Senses of humor define people, as factions, deeper rooted than religious or political opinions. When carrying out everyday tasks, opinions are rather easy to set aside, but those whom a person shares a sense of humor with are his closest friends. They are always there to make the biggest influence.
Silence is, usually, another form of communication but without all the feeling or impression produced on the ear by a set of vibrations that propagate through an elastic medium such as air. But essentially, it's the same form of communication, just branded with a different name.