incongruity theory of humor examples
In the historical fiction novel, Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, he includes examples of humor to improve his story. But within me finding it funnier with each exposure, opens an avenue of critique for IT. Meaningful quotes and additional resources are also included, along with a bit of humor sprinkled throughout. (2006). The effect of humorous movies on inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Martin and Ford (2018) describe the three top humor theories. 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). Lastly, following humor therapy sessions, elderly nursing home residents showed a reduced duration of agitation and an increased duration of happiness (Low et al., 2014). Perhaps this isnt a great joke, but it is a sort typically seen in children. This is a rather cruel witticism but a witticism all the same. By Yuvika Koul, CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia. Cambridge University Press is committed by its charter to disseminate knowledge as widely as possible across the globe. 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. Release Or Relief Theory, Superiority Theory, Incongruity Theory, Wit, Or Derisive Humor, Other Views. The IT is still the best working theory out there that has general acceptance. Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by one's fears. Adaptive humor is linked with increased stable positive mood and decreased stable negative mood (Cann & Collette, 2014). Of course, the same joke may be explained by more than one theory. 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. Humor as a defense mechanism during the Holocaust. The next day, it transpires they have broken into the teacher's office and found it out by stealing the information from the test answers, where you simply meant them to Google it. White is clear on this, in a humorous, IT 46 supporting way. Thank . This idea is borne out by research such as that by Liu (2012), who conducted a study with undergraduate students in Hong Kong. At first the incongruity was unexpected, but now it cant be. Participants were categorized into either high or low sense of humor groups. The joke makes sense, if in a different or atypical way. Humor plays an essential role in buffering the impact of stress and is important for positive wellbeing among both children and seniors. Relief theory maintains that laughter is a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological tension is reduced. And why not? However, most evidence proposing a link between humor and improved health is anecdotal. Built with love in the Netherlands. When is a coping technique seen as a way to manage, and when is it seen as a defense mechanism? Even our vernacular Get it? question, indicates that one has to understand the ideas involved to find humor. 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. There are three main concepts that guide this research; relief theory, incongruity theory, and superiority theory. 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. The role of coping humor in the physical and mental health of older adults. 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). Growing up with humor sets children on a more positive pathway. For this reason, many famous quotes have been penned about the benefits of humor, such as: The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. Here, two pieces of sensuous knowledgea dog and a bearded husbandare deliberately put together under a single piece of abstract knowledge: the concept of a 'furry friend', which usually means a dog, but which you now see could refer to either. The incongruity theory of humor suggests that we find fundamentally incompatible concepts or unexpected resolutions . 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. I am based in the UK and just at a time when we need more laughter it seems we are being gagged and guilt tripped into a kind of self-censorship at every turn which is not funny. Violated expectations can indeed be funny, as is acknowledged by incongruity theories of humor. humor is - first and foremost - a recognition of and response to incongruities.) other humor theories began to challenge the dom-inance of the superiority theory: the relief theory and the incongruity theory. Incongruity: Conflicting ideas, bizarre juxtapositions, and any other gaps between expectations and reality create comedy. "Irony is the . If I told you a joke where Etruscans were the main actors, you might not find it funny. Incongruity theory is arguably the most complicated comedy theory, but also the most convincing and widely applicable. Theories of laughter and humor originated in ancient times with the view that laughter is an expression of . It surely has some and we will briefly cover those next. 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 little doubt that humor enables people to cope better with stress. Rowe, A., & Regehr, C. (2010). 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. Farber (2007) has asserted that this theory was used since the times of Plato and Aristotle, and that it provides a revealing but narrow view in relation to the application of humor in literature (2007, p.72). In this way, humor results from feelings of triumph over the errors or misfortune of others, which promotes self-enhancement and feelings of superiority. Samson, A., & Antonelli, Y. We will be focusing on understanding it in this article. Abstract. Ostrower, C. (2015). In order to get whatever may be going on in this poorly formed joke, you need to know that Etruscans were an ancient civilization in Italy that was conquered by the Romans early on in the Roman Empires history. Your perception of the item is incomplete. My siblings took it pretty hard. 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. 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. Similarly, MesmerMagnus, Glew, and Viswesvaran (2012) conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies focusing on the impact of humor in the workplace. The answer is in a real sense spot on. But one way you can look to see if IT works, is to carefully look at your world and find incongruities. How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb? The first theory is the superiority theory. Incongruity Theory. 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 . This concise guide has three parts. Internalizing criticism erodes self-esteem, a process that may be inhibited by a good sense of humor. 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. Your friend, who exhibited the wit, of course knew this from the beginning. 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). Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us [email protected] check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. IT is refined by adding the play qualification so as to help us know which incongruities are funny ha-ha rather than funny strange.. The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. How is this word play an incongruity? In other words, laughter is a function of anticipating a different outcome than what was expected. Incongruity can even play a role in physical humor. The most prominent neurocognitive theory of humor is the incongruity theory , which begins with detection and resolution of conflicting alternatives in the frontal lobes followed by humor appreciation in pleasure/reward areas. 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 whole joke is just a chain absurdities, one seemingly more absurd than the next. The barman says Sorry we dont serve food in here.. Twain had a point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. Chapter 2 - Incongruity Theory . Its also one of the reasons that humor doesnt usually cross cultures. But if you know nothing of the Etruscans you couldnt possibly make sense of it. Once they begin college, humor is predictive of better college adjustment (Hickman & Crossland, 2004). The dominant theory of humor is the Incongruity Theory (Morreall, 2016). On the pigs paint the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5. 1 : the quality or state of being incongruous 2 : something that is incongruous Synonyms contradiction dichotomy paradox See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus Example Sentences she's an incongruity: an impeccably groomed woman who keeps a messy house This is textbook IT. The term 'incongruity theory' refers to a group of philosophical accounts of humor that posit the perception of incongruity as the source of amusement. The Relief Theory claims the cause of laughter is the release of tension caused by one's fears makes one laugh. 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. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. 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. We struggle to understand why. It fits with current scientific approaches, it conforms and relates to our everyday experience of humor, and its also explanatory. Want to know more about defense mechanisms? In the simplest and most general way of stating the idea, an incongruity is something that is unexpected, absurd, out of the ordinary, strange, or bizarre. Importantly, gallows humor used in this way is not aggressive or hurtful to others. They then proceed to pour their drink over you. I would like to end with one of my favorite jokes from esteemed humor researcher Victor Raskin. This was a great help . If you laugh at the same parts of movies that youve seen before, then that incongruity cant be unexpected. The relief theory ar-gues that laughter serves to facilitate the relief of pressure for the nervous system (Morreall,2020). In other words, laughter is a function of anticipating a different outcome than what was expected. Personally, I find it delightful and love the example and find it more and more humorous each time I experience it. Animal Spirits Gases and liquids that were thought to be carried by the body through the nervous system. It also is advantageous for both elderly and child populations. Gelkopf, M., Gonen, B., Kurs, R., Melamed, Y., & Bleich, A. But this also shows how deeply cognitive the act is. As this report's scope of research has been set to be with academic theories published between 2016 and 2020, the absence of widely accepted communication theories between those years was quite obvious. Jack uses irony, schadenfreude, and the incongruity theory to bring his story to life. Humor also may function as an adaptive ego defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations. Humor in the home and in the classroom: The benefits of laughing while we learn. If my son had substituted an adjective or conjunction it would have been odd. On the association between humor and burnout. Along the same lines . This is where we laugh with someone intentionally making a joke. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This explains why humor is found more in times of leisure and play than anywhere else. 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. In order for any two people to share a joke, its important that they share a certain conceptual or knowledge base. I was raised as an only child. Philosophy, the journal of The Royal Institute of Philosophy is published by Cambridge University Press quarterly in January, April, July and October. Why does this support the IT? 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 part of incongruity is the unexpected, how can I find humor in some joke or bit that Ive experienced before? The concepts involved must be related in some way or else the audience will be confused. A fair warning is needed, as jokes are but a small slice of the humor pie. Apparently, we're all seething cauldrons of fluid and gas, trying to get out and making us wacky. Today's humor research draws on elements of these primary theories and remixes them. Another issue with IT comes from my continued delight at the parrot joke. The concept of defense mechanisms originated in psychoanalytic theory. 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. Three traditional theories of laughter and humor are examined, along with the theory that humor evolved from mock-aggressive play in apes. Everyone who has experienced love has, most likely, faced a painful breakup. The effects of human therapy on nursing home residents measured using observational methods: The SMILE cluster randomized trial. Coping mechanisms of physicians who routinely work with dying patients. From a linguistic and communicative perspective, humor involves a mix of verbal and non-verbal forms; a joke, a mirth, or a pun may not sound Self deprecating; if someone else is laughing at it because you are both flawed in the same way. Dowling, J. Sensuous knowledge refers to the world as it exists from no perspective at all. 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). Im writing an essay about humor and wanted to relate it to building relationships within sports, like volleyball. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Raskin, Victor. The BVT specifies how psychological distance plays a central role in determining whether a . For example, you could buy five pigs. Humor, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions . #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. Relief Theory. New York: Coward McCann, 1941. 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. You reply with "Why, am I marrying her?" Maiolino, N., & Kuiper, N. (2016). (2014). 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. Thank you very much, for your good work! (2012). People with a sense of humor tend to be less egocentric and more realistic in their view of the world and more humble in moments of success and less defeated in times of travail. 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." Dont forget to download our three Grief Exercises [PDF] for free. . 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). There is something to be said for not taking everything too seriously. Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. 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). The humor in both of these examples relies on incongruous . Cann, A., & Collette, C. (2014). There are numerous positive benefits of humor, such as enhanced positive mood, life satisfaction, self-esteem, job performance, creativity, social bonding, and. ("full resolution") b) Resolution makes the original incongruity less incongruous. the remains of the . The humor students bring to the classroom is also essential. 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 . Hi Heather, Perhaps you fancy some jumbo shrimp? Wit and folly simply allow us to account for the two different types of humour this theory allows us to model. You tell your friend to 'Look up the answer'. Describes the works of dermot bolger, e.m. forster, and kazuo ishiguro. Inside of a dog its too dark to read. Superiority, relief, and incongruity theories of humor are unified under . But if you recall the definition of IT, it simply states that incongruities will be found funny. A sense of humor is associated with increased life satisfaction and a pleasurable and engaged life (Ruch, Proyer, & Weber, 2010). The Incongruity Theory of Humor. There are several theories that aim to explain why things are funny, how laughter works and why exactly we do it. Wilkins, J., & Eisenbraun, A. J. 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). 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. 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. So far, youve read about some other attempts to explain the cognitive/mental processes behind the phenomenon of humor. Ganz, F. D., & Jacobs, J. M. (2014). In this instance, a person starts out with a piece of abstract knowledge and unknowingly connects it to two pieces of sensuous knowledge. Superiority theory, relief/arousal theory, and incongruity theory, propose different reasons as to what makes a situation humorous. The benefits of humor in nursing education. Dark or twisted humor is an acquired taste, as not everyone appreciates the taboo humor others find in disturbing subject matter. Making fun of someone else because of their misfortunes. Dark humor has also been found to enhance resilience during some of the most horrible events in human history. This is a practical application of the theory. How many Etruscans does it take to change a light bulb? This seems fairto think about something as a human is to have a certain understanding or perception of that thing. Thats a really interesting topic youre exploring. You're the one saying it, not the toilet brush. 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. The response of none both increases and diminishes your perplexity. The listener, in line four, not really knowing if the term spoken earlier is who or hoo, but likely assumes the former, then follows along with the standard knock-knock joke format. The presentation of the sign primes us to think the store is owned, not by an Asian man, but a black person of color. Zhan, L. (2012). There are three major families of theories of humor: humor as release, humor as aggression, and humor as incongruity. The aim of this dissertation is to offer a new theory of humor that takes seriously both the universality and power of humor in culture. 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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