ABSTRACT
Humor has occupied the minds of scholars since antiquity but its exact definition is still elusive, even though people easily recognize it and agree on its funny nature. The ability to recognize and understand humor is common, the ability to produce it is rarer, but both are covered by the notion of “sense of humor” (see Ruch 1998). It is a very valuable asset, sought out by employers and in personal relationships. Societies vary on the premium placed on the sense of humor and some discourage its use in public discourse, but it is an inalienable part of AngloSaxon civilization, which has been accused by occasional humor-haters (see Ludovici 1932) of being frivolous and of shying away from life’s real problems.
