Introduction
Humor helps us understand the value of social interactions since it plays a crucial role in enhancing communication, eliminating stress, and promoting human interaction. This insight can help identify the part of the humor in societal interaction and determine how people from multiple cultures respond to a given type of humor. Cultural dynamics determine the individual perception of another person’s humorous comments. The things that sound funny in a particular culture may be offensive in another (Martin, 2018). Cultural identity is vital in determining how funny a particular comment is to the target audience. With a vivid insight into how people react to a given humorous statement, we can understand how to socialize freely with them without causing unnecessary conflicts (Hart, 2007). The funny aspect of a given comment depends on the humor’s implication on the recipient, which may influence their psychological health and social satisfaction.
Understanding Differences in Community Response to Humor
Visualizing individual and community responses to humor is crucial to social acceptance. Something may be reasonable in a given society and highly ridiculing and unpleasant in another community. Determining if a given statement is funny requires a proper understanding of cultural dynamics and the perception of fun and humor in different social environments (Hart, 2007). Significant people like political leaders can create huge problems among extensive societies because of the naive use of humor and laughter. Knowing how various statements can have a strong emphasis in a given social setting can help understand the speech that causes discomfort or protest.
Some people may have undergone intense occurrences that may demand seriousness when talking about something they find pretty offensive. Seriousness and a firm emphasis on respect can create a barrier in some communities’ socialization which consider humor a vital tool in social interaction. Other communities may not find humor necessary, making them consider seriousness a positive attribute. Asking oneself if something is funny therefore requires a proper understanding of the cultural and social aspects of the audience. Humor can be an effective tool for contentious social conflict, especially when a given society does not know the types of humor that can offend other communities (Eric et al., 2007). Other people may not be in a mental condition to accept humor because of their psychological or mental condition. Understanding social views requires awareness and knowledge about individual perceptions of humor.
Importance of Humor in Human Interaction
Humor is essential in human life as a critical aspect of enhanced social interaction. It has physical and psychological benefits because it can positively impact a person’s health. Humor plays a crucial role in general well-being because of multiple implications when someone is happy or laughing. There are positive changes to the human physiological system because of humor (Martin, 2018). Emotional well-being improves when someone undergoes a humorous instance in their lives. Humor can help reduce or eliminate stress through a stress-moderating effect that can also contribute to a good mood needed for efficient social support. Humor can significantly impact an individual’s cognitive response by producing positive mental impacts.
Psychologists have realized that humor can improve immunity, enhance creativity, build unique facial outlooks, improve stress relief, eliminate anxiety and tension, and contribute positively to self-esteem. Social interactions are likely to improve in a humorous relationship because of positive emotions and satisfaction (Martin, 2018). This knowledge shows that every society and individual needs to grow in an environment characterized by effects that lead to happiness and personal relief. Most people may lack knowledge about the social benefits of humor because of a cultural setting that does not require its subjects to reveal their emotions to preserve their dignity (Martin, 2018). Therefore, psychologists must create social awareness about the need to achieve happiness through humor despite the persistent cultural and social constraints.
In western culture, humor can be an essential socialization tool. It can be a crucial attribute in workplaces, despite the seriousness of the business involvement. Humor creates a motivating platform that makes organizational environments more enjoyable and easy to manage because of enhanced human interactions (Eric et al., 2007). Organizational humor can help improve organizational effectiveness by enhancing communication and teamwork. Employees are satisfied in a humorous environment and therefore create a sense of healthy social systems that can be highly motivating.
Discords in humorous environments are few because humor creates a good sense of camaraderie. It can help reduce stress in the workplace and enhance teamwork because of proper cohesiveness within the organization that builds creativity and a welcoming organizational culture (Eric et al., 2007). With improved communication, organizations can have a clear vision and knowledge about their goals and objectives. Humor is always a key component of human interaction that requires proper identification of the appropriate way to act for a given society to prevent hurting others when meaning to create an excellent psychological setting.
Intercultural Perception of Humor
Humor occurs in a multifaceted form that differs among communities because of varying perceptions about amusement or self-expression. They involve universal vocal-behavioral laughter because humor is a common and valuable aspect of human interaction. Despite its universal nature, humor is an aspect that depends on cultural dynamics because individual or societal experiences vary across communities and regions. For instance, Americans apply humor in everything, and all items are subject to humor despite their immense need for serious consideration. On the other hand, the Chinese uphold seriousness as a critical social attribute that only allows them to make fun of things after considering how severe the matter is. These differences determine the funny thing among different societies to help apply humor in ways that do not hurt others.
The Western culture is more individualistic, while the communist Eastern culture considers other people’s conditions and feelings before making fun in a way that does not create happiness for the other person. Self-oriented humor is uncommon in Eastern culture and therefore forces people to create humor aligned to safeguard the other person’s well-being. This collective culture substantially influences how people make fun in their societies because of tolerance and adopting specific humor approaches. Western society considers humor essential in human interactions and therefore seeks happiness and enthusiasm in every aspect possible, even in grave matters.
Western Humor Perceptions
In western culture, humor is a natural aspect that should be in human speech as a crucial communication tool. The Americans use humor in every place and way it can apply, which shows the urge to generate amusement, fun, and delight as a critical aspect of social interaction (Caron, 2012). An individual’s ability to effectively use humor shows how socially attractive they are. Americans define attractiveness, romance, intelligence, and friendliness depending on someone’s ability to effectively use humor in social systems. Positivity in western culture only remains effective by including creative statements that induce humor in the audience.
Humorous individuals in the western culture appear positive and desirable; therefore, it becomes an essential tool of self-expression. When someone can create laughter in another person’s face, it shows how friendly one becomes (Krefting, 2014). Friendliness is, therefore, a way of generating happiness in the group, which creates attractiveness. Humorous people tend to have many friends because of their pleasant and intelligent character and therefore induce a positive feeling in their social setting, unlike the less humorous individuals who draw negative perceptions.
This friendly perception of humor makes it a ubiquitous aspect of American society that makes humor an essential ingredient of communication. Nothing escapes humor in western culture, as people use it in all conceivable methods and channels (Krefting, 2014). Promoting humor in societies is immense as newspapers, magazines, books, and comedy performances are valuable depending on their humorous content. There is little chance of lacking humorous content in every possible application because of the considerable urge to safeguard psychological well-being.
Americans consider humor a defensive approach to handling negative and gravely hurting phenomena, even death. The best way of evading negative emotions is to make fun of them because humor eliminates nervous energy. Confidence, courage, and motivation result from humorous expressions of fear, sadness, and anger (Caron, 2012). Managers use humor to motivate their employees in highly crucial operations to eliminate negative emotions that may adversely affect someone’s confidence. Human health also grows with increasing humor and laughter, which makes Americans promote their health and growth using laughter. In American society, laughter and humor have become an indispensable tool in daily life that plays a crucial role in enhancing individual impression, coping with challenging life occurrences, building interpersonal skills, enhancing creativity, and a fundamental way of self-actualization.
Eastern (Chinese) Humor Perceptions
Humor depends on societal understanding, existing knowledge, and personal views about the essence of humor in social development. Studies about humor by social scientists determine community understanding of humor. Humor is a universal social component that shows how someone can apply creativity to generate statements that induce laughter through wit or sarcasm. However, most Chinese construct their humor based on the Confucian way that considers humor an unworthy reputation of a respectable scholar (Seethaler, 2013). Confucian-dependent characters consider a gentleman as someone who can restrain laughter from building their dignity and expressing essential social formality. Many people in China recognize this knowledge and therefore prefer seriousness to humor.
Expression of emotion in the Eastern culture does not show respect and dignity, making the people seek social approval by remaining severe. Confucius played a significant role in the theory about laughter and humor as he wrote literature that advocated against hilarious laughter. The Chinese have responded to this understanding by only laughing at particular moments (Seethaler, 2013). They also regard humor based on particular subjects. The Chinese make fun with certain people and laugh gently, with women covering their mouths, as Confucius advised. Confucian way of maintaining social order ensured that humor is moderate, good-natured, and tasteful. Over time, the Chinese disdained public humor and sought to ensure that life did not lose its serious aspect. They remain biased concerning cultural aspects of humor that force them to make fun with particular people.
It is evident that when interacting with the Chinese, learning about their perspective on fun, laughter, and humor is essential. They sincerely supported Confucianism and therefore omitted humor as a characteristic of a creative person. A creative Chinese thinker does not have to have a good sense of humor. They evade loud laughter, which induces a feeling of discomfort and nervousness. Using humor to cope with stress and generate a pleasant feeling is not common among the Chinese (Seethaler, 2013). They do not consider sexual and aggressive jokes as they are offensive and likely to hurt other people. Thoughtfulness in smiling is more valuable among the Chinese than hilarious laughter, which shows how they are likely to avoid aggressive jokes and emotional aspects of humor to retain individual dignity.
The Chinese do not devalue humor, but it remains an essential social interaction attribute. It is a meaningful way of generating happiness but does not show any robust characteristics of humorous people. The ancient Chinese culture upholds social norms that promote seriousness, causing more people to avoid humor for fear that it jeopardizes their social status (Seethaler, 2013). The Chinese are hugely influenced by Confucianism, which considers humoring a characteristic of intellectual shallowness. Confucianism promotes negative perceptions of humor because it indicates social informality. An ideal Chinese personality does not have a humorous character. Humor is not insignificant in Chinese culture, but it remains relevant for professional entertainers with extraordinary talent and expertise in formulating jokes that cause laughter among people.
Conclusion
Diverse perceptions about humor may create a complex social environment that requires individuals to understand what is funny in a given environment. Most people may not consider humor a positive characteristic and would therefore have identified other ways to gain happiness. Adapting to this social framework enables communities to define their cultural and social status based on social attributes that do not allow them to sacrifice their dignity because of pursuing humor. Therefore, cultural awareness is essential before cracking jokes and humorous statements that may lead to oppressive and offending impacts on the recipient. The audience’s culture may not consider humor a key social interaction aspect. Western cultures are willing to joke about everything, so long as the opportunity to create humor arises, without considering the seriousness of the matter. This practice occurs because the individual may need pain relief and reduced stress and anxiety, making humor an essential redemption practice even when the event is gravely serious.
References
Caron, J. E. (2012). The Year’s Work in American Humor Studies, 2010. Studies in American Humor, pp. 25, 125–185. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42573646
Eric J. Romero, & Kevin W. Cruthirds. (2006). The Use of Humor in the Workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(2), 58–69. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4166232
Hart, M. ’t. (2007). Humour and Social Protest: An Introduction. International Review of Social History, 52, 1–20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26405479
Krefting, R. (2014). All Joking Aside: American Humor and Its Discontents. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press., doi:10.1353/book.33137.
Martin, G. (2018). The Year’s Work in American Humor Studies, 2016. Studies in American Humor 4(2), 216–283. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/703918.
Seethaler, I. (2013). “Big Bad Chinese Mama”: How Internet Humor Subverts Stereotypes about Asian American Women. Studies in American Humor, 27, 117–138. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23823982
write