Comments on: Can humour be learned?

By: Pat Ford

Pat Ford — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:02:19 +0000

I think that humour can be improved upon, i do think that some of us find it easier to laugh than others, I recently watched the last Sir Norman Wisdom Interview he was a true genious of comedy and could certainly make everybody laugh

By: Warren Davies

Warren Davies — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 09:42:51 +0000

Paul,

Many thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Glad to hear about the results of your research, I’ll definitely pick up a copy of your book!

By: Mike Logan

Mike Logan — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:22:31 +0000

Hello All,

Did you hear the one about the Domestic Violence Educator who had his guys practice belly laughing? No joke, and after a moment or two, they usually lightened up and smiled. That is actually a technique I stole from Mantak Chia’s book, The Multiorgasmic Male. That book always gets their attention. There is definitely a place for irony and whimsy in therapy. Mike Logan

By: Paul McGhee

Paul McGhee — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:46:33 +0000

Mary Kay Morrison has passed on to me the connection to this blog, since it specificallly mentions my Humor Training Program. I often hear people say, “You’re either born with it or you’re not . . . and if you’re not, there’s nothing you can do about it. That is definitely not the case.

Research conducted in university settings on three continents has now consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of my Humor Training PRogram in both strengthening humor habits/skills and improving the ability to cope with life stress. The program is designed for the average person, but has also been shown to reduce clinical levels of depression and anxiety. In fact, the program is now being used for this purpose in Germany and Switzerland.

The program itself is presented in my book, Humor as Survival Training for a Stressed-Out World: The 7 Humor Habits Program (published in 2010). It is available from Amazon or the publisher, AuthorHouse. The book includes a discussion (with references) of all the German, Swiss, Australian and American research testing the program.

A couple of people above have commented on children’s humor. Another of my books specifically discusses the way in which children’s humor develops from infancy to the early elementary school years. It reflects underlying changes in cognitive development.

By: Warren Davies

Warren Davies — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:18:30 +0000

Mary,

Thanks for the comment and kind words. I’ll put aside some time to add some papers to the research database – would you categorise it within positive psychology or do you think it’s better as a stand alone section?

By: Mary Kay Morrison

Mary Kay Morrison — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:12:19 +0000

Thank you for this article. I realize that you requested no links in the body of the comment, but I want to let you know about AATH, http://www.aath.org/ an organization that studies the use of therapeutic humor. I serve on the Board of Directors of AATH and am conference co-chair this year. We had Paul McGhee as one of our presenters last year. This year he will be providing a session on his Humor Skills Development program. Lou Franzini has also been one of our presenters. Our conference will be held in Orlando April 7-10, 2010. I joined the psychology list serve this year to see if I can find any specific information from the PP field on humor and the applications in the field.

I noticed on your research page that it is not one of the categories. I realize that we are pioneers in the field of humor studies–but want to invite you to join with us as we explore this topic. My background is education and I am interested in current cognitive research on learning and humor.

Thanks for all of your work to develop this great web site. I will share it with my Humor Academy
Certificate participants….a new program offered by AATH to study humor.

By: soccer boots

soccer boots — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:29:30 +0000

I think humor is a natural thing which cannot get via any kind of training.

By: Utility Warehouse Manchester

Utility Warehouse Manchester — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:56:54 +0000

Humor has to be inborn in you…it is not possible to learn it

By: Doug Slater

Doug Slater — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:48:58 +0000

I believe that humour is something that can be learned and developed like any other skill. Often it starts in early in childhood when a toddler will mimic phrases they hear their parents say (or from TV). They then pick up that this gets a pleasant reaction (laughter) and will often repeat it when they want positive attention. .-= Doug Slater´s last blog ..The Hypnotic Handshake Induction =-.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:47:49 +0000

I’ve known quite a few people with absolutely no sense of humor and I find it hard to believe it can be learned at that stage in their lives. But, it’s also hard to argue with science, limited as these studies are. Perhaps there’s hope after all for these humorless souls.

By: dofollow backlinks

dofollow backlinks — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:25:29 +0000

humour is the very very important for human life, its getting agressive growth. thanks the article .-= dofollow backlinks´s last blog ..watch Manchester United vs AC Milan Live Stream =-.

By: Jonha

Jonha — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:37:48 +0000

I think it's amazing how things could be learned especially humor. Just like in skills, they may not come naturally but through persistence, they could be gained as if they were gained naturally or almost automatically. .-= Jonha´s last blog ..Carlos Slim, Forbes Richest Man for 2010 =-.