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Humor is the healthy way of feeling "distance" between one's self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one's problem with perspective.
Rollo May
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Humor helps us gain perspective on our problems by creating emotional distance.

This quote by Rollo May suggests that humor serves as a psychological tool that allows individuals to detach themselves emotionally from their problems, thus providing a clearer perspective. By viewing challenges with a sense of humor, one can better cope with difficulties and see them more objectively, which can lead to healthier emotional responses and solutions.

Themes

HumorPerspectiveProblemsDistanceCoping

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about mental health, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of humor in coping strategies.

More from Rollo May

Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
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To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before
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Terrorism and the whole drug scene are vivid examples of the fact that what persons abhor most of all in life is the possibility that they will not matter.
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Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
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The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
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Joy is the zest that you get out of using your talents, your understanding, the totality of your being, for great aims...That's the kind of feeling that goes with creativity. That's why I say the courage to create. Creation does not come out of simply what you're born with. That must be united with your courage, both of which cause anxiety, but also great joy.
Rollo MayRead

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