A ‘haha’ a day, keeps the doctor away. Laughter is the best medicine. A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. A good chuckle seems to be very serious business indeed, what with these popular ‘health benefits’. And deconstructing this very phenomenon was what the interactive discussion at Atta Galatta earlier this week was all about, with humour writer Jane De Suza and psychiatrist (with a sense of humour!) Dr. Shyam Bhat leading the talk.
So what is humour? Bhat says “Early psychologists actually said humour is a defence mechanism, a mature one. That’s an interesting theory”. Jane agrees, and says: “I actually started blogging about the challenges I faced being a mom in a humorous way, and I realized that humour blogging was practically like my pressure cooker, where I could just let off steam! It is all about the way you look at things — you can either blame your luck or laugh it off.”
As the talk veers to the concept of stand-up comedy, Bhat, a stand-up comedian himself, says: “Stand-up comedy is a calling! Making people laugh is great for your self-esteem. And it really is an art — I’ve seen guys who are nervous and jittery in the green room, but can go up on stage and be insanely funny!” What are his thoughts on most Indians’ sense of humour then, stand-up comedy wise? “Well, I’ve almost been beaten up a couple of times when I do stand-up comedy,” he jokes. “A large section of our population is getting very sensitive, which will make humour writing more challenging.”
Can a sense of humour be acquired? Jane says, “I don’t think humour can be taught. It isn’t a conscious effort, just a way of looking at things. I think I have an approach to life that has a funny underside.”
Bhat jokes, “It takes two to have a sense of humour. If you laugh at your own humour, people will probably mistake it for madness!” Jane quips: “A sense of humour is seen as a troublemaking child. The kid who makes everyone laugh is the troublemaker, isn’t he? But he’s popular!”
Well, humour is indeed universal. And no matter which walk of life you’re from, it’s the funny bone that keeps us all tickled pink in unison!