ABSTRACT
The field of psychology is comprised of multiple perspectives: cognitive, biological, personality, social, cross-cultural, developmental, health, positive, clinical, and applied. Researchers in each perspective ask questions about humorous behavior and employ their paradigms and methodologies to answer them. Together, they unlock the mystery of humor and provide understanding of why and how it is entrenched in our daily interactions. Humor is typically a pleasant experience that we have all experienced, but, like many psychological concepts and behaviors, it is not simple to define, study, or understand. Psychology’s perspectives may frame humor as a physiological response, detection and resolution of ambiguity, a playful behavior or game, a positive world view, a behavior that makes others laugh, a social activity, or a tool to buffer or cope with stress. Its study has theoretical implications for psychological theories and real-world applications.
