Laughing makes people understand each other: the mediating role of humour in informal conflict

In fact, Zelizer (2010) argues that humour is an ideal tool for coping with the negative emotional impact of the argument, building bridges and even resolving the conflict. 

The speaker acting as mediator in an informal communicative context may, during his or her interaction with the parties in conflict, resort to humour on certain occasions to relativise the dispute, protect his or her image and rebuild interpersonal relations. However, the effectiveness of humour will depend on the Degree formality and seriousness of the conflict, on the social power relationship between the participants, on the subject of humour employee, on the reaction of the participants and even on who initiates the humorous sequence. 

Humour fosters an emotional discharge that helps to relieve the tensions produced during the discussion and generates a common space in which a feeling of complicity is generated between the speakers. Therefore, there is no doubt that people understand each other by laughing.