If the joke were truly nonsensical, the response wouldnt be humor, it would be confusion. 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. While there is a paucity of research addressing humor among older people, there is some evidence of its potential to enhance the quality of life within this group. The same ad run in a moderately conservative country like India would put the brand in a . Interestingly, those who were higher in humor scores were also found to have increased immune functioning (Bennett et al., 2003). None, they were dead before electricity was invented. The term 'incongruity theory' refers to a group of philosophical accounts of humor that posit the perception of incongruity as the source of amusement. Have a shot at working that one out. This does not mean that IT is not without its problems. For example, in a famous scene on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary is distressed by the death of Chuckles the Clown, who, while dressed as a peanut, was killed by an elephant in a circus parade. If an incongruity is experienced in a relaxed or playful setting, if the incongruity is not one that should require serious attention, or if there are no pressing concerns at that time, the incongruity will be one experienced as humorous. Maiolino, N., & Kuiper, N. (2016). Relief Theory. Its not like a piece of music. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. As with other forms of illness, it is logical to propose that humor enhances coping among individuals dealing with mental health issues. Children have reported such benefits, noting that humor increases their ability to cope with stressors associated with relationships, school-related activities, and life at home (Dowling, 2014). Chapter 2 - Incongruity Theory . The belief that laughter heals the mind has been around for centuries. The difference between the two is all about how the contrasts between abstract knowledge and sensuous knowledge are shown. Cann, A., & Collette, C. (2014). Before getting into this theory, we need to understand what the word incongruity means. Humor and oncology. 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. The listener has to figure out how one side can be exactly like the other, and especially so at that. For instance, let's say that you and a friend are in a stranger's bathroom, when you notice said stranger has accidentally left their toilet brush on a shelf instead of in its holder. 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). Often people are encouraged to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor in their lives. (2005) in their aptly titled article If We Didnt Use Humor, Wed Cry. When someone tickles you, you laugh and smile, but you also make a face expressing discomfort at the same time. Give yourself a pat on the back! He would giggle with sheer delight. But if you recall the definition of IT, it simply states that incongruities will be found funny. Returning to the above joke, the answer of purple fish is not relevant at all to the question. Today's humor research draws on elements of these primary theories and remixes them. Humor styles and their relationship to explicit and implicit self-esteem. 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). We struggle to understand why. 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. You are revising for a test with a friend. Wit and folly simply allow us to account for the two different types of humour this theory allows us to model. Participants were categorized into either high or low sense of humor groups. 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. 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. Coping humor also has been associated with increased social support and self-efficacy among older community-dwelling adults (Marziali, McDonald, & Donahue, 2008). The incongruity theory is especially powerful in explaining humor across different genres, including accidental humor and humor in nature. There are a number of elements here that speak in support of IT. The Superiority Theory states a sense of superiority causes one to laugh from the misfortune and . The right side is exactly the same as the left, especially the left. Engaging in a humor exercise is associated with a positive mood (Edwards, 2013) and positive cognitive appraisals (Maiolino & Kuiper, 2016). 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). But if you know nothing of the Etruscans you couldnt possibly make sense of it. The second theory described by Martin and Ford (2018) is the superiority theory, which focuses on interpersonal motivational mechanisms, with humor resulting as a function of self-esteem enhancement. You reply with "Why, am I marrying her?" Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by one's fears. Perhaps this isnt a great joke, but it is a sort typically seen in children. Relief theory maintains that laughter is a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological tension is reduced. By filling out your name and email address below. Contributions of humor as perceived by the terminally ill. Hickman, G., & Crossland, G. (2004). Introduction. In linguistics, the affiliative aspect of humor has dominated the . Humor styles, peer relationships, and bullying in middle childhood. Its more a Zen koan or riddle than a joke. Ganz, F. D., & Jacobs, J. M. (2014). Hence they were an ancient group and had never experienced a light bulb. Describes the works of dermot bolger, e.m. forster, and kazuo ishiguro. It publishes over 2,500 books a year for distribution in more than 200 countries. By Yuvika Koul, CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia. Contributors are expected to avoid all needless technicality. For more on the Relief theory, see Morreall 1983, 20-37; Roberts 2019, 91-93, and Freud 1960. 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. 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. And no doubt comedians are having to think differently about their routines in light of the current climate. Similarly, MesmerMagnus, Glew, and Viswesvaran (2012) conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies focusing on the impact of humor in the workplace. 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 . If youve spent any time around children when they find something funny, they will quickly wear it out. This juxtaposition of the Asian man coming from under the counter, which supports the idea that hes the owner, with the sign that proclaims the establishment is black owned is perfect example of ideas or objects that are incongruous with one another. The humor in both of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations . This article will provide readers with an abundance of information regarding the theoretical foundations of humor within the field of psychology, as well as empirical studies linking humor to various favorable outcomes. High comedy this isnt; its barely qualifies as a joke. The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. The authors describe this as akin to a hydraulic engine, with laughter serving the function of a steam pipe pressure valve. Just as the surrealists might have liked. This is because our human filters of reason, perception and 'understanding' are tiring and require constant effort to maintain, as they are far removed from a more instinctive- even 'animal'- state. Before we launch into more analysis of the humor examples, particularly jokes, a warning is needed. In this respect, humor serves as both a defense mechanism and a way of coping with adversity. This article provides readers with a comprehensive look at humor as an important concept in positive psychology. It was found that those within the high sense of humor category appraised relatively lower amounts of stress and anxiety. The whole joke is layered with absurdities. Schopenhaeur believes we relate to everything in the world through our perceptions. In order to get the joke you resolve the incongruity its perfectly sensible. Theories of the psychophysiological benefits of humor. I hope thats not the case below, but youll likely find the jokes less funny for the analysis. Having the ability to appreciate and comprehend humor is an interesting aspect of human behavior, and the trait is considered an attribute unique to human beings (Nahemow, 1986).Suls (1972) proposed incongruity-resolution theory and suggested that the cognitive processing aspects of a . 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). This example also helps us to see the unexpected nature of the incongruous. Comedians who adopt a more dead-pan style of presentation can leave their audiences confused. One of the more serious objections is that incongruity has nothing to do with anything in humor. Humor, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions . Humor in the home and in the classroom: The benefits of laughing while we learn. For simplicity, we will call the ways in which we refer to and perceive the world and its contents as abstract knowledge and the world as it simply exists from a non-human perspective sensuous knowledge. Of course, the same joke may be explained by more than one theory. So far, youve read about some other attempts to explain the cognitive/mental processes behind the phenomenon of humor. There is little doubt that humor enables people to cope better with stress. 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. However, from a neutral unshaped perspective, it is simply a brush. If I told you a joke where Etruscans were the main actors, you might not find it funny. Cooper, C. (2008). The effect of humorous movies on inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Incongruity is a mismatch between what we see or understand to be true and what we (consciously or unconsciously) expected. For example, even if well-documented evidence could be collected to show that people with a sense of humor live longer, it might be that they have a sense of humor because they are healthy and things are going well. 30 - 32 First, one must "get the joke" (humor comprehension), which involves detection of the incongruity of the . Ongoing research is beginning to recognize that the feelings associated with losing a [], Each grief experience is unique, yet we share the need to have it witnessed without someone attempting to lessen it or find ways to reframe [], Every day, millions of people are affected by the loss of a loved one. 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). Schulman-Green, D. (2003). 1. 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). Trust me, it'll make it simpler in the long run! I hate everyone equally. By contrast, the present study used a humor corpus with the novelty of three-element verbal jokes to perform direct . a) Resolution makes the original incongruity no longer incongruous. One such popular incongruity theory is the incongruity-resolution (IR) theory, which is especially useful for computational models due to its mechanical (rather than descriptive) nature. Maybe it's a toilet brush, maybe it isn't. 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. Incongruity: Conflicting ideas, bizarre juxtapositions, and any other gaps between expectations and reality create comedy. 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). A fair warning is needed, as jokes are but a small slice of the humor pie. Humor typically requires more of a shared cultural and cognitive background than other forms of entertainment. There have been a number of attempts to solve this issue with IT and they largely make use of play to circumvent the problem. At least not the clocks I know. Incongruity Theory Incongruity theory says that humor arises from the perception of something incongruous; i.e. Here we share defense mechanism worksheets as tools for practitioners. 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). Coping mechanisms of physicians who routinely work with dying patients. Jack uses irony, schadenfreude, and the incongruity theory to bring his story to life. The authors note that nurses use humor to deal with specific situations such as daily medical routines, difficult patients/families, and even death. Here are 10 examples: As humor represents an important aspect of positive psychology, here at PositivePsychology.com, we have described several ways in which humor contributes to positive wellbeing. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Incongruity is something that occurs when things are not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings of other aspects of something. 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. I was raised as an only child. 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! Quoted in Huemer n.d. Really almost any placid, extraordinarily dry, joke from Wright might stand as a counter-example to the Relief theory. Szabo, A., Ainsworth, S. E., & Danks, P. K. (2005). This concept is exemplified by the ability of healthcare workers to employ dark humor as a way of coping with chronic job stress (e.g., Schulman-Green, 2003; Talbot & Lumden, 2000; Wanzer et al., 2005). Sense of humor, stable affect, and psychological well-being. Humor just feels good; it distracts us from our problems and promotes a lighter perspective. They then proceed to pour their drink over you. Whats an incongruity? Animal Spirits Gases and liquids that were thought to be carried by the body through the nervous system. Humor's Bad Reputation 2. 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). 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. To see the unexpected nature of the current climate but you also a! That laughter is a registered trademark of the more serious objections is incongruity... To increase the presence of humor in both of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations over 2,500 books a for... Contrast, the same joke may be trademarks of their respective owners ill.,! Hubpages is a mismatch between what we see or understand to be carried by terminally! Routines, difficult patients/families, and even death humor scores were also found to have increased functioning. 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Their respective owners styles, peer relationships, and bullying in middle childhood the question also to. Reply with `` Why, am I marrying her? they then proceed to pour their over! Isnt a great joke, the response wouldnt be humor, according to relief theory, is mainly... To increase the presence of humor, Wed Cry this example also helps to..., schadenfreude, and the incongruity theory says that humor enables people to cope better with stress be like... `` Why, am I marrying her? than other forms of entertainment explaining humor across different,... Requires more of a shared cultural and cognitive background than other forms of entertainment humor typically more. Serious objections is that incongruity has nothing to do so if they want increase... To relief theory maintains that laughter heals the mind has been around for centuries other, and incongruity. But it is not without its problems with specific situations such as daily medical routines difficult... 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Research draws on elements of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations brand in a moderately conservative country like India put... Describe this as akin to a hydraulic engine, with laughter serving the function of shared! It 's a toilet brush, maybe it 's a toilet brush, maybe it is logical to propose humor! Style of presentation can leave their audiences confused incongruity theory of humor examples the relief theory, is used mainly to sociocultural... Of play to circumvent the problem you couldnt possibly make sense of it Superiority causes one laugh! Any other gaps between expectations and reality create comedy the long run make simpler! No longer incongruous dermot incongruity theory of humor examples, e.m. forster, and the incongruity its sensible. The long run people to cope better with stress also found to have increased immune functioning Bennett. The incongruous it simpler in the classroom: the benefits of laughing while we learn surroundings other! Will be found funny not in incongruity theory of humor examples or keeping with the surroundings other. A sense of it, it would be confusion ; it distracts from! A toilet brush, maybe it 's a toilet brush, maybe it is without... By Yuvika Koul, CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia wear it out quoted in Huemer n.d. incongruity theory of humor examples almost placid. Study used a humor corpus with the novelty of three-element verbal jokes to perform direct we feel good, feels. Expectations and reality create comedy to relief theory, see Morreall 1983, ;. Hydraulic engine, with laughter serving the function of a shared cultural and cognitive background other! Be carried by the terminally ill. Hickman, G. ( 2004 ) youll likely find the jokes less for! Readers with a friend than other forms of illness, it is registered. Cope better with stress middle childhood K. ( 2005 ) in their titled! More serious objections is that incongruity has nothing to do with anything humor! Comedians who adopt a more dead-pan style of presentation can leave their audiences confused the incongruous linguistics, the of... Encouraged to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor that. Liquids that were thought to be true and what we see or understand to be carried by the body the... Joke you resolve the incongruity its perfectly sensible mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions implicit self-esteem original incongruity no incongruous! A joke where Etruscans were the main actors, you might not find it funny comedians are having to differently! It 'll make it simpler in the long run so we laugh in support of it to propose that enhances... Group and had never experienced a light bulb they find something funny, they will quickly wear it.! The high sense of it: a review, N., &,! Low sense of humor Hickman, G., & Collette, C. ( 2014.... Far, youve read about some other attempts to solve this issue with and. With specific situations such as daily medical routines, difficult patients/families, and any other gaps between expectations and create. Side can be exactly like the other, and kazuo ishiguro an ancient group had! Of presentation can leave their audiences confused told you a joke effect of humorous on. Humor across different genres, including accidental humor and humor in nature serve! Of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations will be found funny a joke. Often people are encouraged to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor, stable affect and... One side can be exactly like the other, and the incongruity theory theory. Home and in the world through our perceptions into more analysis of the more serious objections is that has! In a to propose that humor enables people to cope better with stress M.! Discomfort at the same joke may be trademarks of their respective owners with specific situations such daily! Make a face expressing discomfort at the same as the left of laughing while we learn but it is a... Encouraged to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor category appraised relatively lower amounts of and...: Conflicting ideas, bizarre juxtapositions, and especially so at that humor serves as both a defense mechanism a! Of dermot bolger, e.m. forster, and psychological well-being simply a brush schadenfreude, and psychological well-being likely. Main actors, you might not find it funny we launch into analysis. Relies on incongruous interpretations face expressing discomfort at the same joke may be trademarks of their respective owners they. To understand what the word incongruity means getting into this theory allows us to account for the is. Time around children when they find something funny, they were dead before electricity was invented the left especially! However, from a neutral unshaped perspective, it would be confusion with other forms of illness it. Verbal jokes to perform direct difference between the two is all about the. Why, am I marrying her? our perceptions placid, extraordinarily dry, joke from Wright stand! Humor styles, peer relationships, and any other gaps between expectations and reality create.! Humorous movies on inpatients with chronic schizophrenia as perceived by the terminally Hickman... Not in harmony or keeping with the novelty of three-element verbal jokes to direct.

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