Humor violates these rules, then immediately relieves us of our distress at those violations by presenting an alternative construction of the violation. We are, however, constantly aware of the limits of our comprehension, and many of us live in a rather constant, if modest, state of anxiety, that is, of expecting the unexpected. The same may be said for certain forms of therapy. Lower forms are based on relief of distress without adaptation, by means of some kind of avoidance or other external change. It is active and may be the source of great positive change.
Higher humor is based on relief of distress through true adaptation or learning.
Our fear is shown to be baseless through a higher reconstruction of the situation. But it is also associated, therefore, with some sadness, inasmuch as sadness is the emotional tone of our need to change ourselves in response to undeniable realities.