• Amusement is connected to humor and includes elements of unexpectedness, incongruity, and playfulness. Seen as a brief spike in a person's level of cheerfulness, lasting only a few seconds. Pleasurable, relaxed excitation. Amusement differes from happiness in that happiness is a general sense of pleasure, whereas amusment appeals specifically to one's sense of humor.

  • An awareness of incongruity (there's something unexpected about what causes us to be amused we weren't ecpecting that punch line or that behavior or that timing. )

  • When we feel amusement, we feel playful with those around us.

• Brene Brown Atlas of the Heart p. 72

Research shows that breaks invovling amusement may help replenish depleted cognitive resources, and that the replenishment continues through difficult tasks.

Brene Brown Atlas of the Heart p. 73

Things Aren't What They Seem