Three traditional theories of laughter and humor are examined, along with the theory that humor evolved from mockaggressive play in apes. Humors manifold applications make sense since its as fundamental to human populations as sex. It has also been found that laughter inhibits increase in the glucose levels of type 2 diabetic patients 26. Downloadhumor theory formula of laughter igor krichtafovitch pdf. In fact, laughter and humor share a causeandeffect relationship. There are 3 main theories used to explain the functions of humor. Sometimes humor is the cause, which is more mental and cognitive, while the effect is laughter more of a physical phenomenon. Igor krichtafovitch discovered a formula of laughter. Durham etheses philosophical perspectives on humour and. Humor theory the formulae of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf.
In modern analyses of humor and laughter, social scientists have begun to recognize the potential importance of social variables. An expanded version of this article will appear as part one of my taking laughter seriously, forthcoming from the state university of new york press. Laughter, is an emotional response to an external stimuli. Even a friendly banter is a sort of intellectual clash, a kind of training before serious battles. He stated that laughter is the expression of a sudden glory arising from some sudden ideas in our minds of some eminency distinguished from the rest in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with. Intense laughter leads to increased heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen consumption like aerobic exercise does, and is followed by muscle relaxation 10. Monros theories of humor michigan state university. Theories of humor in the wider sense are attempts to solve this problem. Amusement, laughter, and humour in everyday life humor positivo. The neurology and evolution of humor, laughter, and. Humour can unit a group of people, or excluding others.
A play theory of humor article pdf available in philosophy and literature 281. Humor seems uniquely human, but it has deep biological roots. Rico, john ruszkiewicz, and bill bridges new york, ny. The incongruity theory suggests that humour arises when things that do not normally go together replace logic and familiarity. Like art, renaissance comedy plodded on in the ancient theory of laughter as ridiculous, literally ridiculous for the correction of the venial or the ugly. Types of laughter we have are diverse as the emotions we have. Rehabilitation counselor training program in the graduate school. Humor, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions. Igor krishtafovich discovered a formula of laughter. Incongruity theory is restructured, the superiority theory and the relief theory can be seen as supplementary to it. It is generally agreed that, despite their surface diversity, all jokes and funny incidents have the following logical structure. Indeed, theories on the biological origin of humor and laughter have a long history, going all the way to schopenhauer 2 mad kant 3, two singularly humorless german philosophers. Theory of laughter synonyms, theory of laughter pronunciation, theory of laughter translation, english dictionary definition of theory of laughter. In order to ensure broad coverage of the rel evant literature, i will use the term sense of humor in the widest sense, as a sort of catchall term to refer to habitual.
Description download humor theory by igor krichtafovich comments. Bergsons theory of laughter as a social corrective, and nietzsches view that laughter is the appropriate response to the ultimate liberation of an individual. Introduction the philosophy of humour and laughter is a rarely studied field. Laughter, the best evidence suggests, derives from the ritualized breathing and openmouth display common in animal play. Assume original source code at folder tb01, and latest source code at folder tb02. Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by ones fears. This book is concerned with the exploration of the psychology of humor and laughter by the foremost professional researchers in these areas. In fact, we try to figure out whos the boss in the. The first traces of the incongruity theory can be found in cicero and kant, but it was not until schopenhauer that the theory was fully arti2 hutcheson, f reflections upon laughter. Preceding an annotated bibliography of 225 items, i tried to construct the outline of a sociological theory of humor and laughter. Superiority theory one of the earliest theories of humour is the superiority theory, which was first developed by plato and then expanded on by aristotle and, later, thomas hobbes. The formula of laughter is primarily for comedians, writers who write satirical pieces, politicians and for people with strong sense of leadership. Theory of laughter definition of theory of laughter by. Mechanism and function of humor identified by new evolutionary theory 27 june 2008 a new publication answers centuries old questions regarding the mechanism and function of humour.
For example, a joke becomes funny when we predict an outcome and another happens. The mastery of discourse by susan purdie, the rhetoric of racist humour. The evolution of laughter and humour was marked by three distinct adaptations. This superiority theory was held by plato, aristotle, and hobbes. With the combination of all these theories, they can be all classified as the superiority theory of laughter. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours latin. Another aspect of laughter, noted by aristotle and cicero and neglected until kant and schopenhauer developed it into the incongruity theory, is that laughter is often a reaction to the perception of some incongruity.
When we receive jokes from others, our minds and bodies are already anticipating what is going to happen and how it is going to end. Laughter therapy initially, coined by annette goodheart as a psychological intervention, laughter yoga has turned it into a physical, aerobic type of exercise. Six elements are required for something to be humorous. Humor theories and the physiological benefits of laughter. Both a significant work of scholarship and a novel contribution to the understanding of the humourous, this is a seriously engaging book david inglis, university of aberdeen this delightful book. The phonetic forms of laughter ha ha, hehe are strikingly similar across languages as well, which means it sounds the same whether youre at a comedy club in new york city or a bedouin tent in the desert source. Using humor to decrease stress, diminish pain, improve quality of life and even attempt to improve immune functioning has recently become a popular topic in the lay and professional literature 14. Dmitriev correctly assumed that the laughter of joy and the laughter of the mind are expressed in the same form, and this is the reason for the traditional contrasting of laughing and crying. Laughter, a behaviourally stereotyped, staccato vocalization, is a case in point. In laughter clubs, laughter is the cause and the effect is humor. Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals. It examines the major theoretical perspectives underlying current approaches and it draws together for the fi rst time the main empirical work done over the course of this century. Laughter and mirth, according to relief theory, result from this release of nervous energy. For example, kline 1977 suggested that freuds theory of jokes leads.
A fourth type of theory, which takes the central feature of humor to be ambivalence, a mingling of. While these theories focus on the specific role that humor plays for people in situations such as dealing with misfortune, making sense of rule violations, and bonding with others, we propose that underlying each of these theories are the. From thomas hobbes fear of the power of laughter to the compulsory, packaged fun of the contemporary mass media, billig takes the reader on a stimulating tour of the strange world of humour. Approaches to the sense of humor humour summer school. In the course of nearly forty years the author has tested his theory with practice, and compared his formula against every joke, anecdote, and funny phrase that he. Humor theory by igor krichtafovitch, published by outskirts press.
Philosophy of humor stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Humor, laughter, and sociological theory a trend report on the sociology of humor and laughter for current sociology, the periodical of the international sociological association. Plato developed one of the earliest theory of laughter. Connecting laughter, humor and good health laughter is the biological reaction of humans to moments, or occasions of humor. However, this theory doesnt explain why we experience other types of jokes as funny, for example why we laugh about humorous nonsense. Laughter commonly represents the typical reaction to humour. Relief theory maintains that laughter is a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological tension is reduced. Even benign humour works by exclusion as, for example, in jokes about irishmen, blondes or lawyers. Another main theory of humor is now called the superiority theory. A brief introduction for rehabilitation counselors by miranda g. The following is, supposedly, the actual radio conversation of a us naval ship with canadian authorities off the coast of newfoundland in october 1995.
Although most people value humor, philosophers have said little about it, and what they have said is largely critical. Little audrey is involved in some terrible catastrophe but always finds some humor in every situation. Humour and incongruity john lippitt the first in aseries of articles on the philosophy of humour and laughter looks at attempts made to explain humour in terms of incongruity. Formula of laughter by igor krichtafovitch goodreads. Pdf humor theory by igor krichtafovich free download pdf. Humour can be uplifting, wonderful, brutal or demeaning, especially when an individual or a group are made the butt of jokes. I am grateful to the editors of philosophical studies for permission to use segments of this article in that book. Pdf developers are already doing this variable ui with missions after beating game in hard difficulty. Humor theory little audrey jokes emerged 1930s basic format. Billig discusses these and other theories, while using the topic of humour to throw light on the perennial.
It is useful to do this exercise, and indeed most of the exercises in the book, with interested friends because this creates a mutual audience. Laughter emerges by around 4 months of age, long after the ability to smile or cry, and. Igor krichtafovitch, a prominent russian scientist and inventor, who spent decades researching and analyzing these questions, reveals the answers in his new book, humor theory, a scientific look behind the simple formula for laughter. Humor theory formula of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf at last, the resution of eternal puzzle. Humor and laughter play a vital part in our everyday social encounters. Humor is a bloodless verbal fight aiming to raise your status and strengthen your position. Icebreakers and use of humour final ver authorstream. The philosophy of humour 11 in the dialogue, and think about which character might use which terms, and why. Humor theory the formulae of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf download humor theory the formulae of laughter by igor. For example, bergson argued that humour contains an element of cruelty while freud suggested that we deceive ourselves about the true nature of our laughter. Laughter in response to a humorous stimulus is a natural occurrence and does not require large amounts of time or money in order to implement.
1166 890 1321 620 913 343 1338 319 411 233 882 793 1248 1301 905 1422 444 944 8 126 1304 682 1295 723 83 1243 363 274 610 56 60 737 1068 1472