Request Permissions. Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. White is clear on this, in a humorous, IT 46 supporting way. Did the punchline fail to add in the number of purple fish needed? Theories of laughter and humor originated in ancient times with the view that laughter is an expression of . The aim of this dissertation is to offer a new theory of humor that takes seriously both the universality and power of humor in culture. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Here are 18 examples of studies showing evidence of humor as a strength. Chapter 2 - Incongruity Theory . Cooper, C., & Sosik, J. The humor in a pun is the surprise in discovering the dual meaning, or perhaps embarrassment in having chosen the wrong meaning first. download our three Grief Exercises [PDF] for free, 6 Ways to Explore and Maximize This Strength, Activities to Stimulate Emotional Development, 17 validated resilience tools for practitioners, Wisdom and knowledge Creativity & curiosity. The story revolves around grounded twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and the mysteries of the small Pennsylvania town he lives in. So there you have it! Cambridge Journals publishes over 250 peer-reviewed academic journals across a wide range of subject areas, in print and online. Irrelevance that is in a funny way; something out of place that makes you laugh.Fast and visual humor. Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by one's fears. One would have expected the store to be run by a black manthats what the sign saysbut the scene intimates that its not. There are a number of elements here that speak in support of IT. The humorous character in a slapstick show who uses a toilet brush as a toothbrush doesn't understand that the only thing that stops our word for 'toothbrush' applying to a toilet brush is abstract knowledgea human invention. If you can figure it out, please skip the rest of this paragraph, but there may be more incongruities than you initially think. however, humor seems to be more prevalent in post-modern literature. Experimental comparison of the psychological benefits of aerobic exercise, humor, and music. For example, among physicians who do the exceedingly difficult work of treating cancer patients, humor has been reported as beneficial for patients, doctors, and relationships between the two (Joshua, Cotroneo, & Clarke, 2005). But what matters here is that something is at odds with another. Have a shot at working that one out. People with a sense of humor tend to be less egocentric and more realistic in their view of the world and more humble in moments of success and less defeated in times of travail. How many Etruscans does it take to change a light bulb? Whether you are interested in learning more about the psychology of humor or in finding material that will make you laugh, plenty of books are available. Built with love in the Netherlands. Humor also may function as an adaptive ego defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations. There are samples, in the provided dataset, that uses the incongruity to create humor . This page titled 2.4: Got IT?- Introducing Incongruity Theory is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Michael K. Cundall, Jr. (Lighthearted Philosophers' Society) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. But the incongruity theory says that our perceptions of things in the real world only ever relate to part of that thing- they are incomplete. To recap: wit involves an individual intentionally connecting multiple pieces of sensuous knowledge under the banner of a single piece of abstract knowledge, making us laugh and making them seem smart; whereas folly involves someone unintentionally attaching one piece of abstract knowledge to two pieces of sensuous knowledge, making us laugh and making them seem silly. High comedy this isnt; its barely qualifies as a joke. We can give two forms to the claims of the superiority theory of humor: (1) the strong claim holds that all humor involves a feeling of superiority, and (2) the weak claim suggests that feelings of superiority are frequently found in many cases of humor. In this respect, humor serves as both a defense mechanism and a way of coping with adversity. We laugh because we are surprised or because something seems to be out of place. To you, the brush would seem comically small for the task at handeveryone knows it's a toothbrush, not a toilet brush. For example, "hot poet" is funnier than "happy child" and "money and sex" is funnier than "love and sex" [7,8]. Truth plays an important role as well: The juxtaposition of the two things often gives people a new insight into a familiar situation, he notes. In order to get the joke you resolve the incongruity its perfectly sensible. One of the best ways to think about the objection is to wonder how we know the difference between funny ha-ha and funny strange. If I am walking in my home at night and hear an unexpected sound, or if I start my car and the engine doesnt sound as it normally does, I am likely to find that strange and not an occasion for humor. humor is - first and foremost - a recognition of and response to incongruities.) Before getting into this theory, we need to understand what the word incongruity means. (2003). Trust me, it'll make it simpler in the long run! (Please knock hard on the door, the bell doesnt work.). A friend is performing at an open mic night. Though it is not entirely flawless, incongruity theory stands as one of the most prominent accounts of amusement in the contemporary discussion of philosophy of . There are three main concepts that guide this research; relief theory, incongruity theory, and superiority theory. This juxtaposition of the Asian man coming from under the counter, which supports the idea that hes the owner, with the sign that proclaims the establishment is black owned is perfect example of ideas or objects that are incongruous with one another. This seems fairto think about something as a human is to have a certain understanding or perception of that thing. When we are shown it is inadequate, we feel we can relax our reliance on it. Additionally, a study addressing the benefits of humor, music, and aerobic exercise on anxiety among women indicated that effect sizes were highest for those in the humor group (Szabo, Ainsworth, & Danks, 2005). The jolt of gratification we feel at converting confusion into clarity is exactly what Incongruity Resolution Theory, a popular theory in the psychological study of humor, predicts: humor is the satisfying "click" of an incongruity within the joke being resolved after you find the appropriate interpretive framework. The superiority theory is concerned with the affective response that often accompanies comic amusement, which it maintains is an enjoyable feeling of superiority to the object of amusement. Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals some of its benefits, including those it shares with philosophy itself. Whether you find the sly response of the joker in setting up the listener to make a silly owl noise, or the taking advantage of the form of the knock-knock joke to force the listener into the silliness, incongruity is at work here through and through. The humor students bring to the classroom is also essential. Marziali, E., McDonald, L., & Donahue, P. (2008). Philosophers are a notoriously surly bunchheck, even our patron saint, Socrates, did his best to show everyone was wrongand that landed him a heaping glassful of hemlock juice, which isnt too helpful if living is your goal. Ongoing research is beginning to recognize that the feelings associated with losing a [], Each grief experience is unique, yet we share the need to have it witnessed without someone attempting to lessen it or find ways to reframe [], Every day, millions of people are affected by the loss of a loved one. Top humor theories are described, along with the role of humor as both a defense mechanism and character strength. You are revising for a test with a friend. Ulloth, J. Self deprecating; if someone else is laughing at it because you are both flawed in the same way. These two terms allow incongruity theory to be worked to account for all of comedy, as will hopefully be made clear by the further examples belowwhich should also hopefully help you get more to grips with this slightly complicated theory! Humor in the classroom also is believed to promote social and emotional development among children (Lovorn, 2008), and we share a few ideas in our article Activities to Stimulate Emotional Development. It Babies can go from laughing to crying in no time when being tickled [9]. For example, among college students enrolled in language courses, 72% noted that humor enhanced their interest in the subject matter, 82% reported that the instructors use of humor made them more approachable, and 82% indicated that humor created an environment more conducive to learning (Askildson, 2005). More specific workplace benefits of humor included lower stress, burnout, and subordinate work withdrawal, and increased coping effectiveness, health, team cohesion, and job performance and satisfaction. Children have reported such benefits, noting that humor increases their ability to cope with stressors associated with relationships, school-related activities, and life at home (Dowling, 2014). They have to understand what the rhyme overall means. (2002). Hopefully you followed that. The Incongruity Theory (IT, hereafter) is the dominant theory used in modern research to explain humorous things. Humor as character strength and its relation to life satisfaction and happiness in Autism Spectrum Disorders. While these theories focus on the specific role that humor plays for people in situations such as dealing with misfortune, making sense of rule violati For example, the irony in Oedipus the King. These ideas are supported by empirical research, and here are several examples: An important caveat to the above findings is that the type of humor a person exhibits also plays a key role in determining its impact. Hi Heather, thank you for the insight and information. (2013). This idea is explained by Wanzer et al. According to the Benign Violation Theory (BVT), something is perceived as humorous when it hits the "sweet spot," where there is not only a violation, but where the violation is also perceived as benign. In the first chapter, I summarize historical and contemporary theories, and show how each either 1) fails to give any definition of humor, 2) fails as a theory of humor, and/or 3) underappreciates, dismisses, Similarly, other researchers have suggested that gallows humor is beneficial for emergency personnel by providing an outlet for painful emotions and by enhancing support via group cohesion (Rowe & Regehr, 2010). The authors describe this as akin to a hydraulic engine, with laughter serving the function of a steam pipe pressure valve. The humor in both of these examples relies on incongruous . Today's humor research draws on elements of these primary theories and remixes them. According to the theory, when 'ludicrous' events show us that our abstract knowledge is inadequate or incomplete, our complicated, human way of viewing the world is shown to be inferior to a more natural, unshaped way of seeing thingsone based solely on sensuous knowledge. 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