Humour Isn’t Just for the Good Times – It’s for the “What Just Happened?” Times Too
By someone who laughs at things they probably shouldn’t
We often treat humour like it’s the confetti of life – fun, but best kept for birthdays, weddings, and those rare moments when the Wi-Fi actually works during a Zoom call.
But the truth is: humour isn’t just for celebration. It’s for survival.
Because sometimes, life doesn’t hand you a slice of cake – it throws a custard pie straight into your face. And in those moments, you don’t need a pep talk. You need a laugh. Preferably the kind that makes you wheeze and question whether you should seek medical attention.
The thing is, we’ve been taught that laughter belongs in light, joyful spaces – that it should wait its turn until the pain is over. But that’s not how humans work. Humour doesn’t always show up when things are perfect. Often, it crashes into the room wearing pyjamas and a sarcastic expression, right when everything is falling apart.
Because laughter doesn’t just help us celebrate life – it helps us get through it.
To be clear: laughter is not about mocking pain. It’s about surviving it.
Science even agrees. The brain areas responsible for crying and laughter are practically roommates. It’s why we sometimes burst out laughing in the middle of a meltdown. Our brains are doing a quick emotional pivot to keep us from going full spiral.
We’ve all been there – laughing at something wildly inappropriate, not because it’s funny, but because it’s absurd. Or because it’s the only thing that stops the tears from winning.
Still, society tends to frown upon laughter during serious moments, as if it’s disrespectful. But it’s not disrespect – it’s relief. It’s resistance. It’s a release valve when the pressure’s been building for too long.
Humour isn’t just lightness – it creates lightness. It’s the joke whispered at a hospital bedside. The dry one-liner in a hard conversation. The shared laugh between people who don’t know what else to say. It’s how we connect. How we breathe. How we remember that we’re still human, even when everything hurts.
So yes – laugh when things are good. But also laugh when they’re not. Laugh when you feel like crying. Laugh when you’re overwhelmed or during an argument, overtired, and wondering how your life became a chaotic sitcom with no commercial breaks.
Because humour isn’t just a luxury, it’s a lifeline.
And sometimes, the punchline is the only thing that helps us keep going.
Shanelle is a seasoned presenter, producer, podcaster, MC, and writer with over a decade of experience in radio, television, and the music industry.
