The Surprising Origins of Humour
My last enterprise for OVO Theatre was a Roman comedy that incorporated excerpts from the Roman playwrights Plautus, Terence, and Seneca (though the last was known for tragedy rather than comedy). I was thinking more about St Albans' Roman Theatre than about comedy and laughter, but...
I recognise that I am a total believer in the importance of comedy to enjoying life (does that make sense?), but where does the concept of comedy, my behaviour, and attitude to comedy come from? In the end, it is all about laughter.
We've all heard that laughter is the best medicine, but why? The answer, it turns out, is as ancient as it is unexpected. The word "humour" comes from Latin, meaning moisture or fluid. But its deeper significance reaches back to the ancient Greeks, who believed in four bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. This quartet determined not only physical health but mood and temperament.
This balance of humours formed the foundation of Greek medicine. When the humours were in harmony, a person was healthy and cheerful, but when they were not, illness and mood disturbances followed. Those with a good balance were thought to be naturally light-hearted, a trait that evolved into what we now call a sense of humour.
So, the ancient Greek origin of humour wasn't about jokes or wit at all. It was a reflection of a person's overall health and balance. For the Greeks, laughter and a light disposition were more than personality traits. They were indicators of physical and mental balance. The "sanguine" temperament, marked by an excess of blood, was thought to make people optimistic and sociable. Someone who could laugh easily was seen as in harmony with body and mind, and it meant that they were healthy.
As medical understanding evolved, the explicit connection between humour and health faded, but the ancient idea persisted. By the 16th century, humour had transformed. Renaissance writers, particularly in England, used the term to describe characters' temperaments, and in the writings of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, "humour" referred to exaggerated personality traits rooted in the imbalance of bodily fluids. As humour became more about personality and quirks, it gradually took on its modern association with wit and comedy.
Yet in today's wellness-obsessed culture, the ancient Greek origin of humour finds a surprising return. Modern life promotes balance through mindfulness, exercise, or self-care routines, and humour fits into this philosophy as a vital component of health, reducing stress and promoting emotional balance. Laughter yoga and comedy therapy have emerged as tools for well-being. This resurgence mirrors the ancient Greek holistic view of health, and I find myself struck by how little has really changed.
So why have I raised this subject? Because the more I looked into the origins of humour, the more I realised that what we treat as a modern wellness trend is in fact an old idea, rediscovered. The Greeks understood something we are only now coming back to: that laughter is not merely a pleasure but a marker of balance, a sign that body and mind are in accord. In an age that chases equilibrium through every conceivable routine, it seems worth remembering that one of the oldest and simplest paths to it may have been under our noses all along: we all need a good laugh, shared with others.
I have written before about the importance of being jolly, but I never tied it to the spawning of theatre comedy by the Ancient Greeks:
My next project is to bring to the theatre a comedy using Aristophanes, that great Ancient Greek satirical writer. I love satire, and we must celebrate it in this age when we should offend but are told we cannot!
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