You can perform this sort of analysis on most any of the jokes or humor youve experienced. Interestingly, those who were higher in humor scores were also found to have increased immune functioning (Bennett et al., 2003). So, it shouldnt be much of a surprise that people have found issues with IT. congruity theory is satisfactory, but I believe it is more satisfactory than previous versions and deserves to be considered in this stronger form. I encourage you to try it, if only to raise the amount of humor in your life. However, from a neutral unshaped perspective, it is simply a brush. A beautiful piece of sculpture or statuary can do the same. Hydraulic Model. Samson, A., Glassco, A., Lee, I., & Gross, J. Mark Twain quite rightly explained humor saying, "Humour is the great thing, the saving thing after all. But before we move on to critiques, lets explore some other facts about humor that support the notion that humor is a cognitive act that requires some form of perceived incongruity. For example, in a study exploring humor among undergraduate students, a sense of humor was positively related to both sociability and creativity (Ghayas & Malik, 2013). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. My son used to change the last word of the first line of the famous Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star rhyme. Once they begin college, humor is predictive of better college adjustment (Hickman & Crossland, 2004). This is textbook IT. Hence they were an ancient group and had never experienced a light bulb. The listener has to figure out how one side can be exactly like the other, and especially so at that. It's not without its issues or critics. Adaptive humor is linked with increased stable positive mood and decreased stable negative mood (Cann & Collette, 2014). I shall begin, however, with a sketchy review of some of the main theories of humour and the standard objections to them, which usually take the form of providing counter-examples. Similarly, in their review, Stieger, Formann, and Burger (2011) reported that self-defeating humor was linked to depression and loneliness, whereas self-enhancing humor was related to beneficial outcomes. Raskin, Victor. (2014). Babies can go from laughing to crying in no time when being tickled [9]. More about the theory: Expectancy Violations Peterson and Seligman (2004) propose six virtues and 24 character strengths that fall within each virtue category (a few examples below): Proposed links between humor and positive wellbeing are intuitive; it makes sense that those with a good sense of humor will be in a better position to weather difficult situations, enjoy more cohesive relationships, find humor in all sorts of experiences, and benefit from more positive mental and physical health (Martin, 2019). Perhaps you fancy some jumbo shrimp? But if you recall the definition of IT, it simply states that incongruities will be found funny. Incongruity theory is believed to be the most influential humor theory, with some proposing that incongruity is at the core of all humor (Zhan, 2012, p. 95). 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? The effects of human therapy on nursing home residents measured using observational methods: The SMILE cluster randomized trial. Happiness and humor group promotes life satisfaction for senior center participants. MesmerMagnus, J., Glew, D., & Viswesvaran, C. (2012). A Subtreasury of American Humor. Your friend welcomes you to their home for the first time and says "Let me introduce you to my furry little friend" before opening another door onto their bearded husband, where they had led you to expect a dog. Philosophy, the journal of The Royal Institute of Philosophy is published by Cambridge University Press quarterly in January, April, July and October. A sandwich walks into a bar. On the association between humor and burnout. 2, surprised and amused (and sometimes offended) the public by breaking with the expectation that an artist's job was to . You are revising for a test with a friend. A metaanalysis of positive humor in the workplace. To do this, we need to discuss how incongruity theory states we see the world. In this way, humor results from feelings of triumph over the errors or misfortune of others, which promotes self-enhancement and feelings of superiority. Humor styles and their relationship to explicit and implicit self-esteem. The incongruity theory states that humor is perceived at the moment of realization of incongruity between a concept involved in a certain situation and the real objects thought to be in some relation to the concept. Hence, one would predict that any experienced incongruity would produce humor. The authors note that nurses use humor to deal with specific situations such as daily medical routines, difficult patients/families, and even death. Here the piece of abstract knowledge applicable to multiple pieces of sensuous knowledge is a word ('fire'), and so here we have an example of wordplay creating folly. Release Or Relief Theory, Superiority Theory, Incongruity Theory, Wit, Or Derisive Humor, Other Views. 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 The whole joke is layered with absurdities. ("full resolution") b) Resolution makes the original incongruity less incongruous. Hopefully you followed that. Contributions of humor as perceived by the terminally ill. Hickman, G., & Crossland, G. (2004). A quote from E.B. 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. How do we explain the continued humor? Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals some of its benefits, including those it shares with philosophy itself. Roberts (2019, 92) and Hurley et. They have to understand what the rhyme overall means. When in reality, it is simply a medium-sized tool for brushing. Relief theory. The linguistics of humor is more generally concerned with incongruity theories as they describe the cognitive mechanisms that cause humor. This explains why humor is found more in times of leisure and play than anywhere else. Humor also may function as an adaptive ego defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations. We struggle to understand why. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. Detrimental humor (e.g., sarcasm and self-disparaging humor), on the other hand, is believed to have potentially negative ramifications such as reduced relationship quality and low self-esteem (Martin, 2019). (2002). 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. 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). To understand incongruity in non-words, it is important to know that some letters are more likely than others in the English language (e.g., "E" is more frequent than "Q"), and furthermore . We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. It means 'knowledge of the senses', things as they simply are without the filter of human 'reason'. Abel, M. H. (2002). Here we share defense mechanism worksheets as tools for practitioners. The superiority theory is concerned with the affective response Herth, K. (1990). (Please knock hard on the door, the bell doesnt work.). 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. But not for them. Twain had a point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. Humor, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions . Even though the audience grows tired easily. Another issue with IT comes from my continued delight at the parrot joke. It fits with current scientific approaches, it conforms and relates to our everyday experience of humor, and its also explanatory. The main issue with IT is that not all incongruities we experience lead to humor. other humor theories began to challenge the dom-inance of the superiority theory: the relief theory and the incongruity theory. It Gelkopf, M. (2011). They are reviewed along with neurolinguistic approaches, evolutionary theories of humor and a few mixed and partial theories that have been presented. For example, among physicians who work with dying patients, humor has been reported as one of eight coping mechanisms used to handle the extreme stress involved in doing this type of work (Schulman-Green, 2003). There is a scientific fact that you need to learn but neither of you know it. First, relief theory focuses primarily on the motivational mechanisms of interpersonal needs, positing that humor provides relief of tension. Hi Heather, The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. The incongruity theory purports to define the for-mal object of comic amusement, which it locates in certain kinds of incongruity. 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. I hate everyone equally. Along with the Holocaust, dark humor has been used as a coping and survival mechanism across a broad range of life-threatening situations. 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). When is a coping technique seen as a way to manage, and when is it seen as a defense mechanism? This joke would have found itself quite at home in some of Lewis Carrolls works. During the humor activity period, patients were reported as having significant decreases in multiple disruptive behaviors including self-injury, fighting, and attempted escapes (Higueras et al., 2006). Incongruity can even play a role in physical humor. Ostrower (2015, p. 184) describes humor coping within this context as a defense mechanism that under the nightmare circumstances of living in the ghettos and camps during the Holocaust, laughter was a form of rebellion against reality. This does not mean that IT is not without its problems. Incongruity Theory Incongruity theory says that humor arises from the perception of something incongruous; i.e. Humor and oncology. There are five different theories that categorize the different reasons why find things humorous. Stieger, S., Formann, A., & Burger, C. (2011). competitors of incongruity theory are currently seen as even less able to provide an adequate an-swer to the basic question" (Levinson 1998, 564). Similarly, MesmerMagnus, Glew, and Viswesvaran (2012) conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies focusing on the impact of humor in the workplace. Abstract. This example also helps us to see the unexpected nature of the incongruous. Sense of humor, stable affect, and psychological well-being. Lets continue using this approach of relying on jokes to clarify the IT; its a timehonored tradition in humor research. Give yourself a pat on the back! They then proceed to pour their drink over you. The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. THEORIES OF HUMOR IN THE MOVIE STEP BROTHERS 4 Another theory visible in Step Brothers is the incongruity theory. Hi Heather, thank you for the insight and information. Superiority theory, relief/arousal theory, and incongruity theory, propose different reasons as to what makes a situation humorous. The researchers found that greater wellbeing was related to affiliative and self-enhancing humor, whereas reduced wellbeing was linked to aggressive and self-defeating humor (Maiolino & Kuiper, 2016). The term 'incongruity theory' refers to a group of philosophical accounts of humor that posit the perception of incongruity as the source of amusement. Along the same lines . As is widely known, theories of humour are traditionally divided in three branches: (1) Theories of incongruity, or inconsistency, or contradiction, or bisociation. 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. Not only does humor have the ability to make school more enjoyable, but it is beneficial in various meaningful ways. Klein, D., & Kuiper, N. (2006). Martin, R. (1989). Many of these journals are the leading academic publications in their fields and together they form one of the most valuable and comprehensive bodies of research available today. For example, the irony in Oedipus the King. There is no shortage of quotes about humor (and humorous quotes) available online; here are eight terrific examples: If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide. The joke makes sense, if in a different or atypical way. The use of humor in medicine has also been studied from the perspective of healthcare workers. The noun work in a way other wordtypes likely wouldnt. The answer is in a real sense spot on. What these studies are adding up to is the idea that incongruity--when an idea or an object is out of place--is the heart of humor, Martin says. From the audience, you shout "You're on fire!" None, they were dead before electricity was invented. In general, all other things being equal, if theres no reason to worry about the incongruity, then laugh. The realisation our abstract knowledge isn't able to fully link to/account for sensuous knowledge is pleasurable to us because abstract knowledge is an exhausting filter through which to see the world. The results indicated that adaptive humor was linked to higher levels of self-esteem and happiness. 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. Ulloth, J. White, E. B. and Katherine White. For example, in a study by Samson, Glassco, Lee, and Gross (2014), humorous coping applied after viewing negative pictures was found to increase positive emotions at both short- and longer term follow-up. And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after. 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. (2019). Quoted in Huemer n.d. Really almost any placid, extraordinarily dry, joke from Wright might stand as a counter-example to the Relief theory. (2003). It publishes over 2,500 books a year for distribution in more than 200 countries. The barman says Sorry we dont serve food in here.. 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. If youre not an English speaker knock-knock jokes will go over your head. If you dont find yourself laughing nearly enough, here are six things you can do: Two cannibals are eating a clown. however, humor seems to be more prevalent in post-modern literature. In previous studies, most researchers used two-element jokes (setup and punch line) as stimuli, based on experimental methods, to explore the humor process. 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. I would like to end with one of my favorite jokes from esteemed humor researcher Victor Raskin. In this chapter well cover the incongruity theory. The difference between the two is all about how the contrasts between abstract knowledge and sensuous knowledge are shown. In this respect, humor serves as both a defense mechanism and a way of coping with adversity. I was raised as an only child. Theres nothing more to get than the fact that its absurd. Thats a really interesting topic youre exploring. . 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. 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. For example, research by Ganz and Jacobs (2014) indicated that attending a humor therapy workshop was associated with positive mental health outcomes among seniors. However, it is safe to say that IT is accepted by most researchers as the most accurate and likely true approach to explaining humor. The child will continue playing with that rhyme substituting words here and there both with others and by themselves. An example of this is "Yo mama" jokes where each contestant tries to put down the other contestant's mother. To do this, we will discuss the ideas of the leading thinker behind this theorya man called Arthur Schopenhaeur (he explains his theory in his work The World as Will and Idea, but you don't have to read that text to understand this article). Sensuous knowledge refers to the world as it exists from no perspective at all. Want to know more about defense mechanisms? I hope thats not the case below, but youll likely find the jokes less funny for the analysis. If you want to find humor, look for ways that things dont seem to fit together. Martin and Ford (2018) describe the three top humor theories. Participants were categorized into either high or low sense of humor groups. (2013). However, it is safe to say that IT is accepted by most researchers as the most accurate and likely true approach to explaining humor. The Superiority Theory By Steve Buissinne, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cooper, C., & Sosik, J. There are three major families of theories of humor: humor as release, humor as aggression, and humor as incongruity. 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. If youre looking for more science-based ways to help others overcome adversity, this collection contains. As an important high-level cognitive activity, humor plays a crucial role in human social life. Most humor researchers would agree that the core of humor is the perception of an incongruity (Forabosco 1992; Gervais and Wilson 2005; Scheel and Gockel 2017).Humor refers to a thought, statement, or event that is somehow incongruous or surprising and accompanied by humor cues that signal a nonserious mindset (Mulkay 1988). Describes the works of dermot bolger, e.m. forster, and kazuo ishiguro. Jack uses irony, schadenfreude, and the incongruity theory to bring his story to life. (2005) in their aptly titled article If We Didnt Use Humor, Wed Cry. Its philosophy Mike, everybodys wrong. Those words came to me from one of my dissertation advisors. Infants tend to laugh when parents make funny faces and sounds, hide their faces before they. If the joke were truly nonsensical, the response wouldnt be humor, it would be confusion. Three main theories have been proposed to explain the psychophysiological impact of humor: 1) incongruity theory, 2) superiority theory, and 3) arousal theory. One says to the other: Does this taste funny to you?. Talbot, L., & Lumden, D. (2000). Humor. Incongruity is something that occurs when things are not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings of other aspects of something. 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). By Yuvika Koul, CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia. Wheres the incongruity? 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. the remains of the . The predictive nature of humor, authoritative parenting style, and academic achievement on indices of initial adjustment and commitment to college among college freshmen. A child with a well-developed sense of humor has been described as becoming a joy tracker or humor spotter in everyday life a point of view that will be carried into adulthood (Franzini, 2002, p. 11). You reply with "Why, am I marrying her?" Clearly, they understand about expectation and then are using the unexpected presence of the new word to create humor. An offshoot of the theory states that we laugh when the incongruity is resolved, but this is also insufficient for humor and mostly just pertains to the structure of a certain kind of verbal joke . Along with helping to promote resilience and cope with stress and illness, humor also serves as an invaluable strength associated with various indices of psychological wellbeing, work-related benefits, learning, and creativity. d) Resolution shows how (within the story world) the incongruity arises. Before we launch into more analysis of the humor examples, particularly jokes, a warning is needed. For example, in a study by Abel (2002), coping strategies were examined concerning humor and various types of stress. The concept of defense mechanisms originated in psychoanalytic theory. they reply simply with "Thank you!" 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. Its also one of the reasons that humor doesnt usually cross cultures. Philosophy The incongruity theory purports to define the formal object of comic amusement, which it locates in certain kinds of incongruity. Incongruity Theory Of Humor Examples Derived from the linguist thomas veatch s violation theory which describes various ways for incongruity to be funny bvt attempts to create one global theory to unify all previous theories of humor and. New York: Coward McCann, 1941. You tell your friend to 'Look up the answer'. This play then leads to a feeling of delight in the form of humor or mirth. 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. But then the coda of the joke, in attempting to explain the answer muddies the conceptual space. They ignore this fact and so foolishly use one as the other. they are based on some objective characteristics of a humorous text or other act (situation, event, picture, etc.). Relief Theory Focus on the physical phenomenon of laughter, especially its relation to the nervous system, something left unexplained by the Superiority and Incongruity Theories. And while approaching such situations with humor may not make sense to others, humor helps nurses deal with their distress when encountering extremely difficult situations regularly (Wanzer et al., 2005). Its more a Zen koan or riddle than a joke. The Incongruity Theory of Humor. Incongruity: Conflicting ideas, bizarre juxtapositions, and any other gaps between expectations and reality create comedy. Did the punchline fail to add in the number of purple fish needed? Whats an incongruity? 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. It is a combination of all three concepts that attempts to fully encapsulate the complex subject of racial comedy. Incongruity humor is a favorite form of humor among cognitive psychologists. al. Its difficult to try to make sense of nonsense. Your perception of the item is incomplete. This is where we laugh with someone intentionally making a joke. Realising that this more 'natural', instinctive way of seeing the world is in this moment a better way of seeing things as they really are gives us pleasure. 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. The presentation of the sign primes us to think the store is owned, not by an Asian man, but a black person of color. As I noted above, the child is playing around with the expectation of the well-known lyric and substituting their own words. And why not? Who besides someone in a Monty Python sketch would use a fish to change a lightbulb?! It says that we are nding humor in perceiving something unexpected (incongruous) that violates expectations that were set up by the joke. Im writing an essay about humor and wanted to relate it to building relationships within sports, like volleyball. When people write jokes, or develop humor, they find ways to play with the concepts, but not so much as make the incongruities completely nonsensical. It recognizes that you cant find a difference between a thing and itself. It surely has some and we will briefly cover those next. Research has supported this idea. The results of this study indicated that 85% of patients believed that humor helped them to deal with reality by empowering hope. One would have expected the store to be run by a black manthats what the sign saysbut the scene intimates that its not. A good example of surrealist absurdity can be found in Salvador Dalis painting, The Persistence of Memory in which we see 47 clock faces melting like a rubber pancake. Abstract knowledge refers to the way we understand things through our human filtersour words for things in the world and the categories we assign them into. You and your friend are at a bar one summer and your friend has a paper fan.

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