Humor

Humour (British English) or humor (American English; see spelling differences) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours (Latin: humor, "body fluid"), controlled human health and emotion. People of all ages and cultures respond to humor. Most people are able to experience it—be amused, smile or laugh at something funny—and thus are considered to have a sense of humor. The hypothetical person lacking it, likely would find the behavior inducing it to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately decided by personal taste, the extent to which a person finds something humorous depends on a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and context. For example, young children may favor slapstick such as Punch and Judy puppet shows or the Tom and