Happiness in major and minor

Time and again, without rest, people have dealt with the dark side of life and its gloomy reflection in art. Hardly ever have they considered the golden secrets of happiness or the complex smile of irony. Hardly ever have they thought about the snarling smile of satire or that crystal ball of wisdom: humour. The great thinkers' arrogance has always thrived on darkness, for their tiny light could only be seen in the darkness. In the sunshine they and their lanterns would have been mocked. For this reason, clever men have shunned bright light, clear daytime thought and delving into the depths of happiness.
   
Erich Kästner

International summer school of humour and laughter

The most well-known and best conference on humour research in all Europe is the Summer School founded by the german psychologist Willibald Ruch. Every year it takes place in another european city like Tübingen, Fribourg, Aberdeen, Galati. Of the speakers, 70% are humour researchers from the fields of medicine, psychology, sociology and language and literature, and 30% were practising humorists (trainers, clowns, cabaret artists).
www.humoursummerschool.org

Humour in social work

In May 2006 a conference on humour for social work took place, led by Prof. Effinger in co-operation with the German Hygiene Museum Dresden. The topic was humour in caring professions, especially social work. There were interesting speakers and practice-related workshops, such as humour to maintain psychological balance, as intervention and as a professional working strategy.

The first social worker of modern times was Christopher Columbus. When he set sail, he did not know where he was going, and when he arrived he did not know how he had got there. When he got back home, he could not say where he had been – and all this on other people's money.