Approaches to the sense of humor: A historical review

There seems to be general agreement, among humor researchers and laypersons alike, that there is considerable variability across individuals in the degree to which they possess a sense of humor. There is also general agreement that a sense of humor is a highly desirable trait to possess. As the American essayist Frank Moore Colby observed, "Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig. How many of them will own up to a lack of humor?" (cited in Andrews 1993: 431). However, when we begin to ask what, exactly, researchers and laypeople mean by "sense of humor", and how they conceptualize individual differences in this trait, we encounter a great deal of disagreement. Although everyone seems to recognize a sense of humor when they see it, no one seems to agree on how to define or explain it. As Omwake (1939: 95) aptly put it nearly 60 years ago: