I think John Cleese with Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers showed us cathartic laughter.
He created a character that got so wound up by life that it put our problems into perspective and when it happened to us we would be reminded by Basil.
So, in our frustration with life we could shake our fist like Basil, and all of sudden we’re reminded of the antics, our mood is lifted, you view the problem differently and you find the humour in life again.
Thomas Duggan 