Humor is a major defense mechanism for me, so yes. But I also enjoy amusing people. I make very little eye contact, so smiles are usually lost to me. But the humor and lack of eye contact allow me to talk much more freely. The humor does tend to get a positive response on account of this, even when they know it's a defense mechanism.

I've spent very little time dealing with a humorless provider (in psych realm).

Sense of humor about... Yes on the absurd. And dark humor as well, because dark and absurd are not mutually exclusive. But traumatic and terrifying things, no. Or things that there simply IS nothing funny about, no.

But overall, yes, I do try to see the humor wherever possible even if it takes time to get there. It makes it more bearable. I consider sense of humor a coping tool.