Is there a difference between laughter and humor?

[CHRISTINE77]

Humor can result in smiles or light laughter.

Inappropriate laughter has been cited as a symptom of psychosis (do a Google search using the keywords ‘laughter’ and ‘psychotic’). I take this a step further and contend that heavy laughter (excluding smiles and light laughter) is psychotic based on my professional training as a psychologist.

The more laughter is suppressed, the harder it is to keep from laughing. I remember times when I was a kid, and we were told not to laugh in certain situations (like church), and the laughs just kept bubbling up and were harder and harder to keep in. It frequently happens when a someone or a situation is too serious. I bet this even happens in a monastery if the rules are too strict. There is nothing more infectious than laughter. One person starts it and the next thing you know the whole bunch is in stitches!

I definitely would not call it psychotic. It’s a very social phenomena.

 

[Robert_Sock]

A simple dictionary definition of psychosis:

“Any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.”

Does deep laughter fit into this categorization?

 

[davidv]

A simple dictionary definition of psychosis:

“Any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.”

Does deep laughter fit into this categorization?

No!!!

 

[Ophelia23]

A simple dictionary definition of psychosis:

“Any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.”

Does deep laughter fit into this categorization?

No!!!

 

[CHRISTINE77]

A simple dictionary definition of psychosis:

“Any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.”

Does deep laughter fit into this categorization?

Actually, I would say just the opposite - laughter is when we are at our sanest - we see how absurd the world can be and just laugh it off. To be all upset about crazy things that happen in our lives is when we get out of touch with reality.

 

[dshix]

A simple dictionary definition of psychosis:

“Any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.”
**
Does deep laughter fit into this categorization?**

No, of course not. That’s absurd.

 

[inocente]

A simple dictionary definition of psychosis:

“Any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.”

Does deep laughter fit into this categorization?

No, not even remotely. Disorder means “a mental or behavioral pattern or anomaly that causes distress or disability, and which is not developmentally or socially normative”.

On the other hand, I once suffered a bout of depression and would guess that anyone who can’t laugh deeply or is distressed by laughter, and as a result wonders whether laughing is bad or wrong, could be suffering from clinical depression. What say you as a psychologist?

 

[Robert_Sock]

When in that state of deep laughter one loses contact with reality and is in a disordered state,

 

[Ophelia23]

When in that state of deep laughter one loses contact with reality and is in a disordered state,

I guess I don’t understand how it is an unequivocal fact that, when in a state of deep laughter, one loses contact with reality. I know that I don’t. When I am in a state of deep laughter, I am perfectly aware of that which I found to be funny. I am also aware of the people around me, how they are reacting, I am aware if my behavior is appropriate or inappropriate, etc. Are you possibly shedding your own personal insights onto the rest of us? Remember, what is sinful to one is not necessarily sinful to another. Perhaps laughter is sinful for you…? Further, monastic rule is not used to dictate what is sinful and what is not. If it were, then it would also be considered a sin for us layfolk to speak to one another rather than take a vow of silence.

 

[Robert_Sock]

I guess I don’t understand how it is an unequivocal fact that, when in a state of deep laughter, one loses contact with reality. I know that I don’t. When I am in a state of deep laughter, I am perfectly aware of that which I found to be funny. I am also aware of the people around me, how they are reacting, I am aware if my behavior is appropriate or inappropriate, etc. Are you possibly shedding your own personal insights onto the rest of us? Remember, what is sinful to one is not necessarily sinful to another. Perhaps laughter is sinful for you…? Further, monastic rule is not used to dictate what is sinful and what is not. If it were, then it would also be considered a sin for us layfolk to speak to one another rather than take a vow of silence.

As we move up the ladder of spirituality, what is considered ‘sin’ changes considerably.

 

[seagal]

As we move up the ladder of spirituality, what is considered ‘sin’ changes considerably.

I can’t agree with that. What is sin is always sin no matter how holy (or not) a person is. What changes is our own awareness of our sins. What we might consider to be harmless at one point on our journey to holiness, we will see to be sinful further along. It’s like shining a bright light on something, the brighter the light (God in us) the more dirt we perceive. The dirt was always there but we didn’t see it before God’s light shone on it.

 

[RPRPsych]

As we move up the ladder of spirituality, what is considered ‘sin’ changes considerably.

Meet the sinful, psychotic CAF smiley, and his family:

 

[Robert_Sock]

I can’t agree with that. What is sin is always sin no matter how holy (or not) a person is. What changes is our own awareness of our sins. What we might consider to be harmless at one point on our journey to holiness, we will see to be sinful further along. It’s like shining a bright light on something, the brighter the light (God in us) the more dirt we perceive. The dirt was always there but we didn’t see it before God’s light shone on it.

I agree, but the sin can be very subtle, like not devoting as much time as one can focusing on the greatness of God.

(My implicit point was that one needs to be aware of something being sinful in order for it to be sinful.)

 

[KingCoil]

I have so far read only the first post of this thread.

Laughter is sin that originates from within the darkness of the unconscious. Humor, on the other hand, is the good spirit that manifests itself from within the fruit of the soul. The truly spirited person laughs at nothing, but can find some kind of humor in almost everything he or she sees.

I submit that you have presented concepts of laughter and humor which are to my stock knowledge not the standard ones known to people who do read and write English intelligently, as to be intelligible in their writing to people who read English with comprehension.

Please revise your post #1.

KingCoil

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I agree, but the sin can be very subtle, like not devoting as much time as one can focusing on the greatness of God.

(My implicit point was that one needs to be aware of something being sinful in order for it to be sinful.)

Do you think Jesus never laughed?

 

[KingCoil]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock
Humor can result in smiles or light laughter.

The way I see it, uncontrollable or refusal or inability to control laughter when there is a perception of some incongruity between or among some aspects in a human event, is failure to participate in the drama event, either as an active player of the drama or as a member of the audience.

You see, to my stock observation all conscious life is a drama; for example inside a church, the drama is on a concern that is religiously solemn; wherefore everyone inside a church during that drama must keep self-control as to participate in the drama accordingly, i.e., with religious solemnity.

Now, even if some event is not being enacted inside the church and one finds oneself inside a church, one must already adopt the air of religious solemnity to give respect or what we call reverence to the place, owing to its being the scene of religious solemn drama events.

KingCoil

 

[Ophelia23]

As we move up the ladder of spirituality, what is considered ‘sin’ changes considerably.

Was this intended as some sort of veiled insult? I’m pretty certain that the more we move up the ladder of spirituality, our need to toot our own horn decreases quite drastically.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Was this intended as some sort of veiled insult? I’m pretty certain that the more we move up the ladder of spirituality, our need to toot our own horn decreases quite drastically.

 

[LilyM]

In the monastic tradition, there is a tradition of laughter being condemned (e.g. in the Rule of Benedict, the Rule of the Master, etc.), but, on the other hand, there is also a tradition of valuing humor. Sometimes, however, it is not often not possible to make a sharp distinction between the two (e.g. a mild chuckle- is that reflecting the bad form, or the good form?).

It is said that half an hour’s coarse, unrestrained laughter can undo a lifetime of hard spiritual work.

I often suspect loud laughter is generally ‘fake’. Honestly, most jokes or anecdotes one hears are not that funny, and the ‘big laugh’ is, not only uncouth, but also a mere pose. Proof of that is that no one laugh loudly while alone- ergo, it is done for an ‘audience’.

The wise man neither raises his voice in sorrow or anger, nor in joy or mirth, but expresses himself (if at all) through the slightest expression, remaining perfectly composed at all times. The wise man will see the humorous side, even should the whole world be consumed in flames, yet will also see the tragedic side of even the most joyous occassion.

Well, there is a kind of humour/laughter which lowers the mind and the soul, and a kind which raises it. All humor reflects and expresses the absurdity of something- if humor can relect and express the absurdities of the world, this life, human vanity, etc., it is a good thing. It is especially good if we can laugh (I mean laugh silently) at our own absurdities and vanities.

I beg to differ - plenty of jokes ARE ‘that funny’, as the very large number of people who make a living out of making lots of others laugh (ie professional comedians) will attest.

And I laugh fairly often and heartily when alone, especially if I’m reading or watching or listening to something funny. So there is no fakery involved. Like yawning, laughter can be contagious, so most people are going to laugh most and loudest, like they may yawn most and loudest, in company with other laughers or yawners.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

The way I see it, uncontrollable or refusal or inability to control laughter when there is a perception of some incongruity between or among some aspects in a human event, is failure to participate in the drama event, either as an active player of the drama or as a member of the audience.

You see, to my stock observation all conscious life is a drama; for example inside a church, the drama is on a concern that is religiously solemn; wherefore everyone inside a church during that drama must keep self-control as to participate in the drama accordingly, i.e., with religious solemnity.

Now, even if some event is not being enacted inside the church and one finds oneself inside a church, one must already adopt the air of religious solemnity to give respect or what we call reverence to the place, owing to its being the scene of religious solemn drama events.

KingCoil

or not.