There has probably been a time where you have laughed so hard at something and wondered, “Why is this so funny?” Well, we might actually know why, well kind of. Ever since the first funny fart from Ancient Greece to today, there has been numerous speculation and theories into why we laugh. Many have yearned to understand what it is that makes us laugh, whether this is purely for studying humor or simply curiosity, their insights have been critical in the development of humor research today. So let’s take a look at some of the theories that currently exist.
Superiority theory
This is the oldest of all humor theories, originating from world-renowned philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle who conceived the superiority theory thousands of year ago. The theory suggests that all humor is derived from the misfortunes of other people and thus, own relative superiority. So is the biggest motivator to humor being the pleasure at the pain, indignities or flaws of others? Well have you ever seen a friend fall over and couldn’t help but laugh? (I bet you did).
The theory also implies that humor and laughter is inherently negative, that humor is comprised of ridicule or disparaging others. It’s presumed that we laugh at someone or something that is genuinely lesser than ourselves. The late expert on Superiority theory, Charles Gruner, suggested that this theory is actually based on competition.This theory does hold some ground, especially today. Who hasn’t been roasted or ridiculed by friends or co-workers? In the past, kids might have made jokes about your outdated school shoes in the playground or someone trolled you online for posting a photo of your new car.
Relief theory
This theory is based on Sigmund Freud’s assertion that laughter allows us to relieve tension and release “ psychic energy”. In other words, it’s believed that the repression of sexual or aggressive thoughts creates a buildup of tension or energy that’s released in the form of laughter. Freud theorized that laughing was like a release valve and that the types of material that create laughter are based on our ID (the childlike portion of the human psyche).
Freud utilized this theory to explain our innate fascination with taboo topics and why we find it humorous to acknowledge them. While the psychological aspects of this theory have been debunked, it is worth noting that modern comedy does use tension and release such as cringe comedy movies or comedians such as Andy kaufman or Eric Andre. Building up tension through awkwardness and provocation during performances can create discomfort with the audience and thus want to laugh to get rid of the feeling.
Interestingly, this theory has been used as a foundation for studies on the psychological and physiological benefits of laughter, including findings that suggest laughing has many positive health outcomes such as decreased stress, anxiety and even physical pain. Has there ever been a time in life where everything has gone wrong and all you can do is laugh? Yes, that’s the relief theory at work.
Incongruity theory
This theory is the most broadly popular of all major philosophical humor theories. The theory suggests that we find fundamentally incompatible ideas or unexpected resolutions funny. In other words, we find the incongruity between our own expectations and reality as funny. Our brain can perceive two things as coexisting in a way that doesn’t initially appear to make logical sense which then results in laughter created through the discomfort by the absurdity being resolved in some way.
Ok, let’s explain it a little with humor here. Think of a pun for example. The humor comes from discovering that the word (the pun) initially appears incongruent in the context we first encounter but then learn it has another meaning where a different context is revealed. One-liners are great examples for this theory as they rely on incongruous interpretations, false expectations VS reality.
Benign violations theory (BVT)
This is one of the most recently developed explanations on humor and one that describes different ways in which incongruity is funny. BVT tries to unify all previous humor theories as one big global theory and account for issues for each.
BVT states that all humor derives from three necessary conditions:
- The presence of a violation; something that threatens your perception of how the world should be, such as a moral violation (stealing a puppy), social violation ( dumping partner on their birthday) or physical violation (punching an old person).
- A situation or setting that is benign aka something that is distant from you and not committed to any violation. In other words, a safe space or situation.
- The interpretation of the first two points simultaneously, violation + benign = benign violation.
Simply put, something seems wrong but it’s harmless so it’s funny. Let’s do an example of this theory using slapstick humor-
Violation: Character A has walked outside and got hit on the head by a piano, they are injured (not funny).
Benign situation: Character A is completely OK and in a healthy state (also not funny).
Benign violation (violation + benign situation): Character A has walked outside, got hit on the head by a piano but they are absolutely fine (funny).
We know getting hit on the head by the piano isn’t good however if we know that this is fictional or that they are completely fine then we can laugh about it. It’s like when you watch spoof comedy movies and someone jumps out of a moving car very slowly, you know it’s not real so you can laugh about it.
No matter what theory you think is right, there is no denying that laughter is the best medicine and while we haven’t exactly pinpointed why we laugh, is it really so bad if we never find out?