Cambridge University Press is committed by its charter to disseminate knowledge as widely as possible across the globe. 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). 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. The question alone is utterly nonsensical. 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). Positive psychologists have a keen interest in the role of character strengths, which have been described as virtues that are crucial to human thriving (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). I would like to end with one of my favorite jokes from esteemed humor researcher Victor Raskin. The use of defense mechanisms may have positive or negative ramifications depending upon the particular mechanism and how it is used. Contributions of humor as perceived by the terminally ill. Hickman, G., & Crossland, G. (2004). Thats a really interesting topic youre exploring. 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 editorial policy of the journal pursues the aims of the Institute: to promote the study of philosophy in all its branches: logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, social and political philosophy and the philosophies of religion, science, history, language, mind and education. Irrelevance that is in a funny way; something out of place that makes you laugh.Fast and visual humor. If the joke were truly nonsensical, the response wouldnt be humor, it would be confusion. Incongruity in humor is something that feels out of place, odd, or is unexpected from a logical, predictable, or familiar point of view. Ok, that wasnt simple. Sense of humor, stable affect, and psychological well-being. Humor plays an essential role in buffering the impact of stress and is important for positive wellbeing among both children and seniors. #2: The Incongruity and Incongruity-Resolution Theories One of the oldest andmost developed theories of humor adopted by Kant, refined by Schopenhauer is, roughly,that humor happens. When in reality, it is simply a medium-sized tool for brushing. Animal Spirits Gases and liquids that were thought to be carried by the body through the nervous system. is an example of 'humor went right. 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). They are reviewed along with neurolinguistic approaches, evolutionary theories of humor and a few mixed and partial theories that have been presented. Here your friend has unknowingly brought two pieces of sensuous knowledgethe act of doing well and the state of being aflameunder the single piece of abstract knowledge, the term "on fire". 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. Another way to think about this playful or non-serious approach to incongruity is to think about the difference in a dead-pan performance versus a clown. New York: Kluwer, 1984. Many of us may relate to high-anxiety situations where a joke feels like a much-needed outlet. You know its coming. 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). In-congruity theories are essentially cognitive, i.e. Lovorn, M. (2008). 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. According to Schopenhauer, incongruity theory allows all of the 'ludicrous' to be divided into two categories. Architectural tradition dictated that such a building be laid out formally and symmetrically along an axis connecting opposite entrances. Research supports this connection. To do this, we need to discuss how incongruity theory states we see the world. (I know, the Whites frog has now totally expired) If you count them up, there are a number of incongruities in play here. Since we know humor represents an essential strength with all sorts of excellent benefits, it is in our best interest to maximize it as much as possible. Hi Heather, The humor students bring to the classroom is also essential. Certainly children had laughed and giggled prior to language (laughter is evidenced before language after all and is thus a deeper part of our evolutionary history), but this active playing with language and expectations is a mature form of humor, even if its seen as immature to the more advanced humor connoisseurs we all find ourselves to be. Incongruity Theory is based on Aristotle's (and Cicero's and others') view of humor as derived from expectancy violation. Cooper, C., & Sosik, J. They have created a moment of incongruity for the audience, helping us realise the inadequacy of our abstract knowledge, without realising this themselves and therefore making themselves look silly. Humor was the weapon of those whose lives were utterly in the hands of the executioners, those who were powerless to rebel or resist in any other way.. Bennett, M., Zeller, J., Rosenberg, L., & McCann, J. 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. Request Permissions. For example, one study examined the impact of humorous films on various psychological symptoms among schizophrenia inpatients. 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.). Szabo, A., Ainsworth, S. E., & Danks, P. K. (2005). 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. The story revolves around grounded twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and the mysteries of the small Pennsylvania town he lives in. 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. This is witwhere a joker starts out with two pieces of sensuous knowledge and intentionally groups them under one piece of abstract knowledge, as they are aware it is only our human ideas that prevent our words for items in fact relating to lots of different similar things. We struggle to understand why. As an important high-level cognitive activity, humor plays a crucial role in human social life. I encourage you to try it, if only to raise the amount of humor in your life. By filling out your name and email address below. The joke teller then delightfully admonishes the implied silliness of the listener to have been making owl noises rather than responding appropriately to the joke form. They never seem to tire of it. There are problems with it, as there are with all theories. None, they were dead before electricity was invented. Sign on a repair shop door: We Can Repair Anything. Effects of humor in the language classroom: Humor as a pedagogical tool in theory and practice. Mauriello, M., & McConatha, J. T. (2007). A sense of humor is associated with increased life satisfaction and a pleasurable and engaged life (Ruch, Proyer, & Weber, 2010). Humor, stress, and coping strategies. This explains why laughter is caused when people recognize taboo subjectsone typical example is On the association between humor and burnout. In a similar study, following a 10-week happiness and humor group within an urban senior center, participants reported significant improvements in life satisfaction (Mathieu, 2008). More specifically, the muscular and respiratory processes involved in laugher serve the important role of releasing pent-up nervous energy (Martin & Ford, 2018). We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Sense of humor as predictor of creativity level in university undergraduates. You can perform this sort of analysis on most any of the jokes or humor youve experienced. The joke teller does not do as expected and supplies a clever homonym to who in the sound hoo. You dont ask about the difference between a single thing; comparison require two things. Comedians who adopt a more dead-pan style of presentation can leave their audiences confused. The second theory is the incongruity . For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 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. There would be nothing to get: just an absurd idea hanging out. Today's humor research draws on elements of these primary theories and remixes them. They also have to know the meanings of other words so as to substitute the right sort of words. There are three major families of theories of humor: humor as release, humor as aggression, and humor as incongruity. 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). 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? In this respect, humor serves as both a defense mechanism and a way of coping with adversity. The benefits of humor in nursing education. Give yourself a pat on the back! 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. Self-esteem instability and humor styles: Does the stability of self-esteem influence how people use humor? Mary is deeply offended by office jokes following the parade incident. Twain had a point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. This idea is explained by Wanzer et al. I hope thats not the case below, but youll likely find the jokes less funny for the analysis. What are you allergic to? queried a stressed nurse as a gunshot victim was rushed into the ER. Schulman-Green, D. (2003). Inside of a dog its too dark to read. To use an example from the movie Friday, theres a scene where we enter into a local bodega (a corner store) in a largely African American community and we are met with a sign that proudly proclaims that the store is Black Owned. As the camera pans down, an Asian man rises from below the counter. In contrast, a person who is not yet ready to face trauma may use mechanisms such as regression or suppression as protective mechanisms until ready to face the situation. Relations of humor with perceptions of stress. Humor styles, peer relationships, and bullying in middle childhood. 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 . The joke uses the idea of a surrealist (artists who tried to pair together ideas that were often extremely different) in order to get the listener to be prepared for absurdities. (2012). First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me. Clocks dont melt like that. Dark or twisted humor is an acquired taste, as not everyone appreciates the taboo humor others find in disturbing subject matter. Violated expectations can indeed be funny, as is acknowledged by incongruity theories of humor. Talbot, L., & Lumden, D. (2000). However, it is safe to say that IT is accepted by most researchers as the most accurate and likely true approach to explaining humor. Incongruity is mostly a non-controversial, generally accepted idea, as claimed, for example, by Perlmutter ( 2002, p. 155) "the observation that some form of incongruity is an essential condition for humor, is universally accepted in every serious analysis of the subject." Even our vernacular Get it? question, indicates that one has to understand the ideas involved to find humor. 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! 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. 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. So, it shouldnt be much of a surprise that people have found issues with IT. Additionally, humor may represent a vital strength during middle childhood by helping kids to gain the support of a peer group and by enhancing self-esteem (Klein & Kuiper, 2006). 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. In infants, humor is mainly observed in body and facial expressions during the first year of life. 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. Your friend has started out with two pieces of sensuous knowledgea medium brush we use for toilets and a small one we use for teethand intentionally grouped them both under the abstract knowledge of 'toothbrush'. Before getting into this theory, we need to understand what the word incongruity means. 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. For some, this sort of play with language shows that real incongruity-based humor has taken root. Ghayas, S., & Malik, F. (2013). 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. Here the audience is told that the incongruities on offer are objects of humor, not concern. Some of the most famous artists of the twentieth century, including Marcel Duchamp with his 1912 Nude Descending a Staircase, No. Here, you have brought two pieces of sensuous knowledgeto call someone on a telephone and to present them with a wearable ringunder the single piece of abstract knowledge, a word that has multiple definitions, 'ring'. 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. 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. 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. 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). The substantive literature is again lacking; however, some studies do show that humor serves as an important coping mechanism for psychiatric patients. This joke would have found itself quite at home in some of Lewis Carrolls works. 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. 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. Your perception of the item is incomplete. For instance, my children loved to take nursery rhymes that they knew well and then not say the expected words at some point. 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. Whats an incongruity? humor is - first and foremost - a recognition of and response to incongruities.) That is why, although the Incongruity Theory freed humor from the traditional stigma of being anti-social, it has not . Samson, A., Glassco, A., Lee, I., & Gross, J. With this collection of information, it is the hope that readers will better understand humor and its many benefits, while maybe even enjoying a few chuckles along the way. Lets continue using this approach of relying on jokes to clarify the IT; its a timehonored tradition in humor research. Low, L., Goodenough, B., Fletcher, J., Xu, K., Casey, A., Chenoweth, L., Brodaty, H. (2014). Engaging in a humor exercise is associated with a positive mood (Edwards, 2013) and positive cognitive appraisals (Maiolino & Kuiper, 2016). The intentional use of classroom humor also has been linked to enhanced learning among nursing students (Ulloth, 2002). This isnt to say that those forms of art are not complex, its just to highlight that humor is of a different sort of experience; one that requires knowledge, expectation, and belief to typically be experienced as such. For example, the irony in Oedipus the King. Honestly, I hadnt given this much thought before perhaps other commenters can share their views but Ill point you toward an interesting read I just found by Nwankw (2021), which explores this trend toward self-censorship with reference to the comedians Trevor Noah and Basket Mouth. In other words, laughter is a function of anticipating a different outcome than what was expected. They lean too close to a candle and their sleeve catches fire. The incongruity theory is especially powerful in explaining humor across different genres, including accidental humor and humor in nature. This is a practical application of the theory. It says that we are nding humor in perceiving something unexpected (incongruous) that violates expectations that were set up by the joke. Hopefully this tour has shown how and why IT is the leading candidate for explaining humor perception. Humor also may function as an adaptive ego defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations. Mathieu, S. (2008). Confusion rarely leads to humor. Its not like a piece of music. Did the punchline fail to add in the number of purple fish needed? Incongruity can even play a role in physical humor. Martin and Ford (2018) describe the three top humor theories. But within me finding it funnier with each exposure, opens an avenue of critique for IT. Returning to the above joke, the answer of purple fish is not relevant at all to the question. Here are 18 examples of studies showing evidence of humor as a strength. Want to know more about defense mechanisms? However, most evidence proposing a link between humor and improved health is anecdotal. 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. 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. Samson, A., & Antonelli, Y. If you can figure it out, please skip the rest of this paragraph, but there may be more incongruities than you initially think. The results of this study indicated that 85% of patients believed that humor helped them to deal with reality by empowering hope. they are based on some objective characteristics of a humorous text or other act (situation, event, picture, etc.). Humor has been reported as among the top eight of 24 character strengths and is associated with increased life satisfaction, life engagement, and life pleasure (Samson & Antonelli, 2013). Built with love in the Netherlands. For example, during the Holocaust, victims reported using humor in ghettos, concentration, and death camps to better cope with extreme trauma and adversity (Ostrower, 2015). Dowling, J. 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. Bach can please someone with no knowledge of classical music or instruments. Who's to say that object is only a toilet brush? 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. My siblings took it pretty hard. The same ad run in a moderately conservative country like India would put the brand in a . The humor in both of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations . Hope may represent a powerful mechanism through which humor brings relief to patients, as evidenced in research addressing the impact of humor on terminally ill patients (Herth, 1990). Humor. Thank you very much, for your good work! Humor as a character strength among the elderly. If we didnt use humor, wed cry: Humorous coping communication in health care settings. When in reality, it is simply a medium-sized tool for brushing. They did not realise this could be done and therefore did not realise they were doing it. Gantos uses a variety of humor to make his book more interesting, including schadenfreude, incongruity theory and farce. The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. Your mother asks you to give your aunt a ring. Adaptive humor is linked with increased stable positive mood and decreased stable negative mood (Cann & Collette, 2014). The listener has to figure out how one side can be exactly like the other, and especially so at that. Wheres the incongruity? In this instance, a person starts out with a piece of abstract knowledge and unknowingly connects it to two pieces of sensuous knowledge. For example, you could buy five pigs. (2006). An elegant example is the Hotel de Matignon, a mansion built in Paris in 1725 that now serves as the residence of the French Prime Minister. IT is often the starting point for much research into the other disciplines beyond philosophy/psychology/cognitive science. One way that Gantos makes his writing amusing is through the use of schadenfreude. In this way, humor results from feelings of triumph over the errors or misfortune of others, which promotes self-enhancement and feelings of superiority. Laughter is also a pleasant sensation and so when we experience the pleasure of incongruity, we- as Schopenhauer puts it- "give ourselves up gladly to the spasmodic convulsions which this apprehension [understanding] excites. We feel good, laughter feels good and so we laugh. 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( 2007 ) sensuous.! Research literature supports a relationship between humor and burnout to two pieces of sensuous knowledge both of these relies... Glassco, A., Lee, I., & McConatha, J. T. ( 2007.. Is - first and foremost - a recognition of and response to incongruities. ) one study examined the of... Body through the nervous system helped them to deal with reality by empowering hope out of place that makes laugh.Fast.