Is it normal for someone with autism to have a good sense to humor?

56% Normal
4 Comments

Ever since I was a little kid I have always been a jokester. I've noticed most other autistic people I have met do not have much of a sense of humor and often even get mad at jokes.
Sometimes I may not understand something like sarcasm, but I have always been a fan of comedy and enjoy offensive humor that upsets people. My pranks and offensive jokes kept me in constant trouble as a kid in school.

Voting Results
56% Normal
Based on 18 votes (10 yes)
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Comments ( 4 )
  • pastor_of_muppets
    9 years ago

    Wanna know the story I love the most? The story of Romeo and Juliet. Best story ever told. People argue with me, telling me it is impractical to read so much Shakespeare...but let me tell you something.. if it wasn't for Romeo and Juliet... I would have totally overreacted when my girlfriend killed herself

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  • Koda
    9 years ago

    No, of course not. Severe autism pretty much rids you of all empathy, and a sense of humour is a type of relative empathy. You're obviously high-functioning.

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    • [Old Memory]
      9 years ago

      I am very high functioning intellectual wise, but I do have difficulty with empathy. I am able to care about others well being, which is actually sympathy, but I do not understand other peoples emotions or understand non verbal communication.
      I actually do not see the correlation between humor and empathy either. It seems a lot of comedy actually laughs at others misfortune. I do not think they are related at all.

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      • Koda
        9 years ago

        When the natural reaction is to laugh at somebody's humour, their emotional creation, that's empathy to me. You're sharing in their joviality.

        People without a highly active emotional brain centre usually don't understand why anything is funny precisely because they can't relate to the hypothetical proposed situations of gags and jokes which are usually interpersonal in nature and emotional at the core.

        Humour isn't always about finding others' misfortunes amusing, it's also about being able to see the lighter side of something sad or unfortunate, as focussing on the funny aspects is usually comforting to the one who's going through the bad times.

        I find that humour is quite a complex and advanced form of empathy. Usually the most charming, understanding, and intuitive people will also have a great sense of humour. Many comedians are also philanthropists.

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