It is hard to imagine that we all experienced one of the most difficult times in our lives together, as a community, as a country, as one world...the Pandemic of 2020. As we look back on this 15th day of March 2020, we didn't know what was happening and next thing you know we were all sharing funny memes about toilet paper shortage (lol).
In psychology, there is a number of ways the human brain copes sometimes using defense mechanisms when things get rough. Now more than ever coping has become even more prominent. Looking for distractions or activities, we can run into our brain using a defense mechanism. We could be using displacement, intellectualization, avoidance, fantasy, and many others including humor.
"Every time you are able to find some humor in a difficult situation, you win."
Power of Positivity
Catching ourselves making jokes about becoming permanent couch potatoes. Or preferring zombies more than an invisible virus. Sometimes making these kinds of jokes or laughing about the situation we’re in seems kind of morbid. Maybe even makes us feel guilty. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s 100% normal to do so. In an article published by the New Yorker, called “It’s OK to Find Humor in Some of This” by Alex Williams, confirms that this line of joke making we share is human nature.
Williams wrote “Throughout history, humor has played a role in the darkest times, as a psychological salve and shared release. Large swaths of the population are living in isolation, instructed to eye with suspicion any stranger who wanders within six feet. And coronavirus jokes have become a form of contagion themselves, providing a remaining thread to the outside world for the isolated - and perhaps to sanity itself.” So yes, let’s enjoy the COVID-19 memes and not feel bad about it and find some relief in the ability to laugh during this time. Because when this is all over, and the memes are history, we can all be happy that we made it out as a stronger community.
mm / fm
Link for information about psychological defenses (if the reader wants to go more in-depth): https://www.verywellmind.com/defense-mechanisms-2795960
Link for New Yorker: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/style/coronavirus-humor.html
We hope that you enjoyed the read, and we hope that you find humor in day-to-day life.
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