Do you consider yourself funny? Chances are, your answer will be ‘depends’. Humour is subjective: what we find funny varies, not only according to the content of the joke but the way it’s delivered and the person who makes it. All of us have that one friend who seems to make everything all the funnier.

But why are certain things funny? Why do some prank videos, for instance, make you giggle, while others make your stomach turn upside-down?

Psychology has tried for years to explain humor: why we find certain things funny. Humour is a pervasive part of the human experience: we spend a good portion of our time laughing and making jokes, and most people prefer to be surrounded by funny friends. Despite the prevalence and importance of humor, science still struggles to understand what it is exactly that makes something funny.

A recent study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggested that humor may be nothing more than violations of expectations. However, some events may still be surprising but not that funny – winning the lottery, for instance. What the researchers proposed is that what makes something funny, rather than merely surprising, is the “benign violation”: a failure of expectations about how things are supposed to be, but one that’s ultimately safe.

Why do we laugh?

Laughter is good for your mental well-being: if you’re feeling down, even a forced smile can suddenly elevate your mood. In some cases, however, laughter can be detrimental. In January 1962, a bizarre epidemic affected northeastern Tanzania. Three schoolgirls started giggling and just couldn’t stop laughing: soon, the laughter affected their classmates, one of which reported laughing for 16 days straight!

But why did we evolve to laugh? Why do we have an innate desire to share ‘funny’ things with friends and what makes us erupt in laughter when we do?

Researchers believe laughter evolved at two different points in human history. First one was somewhere between 2 million and 4 million years ago when primates began exhibiting an outgrowth of the breathy panting – likely, even before they had developed a language. It’s believed that the sound evolved to signal a type of non-serious, non-threatening novelty and also bring individuals of the same species together. This actually feeds into the Benign Violation theory we mentioned above.

Then, hundreds of thousands of years later, people learned to mimic spontaneous laughter to take advantage of its effects. Have you noticed how fake a forced smile looks in a photo? You still have the characteristic features of it – the upturned lips, the flashing teeth – but most of us are pretty adept at telling a genuine smile from a fake one. The same holds true for laughter. According to scientists Gervais and Wilson, this second type of laughter evolved as a mechanism to manipulate: for devious reasons but also for mutually beneficial purposes.

What makes you laugh?

We all want to be funny but everyone’s definition of ‘funny’ is as unique as their personality. Psychologists, however, have identified four different humor styles: affiliative, aggressive, self-enhancing, and self-defeating. Affiliative humor involves telling jokes that everyone can understand and might find funny. These are the types of jokes you will hear coming out of the mouth of comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and focus on the comedy of everyday life. Aggressive humor, on the other hand, involves insults or put-downs targeted to specific individuals. This type of humor is characteristic of comedians like Don Rickles or Joan Rivers.

Self-defeating humor is similar to aggressive humor but the jabs are usually addressed at the person telling the joke. It could be an unhealthy form of humor and it’s often used by the target of bullies to avoid attacks (the aggressive humor style is characteristics of bullies, as well). The ‘’healthy’’ version of it is the self-enhancing humor: the ability to make a joke when something bad happens to you. It’s very similar to self-deprecating jokes but because you’re essentially making yourself the target in a good-natured way, it’s a healthier way of coping with stress.

According to the Benign Violation theory of humor, things are funny because they’re surprising but also acceptable. Of course, everyone’s definition of acceptable varies which explains why many of us find things that may be offensive to others, funny.

Benefits of laughter

A sense of humor is an attractive trait but humor and laughter, in general, can offer numerous benefits. Using humor to cheer up your date has been shown to contribute to greater relationship satisfaction, while aggressive humor (including “innocent teasing”) has been found to have the opposite effect. Studies have found that couples in long-term relationships often share the same sense of humor but it’s not clear whether a shared sense of humor brings people together or it’s something that evolves naturally in the course of the relationship.

Humor can also be a great ally in the workplace: it’s one of the highest forms of communication and can increase intimacy, break the tension and bring people together. Studies have found that telling a joke can make you appear more confident and can elevate others’ perception of your competence and status – but only if the joke is funny.

Which brings us to our initial question: what makes us laugh? How do you know if you’re funny? How do you cultivate humor?

Psychologists believe developing good-natured humor and the ability to laugh at your own shortcoming is essential for your well-being. Laughter is more than just a response to humor: it’s a primary human tool, a building block of society that has been around longer than language or any other form of communication has.

So, how do you become a funnier person? It’s easy: just don’t take life too seriously, and… try to surprise others in an acceptable way : )