麦克阿瑟将军在为儿子所写的祈祷文中,除了求神赐他儿子“在软弱时能自强不屈;在畏惧时能勇敢面对自己;在诚实的失败中能够坚毅不拔;胜利时又能谦逊温和”外,还祈求上帝赐给他“充份的幽默感”(And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious , yet never forget take himself too seriously.)。由此更能窥见,幽默在西方社会中被赋予的崇高价值与肯定。