试题出自试卷《00603《英语写作》真题及参考答案（2022.04）》

Mark Twain said that “Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place. ” He’s certainly not wrong. Humor may very well be the great thing. It touches upon nearly every facet of life-90% of men and 81% of women report that a sense of humor is the most important quality in a partner, a crucial quality for leaders, and even an effective treatment for cancer. There’s no doubt that humor is a life skill that everybody needs. But how do we define humor?
There are three main theories on what humor is and where it comes from. Relief theory argues that humor is a way to release nervous energy, blowing off psychological steam. That’s why jokes told at funerals are often met not with the silence that a somber occasion like that would merit but with extremely loud laughter instead.
Superiority theory was originally formulated to explain a specific kind of humor: Why we laugh at others’ misfortunes. In this theory, humor is a means of declaring one’s superiority over others. If you’re looking to cultivate a sense of humor to improve your leadership skills, this is not the kind you want to acquire.
Incongruity theory（不协调理论）argues that humor arises when two contrasting, distinct ideas are mingled, often reversing expectations. Consider Oscar Wilde’s “Work is the curse of the drinking classes”—it’s funny because it reverses not only a common phrase but also amore conventional way of looking at the world.
Then what are the benefits of humor? Being funny is possibly one of the best things you can do for your health. You can almost think of a sense of humor as your mind‘s immune system. People at risk for depression tend to fall into depressing episodes when exposed to some kind of negative stimuli, and afterwards, it becomes easier and easier for them to go back into depression. However viewing a negative event in a humorous light acts as a kind of emotional filter, preventing the negative mood from triggering a depressing episode.
Humor doesn’t just guard against depression. It also improves people’s overall quality of life. Researchers have found that people who score high in certain types of humor have greater self-esteem，stronger self-competence, more control over anxiety, and better performance in social interactions.
You may wonder whether you are able to create humor. Humor is a trait that is both innate and learnable. There’s no such thing as a completely humorless individual—humor is a fundamental part of human nature. In the past, we believed that only some cultures developed humor, but this belief has changed, as no culture has ever been found to be devoid of laughter and comedy. Humor is also something you can learn. So, if you want to improve your sense of humor, try to look on the funny side of life, and the worst thing that can happen to you is a laugh or two in your life.