幽默感有时候并不是与生俱来的，那么如何培养幽默感呢?

Humor doesn't typically come to mind in the same breath as depression. But humor can be an important ally in getting beyond the rigidity of thinking that accompanies depression and keeps people locked into a depressed state of mind. One goal of cognitive therapy is to change your perspective, your point of view. Humor is one way to change your view viscerally—and enjoyably.

幽默感并不总像抑郁那样不期而至。僵固的思维伴随着抑郁，让人沉湎于抑郁中无法自拔，但幽默感可以成为摆脱僵固思维的得力助手。认知治疗的一个目标就是改变你的知觉，改变你看问题的观点。幽默感是一种从内心深处改变你观点的方式——这种改变是愉快的。

Cultivating a humorous mindset helps you see yourself and any situation with a more supple mind so that you are not locked into a negative view. Depression is both caused by and causes the inability to see options and choices we otherwise would.

培养幽默的心态有助于你了解自己，而且无论在什么状况下都能有一个灵活的头脑，这样就不会局限在消极的观点中无法自拔。一叶障目导致了抑郁，同时，抑郁又让人不能看到别的选择。 Humor fosters acceptance of our humanness and our foibles. It is not sarcasm or put-downs. What we are looking for is gentle, playful perspective that embraces humanness but never at the expense of others—or of ourselves. The goal is not to take life too seriously.

幽默感鼓励接纳人性和弱点。这不是讽刺挖苦或满不在乎。我们寻求的是一种温和的、打趣的知觉，拥护人性，从以不损害别人或自己为代价。目标是让生活不要那么严肃。

So how to foster good humor?

那么，怎样培养良好的幽默感呢?

Choose to allow yourself to laugh at your own behaviors and beliefs—but not at yourself. Make that distinction clearly.

让自己嘲笑自己的行为和信念——但不是嘲笑自己。分清两者的区别。See your life not as a distraught drama but as a romantic comedy. Recognize the inherent farce-like quality in situations including sex and relationships.

不要把生活看成悲剧，把它看成烂漫的喜剧。承认与生俱来的荒唐滑稽事情——就像性、爱情之类一样。

Cultivating humor not only makes life more bearable, it makes you more attractive to others. Study upon study shows that a sense of humor is high up on the list of traits that most people seek in a partner.

培养幽默感不仅可以让人更能忍受生活，还可以让人变得更有魅力。诸多研究表明，人们在寻求另一半的时候，普遍认为他/她对幽默的感知是一项重要的特性。

Insert silliness. Fill your life with one goofy thing a day. Make an unusual observation about someone. Or do something you normally wouldn't do. Wear something silly. You will learn that nothing terrible happens—and you may also discover that something good often happens.

做点蠢事。每天都做点蠢事。对别人进行与众不同的观察，或者做些你通常不会去做的事情，比如穿身愚蠢的衣服。你会发现，这不会有什么糟糕至极的事情发生——恰恰相反，常常会有好事情发生。

Puncture a rigid mindset with a mental exercise called "paradoxical intention."

做一个叫做“矛盾的意图”的思维练习，打破刻板的习惯。

Find the humor by saying, this makes me an utter wretch, a failure now and forever, a doomed and worthless subhuman, because I didn't get the part that I wanted or my partner isn't giving me the attention I want. Get into the exaggeration until you see the absurdity of seeing yourself as a "total failure."

你可以这样说来发现幽默：这让我变成了一个全然可怜的人，永远的失败者，命中注定的毫无价值的非人类，我无法实现理想，父母也不会注意到我。