Outside of a dog, a book is mans best friend. Humor as a character strength among the elderly. A sandwich walks into a bar. Martin, R. A. At first the incongruity was unexpected, but now it cant be. In other words, laughter is a function of anticipating a different outcome than what was expected. How many Etruscans does it take to change a light bulb? There are numerous positive benefits of humor, such as enhanced positive mood, life satisfaction, self-esteem, job performance, creativity, social bonding, and. Wanzer, M., Booth-Butterfield, M., & Booth-Butterfield, S. (2005). Incongruity can mean "lack of harmony" or "dissonance." That doesn't sound really funny. But as a tool for explicating humor theories, jokes are compact, easily digestible, and thus make for useful examples. In-congruity theories are essentially cognitive, i.e. This book assesses the adequacy of the traditional theories of laughter and humor, suggests revised theories, and explores such areas as the aesthetics and ethics of humor, and the relation of amusement to other mental states. The Incongruity Theory (IT, hereafter) is the dominant theory used in modern research to explain humorous things. The question alone is utterly nonsensical. for an online course and found your article really helpful.Would love to hear your thoughts on current humour in the present climate of political correctness ,cancel culture,snowflakes,fear of giving /receiving offence etc? Good comedy works to create expectations and them frustrate or play with them in such ways as to get the audience to find something funny or humorous. The incongruity, the playing with expectations as such, is that the second line of the joke is the listener and this query made assumes the next answer will be a name not a sound. So there you have it! Hence, one would predict that any experienced incongruity would produce humor. Lets look at a couple of jokes with varying levels of complexity. You reply with "Why, am I marrying her?" Bizarre or absurd as types of incongruity are a bit more difficult to describe as they are, well, bizarre, but they are definitely further refinements, or subsets of the incongruous. d) Resolution shows how (within the story world) the incongruity arises. The joke teller does not do as expected and supplies a clever homonym to who in the sound hoo. A quote from E.B. The child will continue playing with that rhyme substituting words here and there both with others and by themselves. Everyone who has experienced love has, most likely, faced a painful breakup. 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. The concept of defense mechanisms originated in psychoanalytic theory. Cooper, C. (2008). ulysses is a good example. Defense mechanisms are believed to protect the ego from emotional pain through the unconscious minds distortion of reality. 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). What are you allergic to? queried a stressed nurse as a gunshot victim was rushed into the ER. 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. (2014). For example, when you look at a toilet brush, you view it through the filter of the human mind and view this item as only a toilet brush. (2003). The authors note that nurses use humor to deal with specific situations such as daily medical routines, difficult patients/families, and even death. Clearly, they understand about expectation and then are using the unexpected presence of the new word to create humor. These moments constitute 'the ludicrous'. I hate everyone equally. The presentation of the sign primes us to think the store is owned, not by an Asian man, but a black person of color. That we see areas of the brain involved in higher level cognition and conceptual thought involved in humor behavior supports ITs claim that humor is a conceptually based activity that involve incongruity processing. Did the punchline fail to add in the number of purple fish needed? In order for any two people to share a joke, its important that they share a certain conceptual or knowledge base. Incongruity denotes the incoherence between the interpretation of two parts of a joke, namely, its setup and punchline. The impact of humor on stress also was investigated in a medical study using humor as a complementary therapy among cancer patients (Bennett, Zeller, Rosenberg, & McCann, 2003). Superiority Theory. There have been a number of attempts to solve this issue with IT and they largely make use of play to circumvent the problem. 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. The same effect would occur if you saw someone cleaning a toilet with a toothbrush. Your email address will not be published. However, from a neutral unshaped perspective, it is simply a brush. There are three main concepts that guide this research; relief theory, incongruity theory, and superiority theory. Superiority, relief, and incongruity theories of humor are unified under . The predictive nature of humor, authoritative parenting style, and academic achievement on indices of initial adjustment and commitment to college among college freshmen. Low, L., Goodenough, B., Fletcher, J., Xu, K., Casey, A., Chenoweth, L., Brodaty, H. (2014). Samson, A., & Antonelli, Y. You dont ask about the difference between a single thing; comparison require two things. The humor students bring to the classroom is also essential. congruity theory is satisfactory, but I believe it is more satisfactory than previous versions and deserves to be considered in this stronger form. Abstract. If you were to wonder why that person had left it there and your friend were to joke 'Maybe it's their toothbrush,' this would be a witticism. Happiness and humor group promotes life satisfaction for senior center participants. Mathieu, S. (2008). Lovorn, M. (2008). Apparently, we're all seething cauldrons of fluid and gas, trying to get out and making us wacky. The dominant theory of humor is the Incongruity Theory (Morreall, 2016). You understand it better but the frog dies in the process. The incongruity is to be found in comparing the feeling one has at the end of the joke analysis to death. Hi Heather, thank you for the insight and information. I would like to end with one of my favorite jokes from esteemed humor researcher Victor Raskin. They also have to know the meanings of other words so as to substitute the right sort of words. The effect of humorous movies on inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Schulman-Green, D. (2003). The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. A comprehensive look at how children are impacted by the experience of humor is described by Hogan (2003), who noted that humor benefits children in terms of enhanced social bonding, stress relief, and pain coping. One says to the other: Does this taste funny to you?. Three traditional theories of laughter and humor are examined, along with the theory that humor evolved from mock-aggressive play in apes. Hopefully you followed that. But, for people who experience stressful jobs or complicated family dynamics, dark humor often serves as an important protective mechanism. For instance, the Benign Violation theory of humor developed by a team of psychologists at the University of Colorado Boulder explains funny as a series non-threatening violations of social norms [source: McGraw and Warren].Essentially, a joke should violate some sort of cultural practice or value, but at a . This example also helps us to see the unexpected nature of the incongruous. Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. In this chapter well cover the incongruity theory. John Morreall traces this theory back to Lord Shaftesbury's 1709 "hydraulic" model, which held that men (sic) had "natural, free ["animal"] spirits" that required release or they would "vent" in undesirable ways. Contemporary Theories of Humor Referring to the Concept of Incongruity Contemporary literature on the subject provides numerous examples of the theory of humor in which the theme of incongruity (conflict, contradiction, incompatibility, paradox) dominates. Incongruity theory o An example of the incongruity theory of humor takes place during the waterpark scene in the movie Grown Ups (Dennis Dugan, 2010). (2013). 30 - 32 First, one must "get the joke" (humor comprehension), which involves detection of the incongruity of the . 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 . In K. S. Cameron & G. M. Spreitzer (Eds.). And then we experience a sudden, shocking shift in perspective as our brains adjust to the new reality. Dont forget to download our three Grief Exercises [PDF] for free. IT is refined by adding the play qualification so as to help us know which incongruities are funny ha-ha rather than funny strange.. Dark humor has also been found to enhance resilience during some of the most horrible events in human history. So far, youve read about some other attempts to explain the cognitive/mental processes behind the phenomenon of humor. Gelkopf, M., Gonen, B., Kurs, R., Melamed, Y., & Bleich, A. Analysis of any joke or bit of humor generally, if not nearly always, makes the jokes not funny. I went to buy some camouflage pants the other day but I couldnt find any. There are problems with it, as there are with all theories. Sense of humor, stable affect, and psychological well-being. Its difficult to try to make sense of nonsense. The most important theory of humor analysis and synthesis is called Incongruity and Incongruity resolution. Understanding humor based on the incongruity theory and the cooperative principle. Meaningful quotes and additional resources are also included, along with a bit of humor sprinkled throughout. There are 3 main theories used to explain the functions of humor: (1) the relief theory, (2) the incongruity theory, and (3) the superiority theory. But if you recall the definition of IT, it simply states that incongruities will be found funny. 2, surprised and amused (and sometimes offended) the public by breaking with the expectation that an artist's job was to . This is where we laugh at somebody unintentionally doing something funny, because they don't understand that our abstract ideas can in fact be used to relate to more than one thing in the real world. I'd be very surprised.". Indeed, by nurturing their sense of humor, adults equip children with important coping skills (Martin, 1989). For example, you could buy five pigs. They then proceed to pour their drink over you. Humor theories and the physiological benefits of laughter. 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. 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. More traditional comedians with their exaggerated gesticulations or bombastic/exaggerated vocal inflections help the audience understand that what is going on is supposed to be funny and then allows us to experience the incongruity as funny. This is a rather cruel witticism but a witticism all the same. For example, research by Ganz and Jacobs (2014) indicated that attending a humor therapy workshop was associated with positive mental health outcomes among seniors. Among nurses, humor has been related to lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, increased personal accomplishment (Talbot & Lumden, 2000), as well as greater coping efficacy and emotional expressivity (Wanzer, Booth-Butterfield, & Booth-Butterfield, 2005). My siblings took it pretty hard. Whats an incongruity? 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. Cambridge University Press (www.cambridge.org) is the publishing division of the University of Cambridge, one of the worlds leading research institutions and winner of 81 Nobel Prizes. The cognitive-perceptual component. Request Permissions. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions For more information, visit http://journals.cambridge.org. 66 although research in humor have gained insights from philosophy, psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, and recently, neuroscience. Recent scholars have proposed several theories explaining the underlying mechanisms of humor. For example, in a study by Abel (2002), coping strategies were examined concerning humor and various types of stress. Humor. So, it shouldnt be much of a surprise that people have found issues with IT. not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something) with your understanding of the world. He would giggle with sheer delight. In another study examining the effectiveness of humor among individuals with mental illness, a humor-based activity involving clowns (i.e., the therapeutic clown approach) was implemented among psychiatric ward inpatients. . For example, the mechanism of denial, when used by addicts, serves as a barrier to accepting the addiction and seeking help. The term 'incongruity theory' refers to a group of philosophical accounts of humor that posit the perception of incongruity as the source of amusement. For instance, my children loved to take nursery rhymes that they knew well and then not say the expected words at some point. Other genres such as the grotesque, the macabre, the horrible, the bizarre, and the fantastic all go against our aesthetic categories, and we don't find them funny, either. A friend is performing at an open mic night. al. Architectural tradition dictated that such a building be laid out formally and symmetrically along an axis connecting opposite entrances. From the audience, you shout "You're on fire!" Along the same lines . On the pigs paint the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5. 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, Ok, that wasnt simple. This joke would have found itself quite at home in some of Lewis Carrolls works. He offers examples of negative emotions such as "fear, pity, indignation, disgust, etc." and neutral ones like "puzzlement, wonder, curiosity, or problem-solving," 7 as attitudes that will not provide pleasure sufficient for humor. This article provides readers with a comprehensive look at humor as an important concept in positive psychology. Contributions of humor as perceived by the terminally ill. Hickman, G., & Crossland, G. (2004). Gantos uses a variety of humor to make his book more interesting, including schadenfreude, incongruity theory and farce. Twinkle, twinkle little star how I wonder what you rooster! The substituted word would always change, but it was typically a noun of some sort and often an animal. The role of coping humor in the physical and mental health of older adults. The Incongruity Theory (IT, hereafter) is the dominant theory used in modern research to explain humorous things. One of these theories is incongruity theory (the other two are known as relief theory and superiority theory). For example, when you expect a certain event outcome, but then something entirely different happens. Hopefully this tour has shown how and why IT is the leading candidate for explaining humor perception. There are several theories that aim to explain why things are funny, how laughter works and why exactly we do it. Quoted in Huemer n.d. Really almost any placid, extraordinarily dry, joke from Wright might stand as a counter-example to the Relief theory. Humor, stress, and coping strategies. One way that Gantos makes his writing amusing is through the use of schadenfreude. If there was no way to link the incongruity back to the set-up of the joke/humor, there would be no way to get it. Once they begin college, humor is predictive of better college adjustment (Hickman & Crossland, 2004). Martin, R. (1989). competitors of incongruity theory are currently seen as even less able to provide an adequate an-swer to the basic question" (Levinson 1998, 564). In this way, pent-up pressure is relieved through laughter. Ostrower, C. (2015). The incongruity theory purports to define the formal object of comic amusement, which it locates in certain kinds of incongruity. Humor. This does not mean that IT is not without its problems. Humor plays an essential role in buffering the impact of stress and is important for positive wellbeing among both children and seniors. According to this theory, people are able to . Hence weve found a counter-example to the theory. This explains why laughter is caused when people recognize taboo subjectsone typical example is This play then leads to a feeling of delight in the form of humor or mirth. For some, this sort of play with language shows that real incongruity-based humor has taken root. Marziali, E., McDonald, L., & Donahue, P. (2008). Philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle have been trying to explain humor since ancient times. 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). Additionally, in their comprehensive review, Cooper and Sosik (2012) reported that humor at the workplace was linked to enhanced relationships, more creative thinking, more collaborative negotiations, and better customer relations. The humor in a pun is the surprise in discovering the dual meaning, or perhaps embarrassment in having chosen the wrong meaning first. Relief theory maintains that laughter is a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological tension is reduced. As an important high-level cognitive activity, humor plays a crucial role in human social life. Incongruity Theories' mechanism of causing laughter then goes to work on you. Audiences arent sure if theyre supposed to laugh (here an indicator of humor) or not. There are three major families of theories of humor: humor as release, humor as aggression, and humor as incongruity. Interestingly, those who were higher in humor scores were also found to have increased immune functioning (Bennett et al., 2003). I encourage you to try it, if only to raise the amount of humor in your life. 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. Honest good humor is the oil and wine of a merry meeting, and there is no jovial companionship equal to that where the jokes are rather small and laughter abundant. New York: Coward McCann, 1941. Without it, IT isnt much. Whatever gets you through today: An examination of cynical humor among emergency service professionals. The light bulb joke about the surrealists works because the audience knows a little something about what a surrealist is and then uses that knowledge to make sense of the absurd response. The superiority theory is concerned with the affective response It's Funny 'Cause It's True (Henrigillis and Gimbel), { "2.01:_Metaphysics" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.
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