Sense of humour, the most undervalued personality trait

Mukundarajan V N
2 min readJul 1, 2017

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Common sense and a sense of humour are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing. ( Clive James, Australian author )

When we think of personality traits, we immediately think of the Big Five- Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Although the sense of humour could be accommodated within openness, extraversion and agreeableness, it needs to be examined on its own.

Humour is underappreciated because it is the opposite of seriousness and is often equated with flippancy. On the contrary, sense of humour springs from heightened intelligence and wit. It is underpinned by common sense.

According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the author of the bestselling book “Black Swan”, wit seduces by signalling intelligence without nerdiness.”

Humour is the best antidote to sadness, stress and depression. It is twice blessed- it elevates the mood of the humourist and gladdens the hearts of the listeners.

The sense of humour reaches the peak of excellence when the humourist can laugh at himself. This is a capability that few possess. One must be humble to acknowledge one’s own idiosyncrasies and foibles.

According to the psychologist Edward de Bono, humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain. It is an intellectual emotion. It springs from the ability to make connection between seemingly unrelated concepts, contexts, situations and people.

Spontaneity is the hallmark of humour. It is the offspring of serendipitous wit and felicity of expression.

Humour can delight as well as hurt. It becomes toxic, when sarcasm oversteps the limits of propriety and acceptability. It offends sensibilities when fun becomes malicious slander or vulgarity. Punning ( play on the different meanings of words ) is fraught with incivility unless words are carefully chosen.

Humour is the social glue that binds the society together. It can dispel acrimony and hatred between people.

Humourists are typically optimistic as they always look at the brighter side of things unlike the grumpy pessimists who always look at the seamy side of things.

To conclude, let’s accord the sense of humour a higher place in personality assessments. A humorous person can be good company, make a good leader and an efficient employee.

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Mukundarajan V N

Retired banker living in India. Avid reader. I write to learn, inform and inspire. Believe in ethical living and sustainable development. vnmukund@gmail.com