive emotions at both short- and longer-term follow-up.
Everyone has different self-defense or coping mechanism, and different people see comedy in different ways. While some see comedy as a relief, a release from the pain of existence in an otherwise ordinary world, some see it as a distraction, one that must be curbed. I believe that distraction humor is an efficient method of getting yourself out of a tense situation without having to deal with it. The next time someone tells you, “You’re quite difficult to handle”, you could just say “That’s what she said” and deal with the situational reality of you being annoying later. This technique has worked well for me because it takes away the need for split-second decision-making, and no awkward, half-hearted apologies need to be made. It gives me the opportunity to assess the situation on my own time. It isn’t ideal, because reliance on repetitive distraction is a sign of poor decision-making abilities, if not bad conversational skills, and some people may see through it instantly. It’s a win-lose situation one way or another.
In my opinion, even if laughter produces no specific biochemical changes, it accomplishes one very essential purpose. It tends to block deep feelings of apprehension and even panic that all too frequently surrounds us. I feel that a joke is never meant to be delivered with the intention of doing anything other than reinforcing a positive attitude or attaching a positive attribute to a negative or uncomfortable person or situation. Therefore, comedy acts as an excellent front when it comes to dealing with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. I find the case of Jewish humor as an interesting example: while diverse, it revolves around wordplay, irony, and satire, and is mostly anti-authoritarian. Great examples of Jewish humor can be found in small snippets in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, a light-hearted comedy set in the 1950s, when Maisel pokes fun at Jews being stingy people while being Jewish Orthodox herself.
I believe that the pursuit of happiness is one of life’s basic precepts. I have been using humor as a defense and coping mechanism for quite some time now. Looking back, I feel that positive humor helped buffer the impact of work stress on my mental health, as well as promoted more effective functioning at work. ‘If you want to rule the world, keep it amused,’ said Emerson. I do not want to rule the world, but I want to keep it amused and amuse myself in the bargain.
