Comedy as a content genre is very close to my heart. It's helped me get out of bed on my anxiety-ridden days when I had no motivation left to do so. But I've come to appreciate it for more reasons than just that.
Before I get to those (and couple other nuances of comedy), it'll be good to revisit the initial days of not just enjoying consuming comedy content but coming to truly acknowledge its importance in my life too.
As an 18 year old (and much obviously stressed) IIT-JEE aspirant, I'd have frequent, random self-doubting, depressing, anxious thoughts that I just couldn't bring myself to share with anyone - friends or family. Call it the fear of judgement or embarrassment, but no amount of motivation could get words out of me. I had then turned to writing a little bit and more significantly, consuming random comedy content - standup shows, movies, cartoons (yes, I know that's funny but hey - desperate times, desperate measures, right?) or some tv shows like Wipeout etc.
I didn't realize it back then but watching comic content worked as an effective distraction from all those negative, haunting thoughts - well, at least for a while if not permanently. And over the time I've come to realize that that's the hack we need to be functional or to even be able to concentrate on the task at hand - move the negative emotion out of focus or for the lack of a better word - dismiss it.
So, the thing about comedy that's not given enough thought is the fact that it has the potential to put you in the bare minimum mental state to function normally in a circumstance you'd otherwise be depressed about and losing it. And it'll take you a first-hand experience to truly acknowledge this.
Now, the nuances of comedy that are, more often than not, overlooked:
1. The Perfect Ice-breaker.
Extrovert or introvert, breaking the ice with a stranger is (almost) equally difficult for both. Nothing better than a humorous reference or a witty comeback to get comfortable with strangers - off or on the internet. Point me to a person who doesn't appreciate a good comeback and I'll point you to a person that you probably shouldn't be in touch with anymore. [No responsibilities will be taken for broken "friendships" here though.]
2. The Life of the (house) Parties.
Every group of friends has that one person who thinks they're the glue holding the group together but we all know that the only reason every one shows up at that house party is getting to (re)watch all the sitcoms/movies you bonded over initially and all the anecdotes you all share around that.
This would be slightly untrue if the planner/host of the party is great at cooking. Then they probably are the glue holding the group together. [Go drop a 'hey' to them now if you haven't spoken in a while. This post will always be there to get back to.]
Also, at almost all get-togethers, we all end up mentioning and reliving the funny experiences, stories and having a good time - point being, humorous stories are the real glue.
3. A Brilliant Personality Trait.
I don't have scientific proof ready to quote here but it wouldn't be completely wrong to say that people with a good sense of humor are immensely approachable, smart, calm, can think out of the box - or at the very least - help you see the funny side of even the bad times. They may not be certified but they make good therapists that way. [Midway disclaimer: Nobody is a replacement for therapists.]
4. Base For Good Bonding.
I'm not an expert on the subject, but I highly doubt any two people have become good friends solving a calculus problem together or debugging code. I mean that happens but after you've become friends maybe but that's not the start of the bonding process. Bonding elements have always been movies, shows, music, sports etc. Almost never the "serious" stuff of life.
[Short, personal detail: Sitcoms have been my ticket to speaking to some random strangers who have now become my dearest friends. You'll know if you're one of them. *wink*]
5. Ageless, Timeless.
You know how they say when you can't laugh at the same joke twice, why cry about the same problem again? Well, they have a point there but I guess we do laugh at the same joke more than once. Hear me out: you can be watching your favorite sitcom for the 100th time and would still laugh just as hard. Hell, when it's been more than 30 minutes of deciding what to watch, you simply turn to that show or your bookmarked standup comedy videos. (Well, at least I do.) Comedy content simply doesn't grow old!
6. Loners' Best Companion.
If you have lived/live alone, people almost always go 'oh really? why?' when they discover that fact about you. Not necessarily looked down upon, but the reactions are certainly not appreciative or even like they're remotely able to understand it. I mean, I do understand most people wouldn't make that choice but still it's not all that bad. Because comic content is always there to save the day!
[Loners: give yourself a salute! You've decoded life! Well, at least to a certain extent.]
[Midway disclaimer #2: This is not a promotion of living by yourself.]
7. Unbeatable way to get across a point.
Wit/humor happens to be the best possible way to make a good point about a serious issue and get people to reflect on it too - if it hurt, it's the truth; if not, it was a joke.
Ending it on a grateful note: I owe most of my times well spent to comedy content. This was, in a way, my tribute and a heartfelt appreciation to all the comedy content creators out there. If you're one and this has reached to you somehow, you've my eternal love and respect!
