Humour, tourism and positive psychology

[Extract] Peter Collett, a prominent British commentator on social behaviour, argues that humour and laughter are central to our well-being and social judgements. In particular, he observes that those who respond to our humour and jokes are seen as attractive to us. Those who fail to laugh with us are seen much less favourably (Collett, 2004). In earlier analyses other social psychologists argued that appreciating and responding to humour can generate positive health outcomes by reducing stress and enhancing personal control (Argyle, 1987; Solomon, 1996). Positive psychologists have identified having a sense of humour as a core character strength. In this view humour is effectively a virtue which helps individuals forge connections to the larger universe and provides them with meaning (Peterson and Seligman, 2004; Park et al., 2005).