In an earlier article (Capps, 2006), I presented evidence that humor has important psychological benefits. It would seem, therefore, that religion and humor would be allies, for religion is also considered compatible with psychological well-being (Capps, 1985). In fact, however, while religion and humor are not enemies, neither are they, for the most part, allies. I review theoretical works that reflect religion's mistrust of humor, then focus on the empirical studies by Vassilis Saroglou that confirm this mistrust. Building on Saroglou's own theoretical analysis of this mistrust, I suggest that some grounds for this mistrust are legitimate, but most are not. I conclude that religion and humor should overcome their current estrangement.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Adams, D. (1997). The prostitute in the family tree: Discovering humor and irony in the Bible. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Anderson, P. A. (1987). Humor as healing and grace. The Chicago Theological Seminary Register, 77, 1–10.
Berkowitz, L. (1970). Aggressive humor as a stimulus to aggressive responses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 16, 710–717.
Capps, D. (1985). Religion and psychological well-being. In P. E. Hammond (Ed.). The sacred in a secular age: Toward revision in the scientific study of religion. (pp. 237–256). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Capps, D. (2000). Jesus: A psychological biography. St. Louis: Chalice Press.
Capps, D. (2006). The psychological benefits of humor. Pastoral Psychology.
Cohen, T. (1999). Jokes: Philosophical thoughts on joking matters. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Donnelly, D. (1992). Divine folly: Being religious and the exercise of humor. Theology Today, 48, 385–398.
Elkins, J. (2004). On the strange place of religion in contemporary art. New York: Routledge.
Erasmus, D. (2003). The praise of folly. (2nd ed.) (C.H. Miller, Trans.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Eysenck, H. J. (1942). The appreciation of humour: An experimental and theoretical study. British Journal of Psychology, 32, 295–309.
Gelkopf, M., Kreitler, S., & Sigal, M. (1993). Laughter in a psychiatric ward: Somatic, emotional, social, and clinical influences on schizophrenic patients. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 181, 283–289.
Götz, I. L. (2002). Faith, humor, and paradox. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Harris, H. F. (1908). The absence of humor in Jesus. Methodist Quarterly Review, 57, 460–467.
Heller, E. G. (2004). Reluctant partners: Art and religion in dialogue. New York: The Gallery at the American Bible Society.
Hyers, C. (Ed.). (1969). Holy laughter: Essays on religion in the comic perspective. New York: Seabury Press.
Hyers, C. (1987). And God created laughter: The Bible as divine comedy. Atlanta: John Knox Press.
Hyers, C. (1996). The spirituality of comedy: Comic heroism in a tragic world. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Lefcourt, H. M., & Martin, R. A. (1986). Humor and life stress: Antidote to adversity. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Linss, W. C. (1998). The hidden humor of St. Paul. Currents in Theology and Mission, 25, 195–199.
Marmysz, J. (2003). Laughing at nothing: Humor as a reponse to nihilism. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Mullen, W. H. (1973). Toward a theology of humor. Christian Scholar's Review, 3, 3–12.
Niebuhr, R. (1990). Humor and faith. Katallagete, 11: 10–15. (Originally published in Discerning the signs of the times. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1946).
Nieting, L. (1983). Humor in the New Testament. Dialog, 22, 168–170.
Provine, R. R. (2000). Laughter: A scientific investigation. New York: Penguin Books.
Pruyser, P. W. (1983). The play of the imagination: Toward a psychoanalysis of culture. New York: International Universities Press.
Roberts, R. C. (1988). Humor and the virtues. Inquiry, 31, 127–149.
Roberts, R. C. (1990). Sense of humor as a Christian virtue. Faith and Philosophy, 7, 177–192.
Rosenzweig, S. (1950). The treatment of humorous responses in the Rosenzweig picture-frustration study: A note on the revised (1950) instructions. The Journal of Psychology, 30, 139–143.
Saroglou, V. (2002a). Religion and sense of humor: An a priori incompatibility? Theoretical considerations from a psychological perspective. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 15, 191–214.
Saroglou, V. (2002b). Religiousness, religious fundamentalism, and quest as predictors of humor creation. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 12, 177–188.
Saroglou, V. (2003). Humor appreciation as function of religious dimensions. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 24, 144–153.
Saroglou, V., & Jaspard, J.-M. (2001). Does religion affect humour creation? An experimental study. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 4, 33–46.
Screech, M. A. (1997). Laughter at the foot of the cross. London: The Penguin Press.
Zuver, D. (1933). Salvation by laughter: A study of religion and the sense of humor. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Capps, D. Religion and Humor: Estranged Bedfellows. Pastoral Psychol 54, 413–438 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-005-0008-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-005-0008-8