Why Humor Can Help People With Depression — But Not When You’d Expect

There's a particular kind of advice that tends to appear when you're having a terrible day: "Just laugh about it." Maybe a friend sends you a ridiculous video, or someone tries to joke about whatever is stressing you out.

Sometimes it works. Other times, you're so overwhelmed that the joke barely registers.

A recent review of humor and depression research1 explores why humor can feel so different depending on where you are emotionally and what you're laughing about.

About the review

This narrative review brought together decades of research on humor and depression, including brain imaging studies, psychological research, and clinical trials of humor-based therapies.

The researchers wanted to understand when humor might help people experiencing depression. That question is particularly relevant because depression can affect pleasure, motivation, and concentration, all of which can change how someone responds to things they would normally enjoy.

Humor may work better as symptoms ease

The review found that humor appeared to be more helpful for people with mild depression or those in remission than for people in the middle of a severe depressive episode.

During more severe depression, the brain can become less responsive to pleasurable experiences.

So if your favorite comedian suddenly isn't funny, or a joke that would normally make you laugh gets nothing more than a blank stare, that isn't necessarily a failure to "try harder." Depression can genuinely make it harder to experience pleasure.

The review also found that what you're laughing about matters.

When people were dealing with stress, humor unrelated to the stressful situation tended to be more helpful than trying to joke about the stressor itself.

Sometimes your brain needs a break, not a punchline

Trying to make yourself laugh about something that's actively upsetting you can take more mental effort.

You're thinking about the problem while also trying to find a funny angle on it, which can be difficult when concentration and mental energy are already low.

Humor unrelated to the problem gives you some distance. A silly video, inside joke, or favorite comedy can shift your attention without asking you to make light of something painful.

That may be especially useful during stressful periods, when your mental bandwidth is already stretched.

You don't have to find the funny side of the situation. Sometimes you just need a break from it.

How to make humor work for you

The review doesn't suggest that everyone with depression should seek out more jokes. Instead, it offers some context for when humor may fit.

Let it happen naturally: If you're having a lighter day or your symptoms are easing, seek out things that genuinely make you laugh. A favorite show, funny friend, silly podcast, or ridiculous video can create some space for positive emotion.

Use distraction when you're stressed: When something is weighing heavily on you, choose humor that's unrelated to the problem. You don't need to turn a difficult situation into a joke for humor to give you a mental reset.

And if you aren't laughing right now, that's OK. Humor can complement mental health care, but it isn't a replacement for treatment, and struggling to enjoy things during depression is not a personal failure.

The takeaway

Humor can support emotional well-being, but forcing yourself to laugh isn't the goal. When you have the capacity for it, unrelated humor may give your mind a welcome break, while difficult days may call for something gentler.