Humour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, who taught that the fluid balance in the human body, known as humours (Latin umor “body fluid”), disease control and human emotion.

People of all ages and cultures respond to humor. Most people are able to experience the humor, that is, to have fun, laugh or smile at something funny, and therefore are considered to have a sense of humor. The hypothetical person lacking sense of humor is likely to find the humor-induced behavior to be inexplicable, odd, or even irrational. Although it was finally decided by personal taste, the degree to which an individual will find something humorous depends on a number of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and context. For example, young children may favor slapstick, such as Punch and Judy puppet shows or cartoons like Tom and Jerry. Satire may rely more on understanding the target of humor and therefore tends to attract a more mature audience. Nonsatirical humor can be specifically called “recreational drollery”.

There are many theories about what humor is and what social function it serves. The main types of theories attempt to explain the existence of humor are the psychological theories, the vast majority of those who consider the behavior of induced mood very healthy; Spiritual theory, which can, for example, humor is a gift “from God” and the theories that consider the mood to be an inexplicable mystery, much like a mystical experience.