Sense Of Humor And Depression: Those Who Make People Laugh Also Suffer

Sense of humor and depression are closely related. Because, often, the one who makes others laugh the most is the one who suffers the most in silence, who least attends to their internal universes and the labyrinth of their despair. In fact, there are experts who point out that the so-called “smiling depression” or atypical depression is one of the most dangerous, as well as persistent.

If there is something that we hear frequently, it is that laughter is the best medicine, that in each laugh we release endless endorphins and that our brain is flooded with a good dose of serotonin. However, it is very common for a large number of people to use a sense of humor, jokes and the smiling mask as a shield, as a daily resource to camouflage suffering.

Maybe right now we are visualizing the classic image of that clown with a make-up where a big smile dazzles. However, there are artists who do not hesitate to apply the drawing of a tear under one eye. Because, somehow, despite the joy, the joke and the joke, behind the character there is also the person and in her there is disagreement and those pains that sometimes hurt less with the applause of the public.

Robin Williams may also come to mind. Few comic actors were so endearing to us; Few also so hermetically concealed their own suffering, that which sometimes it is decided to end in the most dramatic way possible.

Let’s dive a little deeper into this topic.

Sense of humor and depression, how are they related?

There are many types of humor. As we well know, there is that humor that hurts and that uses contempt, attack and mockery as a stinger to hurt others. Thus, behind this type of behavior hides not only bad faith, but also contained anger, narcissism and even the desire for control. Now, the person who suffers from depression does not usually resort to this style, to this aggressive behavior.

In reality, sense of humor and depression are linked when someone needs this dimension to mask their feelings, their internal realities. Hence, rather two very specific types of humor are used. They are as follows:

• Affiliative humor. In this case, constant contact with others is sought, providing the nearby environment with a humorous and carefree vision of things. Creating moments of relaxation where laughter flows is an attempt to dissuade anguish and despair; Hence, they are also very socially active people, the kind who never stop and are organizing things almost every moment.
• Self-feeding humor. This type of humor seeks that the smile and the joy of the other revert to oneself. It seeks to make others laugh to soak up that emotion as a balm. However, its effect is very brief. It is enough to get home for the internal realities to surface again in a stark way.

Characteristics of smiling depression, silent pain

Not all people experience depression in the same way. There are those who are highly functional and give the world an image of absolute infallibility; They are those people who carry a thousand things on their shoulders, those who rarely stop at home and who always have a smile and a word of encouragement for others.

They may have an extensive social network, family, children, and a job that they are passionate about. And yet, something is out of tune in that seemingly perfect life.

Sense of humor and depression are linked because the first is the shield that hides the second dimension, but even so, there are clues that can help us see this camouflaged reality:

• His mood is like a roller coaster: ups and downs. However, a little reinforcement (such as a proposal to go out, a compliment, or a message) is enough for them to experience joy and effusiveness. However, that positivity does not last long.
• They do not handle criticism, reproaches or calls for attention well. Any of these things unnerve them and they have a hard time managing it.
• They tend to suffer from hypersomnia. In smiling or atypical depression, the person feels a need to sleep for long hours.
• Pain is experienced in the extremities, especially heaviness in the legs and arms.

How is atypical depression treated?

When sense of humor and depression are related and we have a person who masks his pain through laughter, jokes, almost constant social contact and that hyperactivity of someone who always refuses to stop, we may be facing an atypical depression. It is a serious condition because we are talking about major depression or persistent depressive disorder.

It is common that these patients do not usually ask for help. Hence, they dragged that reality for years, being able to reach the extreme of already bordering on suicidal ideation and even, in the most extreme cases, commit a first attempt. There are also patients who resort to drug or alcohol abuse to somehow fill that void. We cannot reach these limits.

In these cases, it is necessary to request specialized help. Combining psychological therapy with drug treatments such as antidepressants usually works well.

Therefore, let’s avoid leaving the anguish we feel today for tomorrow, let’s avoid camouflaging it, dissuading discomfort, fears and despair with strategies that only give an ephemeral well-being. Because what we deserve is a balance and permanent satisfaction, for daily use.