The Zany Sense of Humor of an ADHDer
One day, during my Freshman year of high school, one of my teachers pointed out in front of the class that I had a weird sense of humor. “Yeah, but I’m not the only one,” I responded.
He doubled down. “Yeah, but yours is way out there.” At that moment, the conversation went from playful to isolating. I acknowledged that I had a bizarre sense of humor, but he went further and made me feel different. And, this teacher was a family friend! My sense of humor started to become a source of shame. I tried to hide the more bizarre side of my sense of humor, only sharing the humorous side that I knew others would appreciate.
I’m Not the Only One
About a decade after I first started feeling shame about my sense of humor, I listened to the audiobook of Delivered from Distraction by Drs. Edward Hallowell and John Ratey. In that book, they mention that ADHDers typically have zany senses of humor. I almost began to cry. Years of feeling different, weird, and isolated suddenly made sense. I realized I was not alone, that there were others like me out there, and that my sense of humor was not a defect. In the ADHD community, I was normal. This was and still is a tremendous comfort for me.
Zany Senses of Humor Are Good
I have found that those of us with zany senses of humor laugh more than those who do not. Laughter makes a person feel good. Is laughter really the best medicine? Probably not, but it does have an incredible ability to improve a person’s life. Those of us with ADHD should embrace our zany sense of humor.
Two Words: Monty Python
You know who else has a zany sense of humor? The members of Monty Python. These British comedians have entertained millions with their zany senses of humor for decades. If it is okay for them to be zany, then I think we ADHDers are good.