Intelligence And Sense Of Humor

A good sense of humor, one who knows how to use irony and wit in a reality that is often a little gray, is almost always a sign of intelligence. It is the art of those who shape what they see with elegant satire to make us reflect, of those who manage to make us laugh out loud by making us aware of a less rigid and original reality.

Plato’s lyrics are really surprising. The famous Greek philosopher and Aristotle’s teacher warns that a sense of humor and laughter was little more than an attribute of evil. According to him, every person who used many jokes showed a proud behavior; they boasted of themselves and dared to ridicule others.

If Plato maintained that view, it was because the art of making others laugh in some way sometimes involves using insulting claims. It transcends moral codes and ridicules certain groups of societies. It objectifies people, their beliefs, physical characteristics, etc. But using a sense of humor in a sophisticated and creative way is an art.

Sense of humor and its relationship to intelligence

A person’s sense of humor is without a doubt their best book cover. This is something we have all noticed on more than one occasion. Thus, nothing says so much about someone as discovering what makes them laugh (or not), discovering their ability to understand the most cryptic irony, or lightening the mood with an ingenious sense of humor. Almost without wanting to, a sense of humor can increase interpersonal relationships.

Believe it or not, those who have the ability to use a more refined and creative sense of humor than normal tend to have a higher IQ on average . However, we know that there are people with high IQ who were not exactly good at telling jokes. Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, or Groucho Marx are the most notable examples.

There are details that make this topic even more interesting. As revealed in a study at the University of Vienna in Austria, people with a great sense of humor received very high verbal and emotional intelligence scores.

The evidence from these studies also shows that there is a direct link between humor, cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence and self-esteem.

• Usually, extroverts use humor as a coping strategy for stress, worries, or daily adversity.
• Evolutionary psychologists, on the other hand, describe a sense of humor as an “inherited trait,” a trait that can determine greater agility and mental flexibility or, on the contrary, more rigidity.

• Similarly, researchers discovered that more negative humor styles based on sarcasm, assault, and the use of ridicule or scorn, on the contrary, are associated with bad mood and depression.

Sense of humor and creativity

When Albert Einstein was once asked where his ingenuity, creativity and intelligence came from, he answered quite naturally that the secret was his sense of humor. He had had this sense of humor since childhood. At heart, he was still a child able to look at the world with curiosity and innocence. He never lost his ability to wonder and his ability to laugh.

Far from being a trivial anecdote, Einstein knew very well what he was saying when he emphasized the importance of a sense of humor in relation to human intelligence. In fact, many neuropsychological studies support the idea of ​​a connection between our positive emotional states and creativity, as well as intelligence. We can not forget that laughter increases the production of dopamine in the brain. This neurotransmitter will also “turn on” the neural mechanisms that mediate learning.

As a result, we become more flexible and creative, and our memory and mental focus improve. Laughing also increases our attention. Laughter is life and a sense of humor connects us with others. It reduces stress, strengthens the immune system, and also makes us much more productive.

Life is ultimately about love and humor. Love to understand life much better and humor to endure it every day. Therefore, do not disregard the benefits of this great aphrodisiac for heart and brain. If a sense of humor makes us more intelligent, it is worth using it in an ingenious and skillful way.