Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig, wrote Frank Moore Colby, How many of them will own up to a lack of humor?

In my experience the answer is None. Ask any gathering for a show of hands who among them does not have a sense of humor. Not a hand goes up.
Unfortunately, the experience of humor is so pleasant and entertaining, that it is all too easy to overlook humors fundamental roll in maintaining our emotional balance. However, an understanding of what your sense of humor is up to will help elevate its importance and increase your respect for it. Your sense of humor has real work to do and will do it faithfully if youll let it.

First of all our mind-body system needs to experience humor. It is essential for our well being. In fact, our system actually searches for it. An event that happened in my service club demonstrates this.

For years one particular club member volunteered to compile a scrapbook to present to the outgoing club president as a memento of his term in office. On one occasion he was fourteen months late in making the presentation. This happened because the compiler had experienced an extended illness, which all of us were aware of. In the presentation ceremony he explained the delay by saying, When Chuck became President I had a heart attack.

The club members erupted in laughed as our sense of humor simply bypassed the known facts of the statement. Instead it focused everyones attention on the erroneous but comical meaning: Chuck as President so upset me that I had a heart attack.

Notice that there was no build up to this comical thought as there is in the usual structure of many jokes. The thought was not one that anyone even considered. Instead, it was spontaneous and immediate. The sense of humor, with an energy force all its own, over rode the clear facts and pulled the comical meaning out of his factual remark and held it up, letting it glisten like a jewel sparkling in the sunlight. It rewarded us with laughter and delight.

This search for humor makes sense when we realize that the sense of humor is a natural part of ourselves. It was a part of human nature long before there were stand up comics, gag writers and cartoonist. It is not an added feature, sort of after thought. Our ability to discover and appreciate humor is structured in our very being.

So what need satisfaction does the humorous experience meet?

A look at where the word comedy comes from gives a clue to answer. Remember the boy in the neighborhood who chose to stay home instead of going with the others in search of adventure. and how the gang considered him strange and gave him a few uncomplimentary names.

Well, the word, comedy apparently comes from the name of a Greek demigod named Comus who behaved something like this. As Joseph Meeker, author of The Comedy of Survival, explains it he was a god quite content to leave great intellectual matters to Apollo and the driving passions to Dionysus. His attention went to household affairs seeing to it that the biological processes necessary to keep life moving along in normal fashion did so: Plants propagated, family and community life perpetuated., has said, It was the commonplace conditions friendly to life that Comus sought to keep in good order. Keeping life in balance was his appointed task.

Ones sense of humor works in much this same way. Youve experienced it in action again and again. It happens in work or club meetings where the issues are serious and the debate long. Suddenly, from out of nowhere someone says something with a comic ring. The assembly erupts in laughter.

I recall listening to the radio broadcast of the 1952 National Republican Party Convention during the proceedings in nominating the GOP presidential candidate. One particular issue ignited a strong floor debate. As it went on and on even sitting at home you could sense the mounting tension. And then it happened. According to protocol any delegate recognized to speak had to first announce his or her name and the State the delegate was from. When emotions seemed near the breaking point a delegate went to the microphone to be recognized and said, My name is John Johnson, I come from Wisconsin.

The coincidence of this delegates identification being identical to the popular stereotype of a Wisconsin resident was too much for the assembly. to maintain its strained emotions. The entire assembly was convulsed in laughter. Comus had done his work.

Often this response is called comic relief. But thats looking at the reaction through the wrong end of the telescope. Its not simply relief. Its your sense of humor hauling you away from the stress and strain that interfere with your proper emotional and physiological balance. Its saying to you. Hey, youre too far afield. Come back where you belong, Over here, where you are relaxed and at your best.

(c)2006 Cy Eberhart