In recent years there has been increasingly emphasised the importance of developing a sense of humour in patients with depression, which is considered an important competence promoting recovery processes and preventing relapse. Research on the sense of humour in depression focuses on two main areas. The first one concerns the answer to the question whether depressed patients are able to make use of their sense of humour. Results of current studies in this field lead to ambiguous conclusions. Some of them point to the deficits held by these patients in terms of perception, understanding and appreciation of humour, while others demonstrate the presence of the general susceptibility to humorous stimuli and the readiness to use the sense of humour. The second area of research focuses on the effectiveness of therapeutic programmes aimed at developing a sense of humour in depression. The results showed that they have limited efficacy - short term, observed only in some aspects or determined to a greater extent by pharmacological treatment than by implemented programmes. The reasons for their limited effectiveness seem to be largely due to an excessively wide range of impacts, not focused on the most desirable styles of humour, as well as specific needs, preferences and attitudes for patients with depression.