Seriously, Though: Do we laugh to learn?

Incongruity Theory

Or

“Now isn’t that funny…”

Why is the picture at the head of this post funny?  Some might say we feel a cruel delight at Darth Vader hurting people or at cruel pranks in general. But when I watch Star Wars, I don’t laugh when Vader force-chokes someone.  Others might say

Seriously, Though: Do we laugh just to let off some steam?

The Relief Theory of Humor

Or

“HA! That was close!!”

We can’t seem to escape the Relief Theory of humor: no matter how many times it is discarded as pseudoscience, it is picked up, dusted off, and adapted by a future generation based on a revised theory. Honestly, this may be for good reason, since it explains a lot.

In 1709, Lord Shaftesbury proposed that people have more energy than they can use. That extra energy, he believed, creates dangerous internal pressure; heaving, guffawing, and knee-slapping burns off the excess and

Seriously, Though: Do we laugh to get along?

Humor is a funny thing. Some days, I work as a school receptionist. Imagine this: Tomorrow morning, as the first school visitor approaches my desk, I let out a long, howling shout and strip to the waist, revealing the school colors painted across my chest. I am promptly sacked. No one finds this funny: my boss thinks it is embarrassing to the school; the visitor finds my unfit body revolting; I think it is outrageous to be fired for showing the same school spirit that everyone loved at the last football game. And then the story spreads. The students laugh and wish they had seen it; a coworker, who never particularly liked me, laughs and claims my parking spot. Three years pass: my boss laughs as she recounts the story to a future receptionist; I laugh as I share a testimonial at a group therapy meeting. Why isn’t this universally funny or unfunny? Why does point of view make a difference? Or time? Or context?

This post is the second in a series about humor. The first dissected laughter. Laughter is odd: it’s an