Telling a joke:[1]
The Talmud[2] states that Raba was accustomed to tell a joke prior to learning Torah with his students. Telling a joke prior to learning helps take a person from Katnus to Gadlus, from being intellectually constricted and uninterested to having a desire to learn and attach to Hashem. This was also the intent of the two comedians spoken of in the Talmud[3] who would rejoice people who were sad, as through their humor they would then be able to influence them and elevate them.
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[1] Keser Shem Tov 37
[2] Shabbos 30b
[3] Taanis 22a
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