Depression and Humor
There is a particular archetype at play in modern media, and that is of the tortured comic full of hate, grief, and despair. This was heavily discussed in 2014 following the tragic death and suicide of beloved actor and comic Robin Williams, who on most accounts appeared well adjusted, content, and happy even after his battles with depression, alcoholism, and cocaine addiction. The humor of Williams is often seen as a coping mechanism for the internal torment that he endured. So why does it seem that the funniest people are the ones with the most internal strife?
In a 2014 article titled Robin Williams and the Mask of Humor, by Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D., Lyubansky recalls his work with incarcerated youths, “Over the years, I’ve met well over 100 kids. Some are so sad they are unable to utter more than a few words. Others are angry and resentful about being where they are, again. Another group tries to play it cool. Each type presents its own challenge, but there’s another group that is harder to reach than any of the rest — the entertainers.” Lyubansky highlights the disconnect with those specific people, “these are the kids who have learned how to make others laugh. They’ve also learned that, in that comedic moment, they can temporarily forget about their incarcerated fathers, their abusive uncles, their substance-dependent mothers, and all the other troubles in their life. In that comedic moment, they hurt just a bit less. And so they grasp every opportunity to entertain and, in doing so, cover up the pain.”
Each type presents its own challenge, but there’s another group that is harder to reach than any of the rest — the entertainers.
Lyubansky isn’t saying that depression and self-hate aren’t tied to humor and that depressed people aren’t necessarily funnier but instead, some depressed people foster a sense of humor as a defense mechanism, and because humor can be so universal and socially acceptable the walls remain intact and if anything only continues to grow. Since humor appears outwardly happy then a lot of troubling symptoms aren’t as apparent, just like the case of Robin Williams.