Introduction. The need for research is due to the deterioration of the psychological well-being of students in the conditions of periodic introduction of self-isolation and distance learning. Teachers of higher education point out that, even after returning to the traditional format of education, many students continue to experience anxiety and tension, especially when performing tasks aimed at teaching oral foreign language speech. To ease such tension and overcome the difficulties caused by it, it is necessary to use various forms of humor in the learning process. Theoretical analysis. The article discusses theoretical approaches to the use of humor in teaching and summarizes the experience of using different types of humor in the practice of teaching English to future IT professionals. Empirical analysis. The empirical research method has been used in the form of a group survey of 67 1st–year students on the basis of SPbSUT. The research task is to find out how students feel about the use of humor in foreign language classes. Conclusion. This study confirms that most students (86%) support the use of humor in classes at the university and note its positive impact. In addition, according to the results of the survey, it was revealed which forms of humor students consider to be the most effective in teaching a foreign language, and which are considered unacceptable by them.