Is it a good thing when people can laugh at themselves, or does this seem like you're just covering up feelings of inferiority?

Well as long as we’re looking at internet humor to wrap some context around your question… shall we take a look at Rick Astley?

The pop singer gained popularity along as residence among the interweb laughing stocks when “Rick-Rolling” started. Since then, it’s an internet phenomenon, even garnering national news attention.

How does Rick feel? Sure, he’s able to laugh at himself, while his agents and label affiliates are tired of fielding questions about it.

In the end, it can be a healthy thing to laugh at yourself if the alternative is worse or more damaging. But, it also can convey an obvious lack of confidence and sometimes an annoying character flaw.

Like many other things in this world, it depends on why you’re laughing. I personally feel no benefit in laughing at myself for some sort of mask or cover. I’d rather express things for real. In the end, you’re simply a scared child whistling in the dark to keep his spirits up.

I think for Hasselhoff it is his pathetic way of trying to continue to get attention and publicity when his “star” burned out long ago. I liken it to being on a reality show, then milking it for all it is worth (see Omarosa) when really any fame they thought they had was mostly in their own mind.

As for in one’s private life, I think it is important that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. When I make goofy mistakes I do try to take it in stride. I might not actually laugh at myself, but I try to keep it in perspective.

Being able to laugh at yourself makes life a lot easier and a lot less dramatic.

If you can’t laugh at yourself, I don’t think it’s right for you to laugh at others, because it becomes mockery at that point. “Laughing with” someone reveals empathy.

Erm, more to the question.. maybe for some it’s pathetic, “I’m laughing at myself to gain your approval!” versus, “shit, it appears I too am human and fallible.”

not taking your self too seriously is a great gift. I think it would show greater weakness if you weren’t able to.

I think it is a positive attribute that someone could have, whether or not they are famous shouldn’t matter.
I have a hard time laughing at myself, but that don’t mean I don’t try to find humour in some of the stupid stuff I do/say:)
sometimes it just takes longer

I laugh at myself all the time. It makes others feel comfortable around you, & I feel good in my skin. I would shy away from anyone who can’t. It’s kind of like they think they’re better than anyone else. Humor is a gift & I unwrap it every day.

David Hasselhoff makes money and keeps a show business career by not taking himself too seriously. That doesn’t work very well for most other people.

Then I must be really inferior as crack myself up all the time—after all nobody else laughs at my jokes!

That may be part of why some people laugh at themselves some of the time. But there’s also the relief in that, in recognizing how flawed you are, despite all your effort in trying to transcend those and the limitations you have/are given by circumstances… it’s a bit like how neat it is to notice how unimportant you are, despite spending so much time mentally & psycholocially orbiting around your self, your little sphere in reality and everything & everyone that goes on in there; and that all the difficulties in that aren’t quite as earth-shattering as they seem when your mind’s stuck within that.

I work in the counseling field. And being able to laugh at yourself can be an amazing healing technique. It does not matter what others think of your ability to laugh at yourself. It only matters what it does for you. Some cultures and professions use specific types of humor to help get them through trauma and it gives them a venue to discuss things that would be difficult otherwise. They are essentially laughing at themselves but it has a much deeper meaning. All in all I would say it is a good thing.

If you cannot laugh at yourself I feel sorry for you. I’ll laugh at you instead.

I laugh at myself a lot. i am not sure I would want to be with someone who couldn’t laugh at themselves. We are all pretty absurd after all.

I do think there is a continuum, however, and I would consider David Hasselhoff toward the buffoon end of the spectrum.

If you cannot laugh at yourself you are a dick. There are no exceptions to this rule.

I laugh at myself all the time whether it is because of dumb mistakes I make now and again or it is my brilliant, sarcastic sense of humor that I have such wicked control over.

Since I am nowhere near inferior, I’m positive that laughing at myself is not a by-product of that.

I know, I know. You’re not laughing at me, you’re laughing with me.

I laugh at myself all the time. With a klutzy as I am, I gotta laugh! I do think some people take themselves way too seriously and it’s a shame. I can’t imagine never being able to see the humorous side of just being me.

It’s very healthy to laugh at yourself. Life would be miserable if you couldn’t.

I don’t know if I laugh at myself, but I definitely poke fun at myself with various put-downs of one kind or another. I think it’s a defence against other people making fun of me. If I do it first, what can they do?

Yeah, it’s probably not very funny. No one so serious as a clown, eh? I don’t even do self-degradation well. Maybe I should take up a new hobby. Eating knives, perhaps?

I forgot about this when I posted this earlier, but I was thinking over this thread and something a friend said to me came to mind. Please keep in mind that I don’t believe this myself:

You can’t take yourself too seriously, because then you’d have to take everybody else seriously…. and most people are a joke.

A little too pessimistic for my blood, but I thought some might identify with it. :)

That’s one of the most important aspects of a healthy self-respect and attitude towards oneself, in my opinion :)

It’s typically a “good thing” when a person is capable of making a mockery of their sense of inferiority as it often results in these feelings of inferiority waning.

Yes. It is a sad thing when someone cannot laugh at themselves.

I laugh at myself all the time. Life is too short to take myself or other’s too seriously. :)