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{{wiktionarypar|humor}} |
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:''This article discusses humor in terms of comedy and laughter. For other meanings, see [[Humor (disambiguation)]] |
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'''Humor''' is the ability or [[quality]] of people, objects, or situations to evoke feelings of [[amusement]] in other people. The term encompasses a form of [[entertainment]] or human [[communication]] which evokes such feelings, or which makes people [[laugh]] or feel [[happy]]. |
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The origin of the term derives from the [[four humors|humoral medicine]] of the [[ancient Greeks]], which stated that a mix of fluids known as humors ([[Greek language|Greek]]: [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%23115103 χυμός], ''chymos'', literally: [[juice]] or [[sap]], metaphorically: [[flavor]]) controlled human health and emotion. |
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A '''sense of humor''' is the ability to experience humor, a quality which all people share, although the extent to which an individual will personally find something humorous depends on a host of absolute and relative [[variable]]s, including, but not limited to [[geographical location]], [[culture]], maturity, level of [[education]], and [[context]]. For example, young children (of any background) particularly favour [[slapstick]], such as [[Punch and Judy]] puppet shows. [[Satire]] may rely more on understanding the target of the humor, and thus tends to appeal to more mature audiences. |
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[[Image:Eduard von Grützner Falstaff.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Smile|Smiling]] is a sign of a sense of humor being present]] |
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==Styles of humor== |
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[[Image:Pongo pygmaeus (orangutang).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Humans often find the behaviour of other animals amusing or humorous.]] |
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===Verbal=== |
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*[[Black comedy]] |
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*[[Caustic humor]] |
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*[[Droll humor]] |
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*[[Deadpan]] |
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*[[Non sequitur (absurdism)|Non-sequitur]] |
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*[[Obscenity]] |
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*[[Parody]] |
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*[[Mockery]], such as the [[Darwin Awards]] |
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*[[Sarcasm]] |
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*[[Satire]] |
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*[[Self-irony]] / [[Self-deprecation]] |
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*[[Wit]], as in many [[one-liner joke]]s |
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===Nonverbal=== |
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*[[Anti-humor]] |
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*[[Deadpan]] |
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*[[Form-versus-content humor]] |
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*[[Slapstick]] |
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*[[Surreal humor]] or [[absurdity]] |
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*[[Practical joke]]: luring someone into a humorous position or situation and then laughing at their expense |
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==Specific techniques for evoking humor== |
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Humor is a branch of [[rhetoric]], and there are about 200 [[trope]]s that can be used to make jokes. |
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===Verbal=== |
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*[[Figure of speech]] |
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**[[Triple#Triples in Humor|Humorous triple]] and [[paraprosdokian]] |
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**[[Enthymeme]] |
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**[[Syllepsis]] ([[zeugma]]) |
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**[[Hyperbole]] |
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**[[Understatement]] |
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*[[Inherently funny words]] with sounds that make them amusing in the language of delivery |
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*[[Irony]], where a statement or situation implies both a superficial and a concealed meaning which are at odds with each other. |
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*[[Joke]] |
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**[[Adage]]s, often in the form of paradox "[[law (principle)|law]]s" of nature, such as [[Murphy's law]] |
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**[[Stereotyping]], such as blonde jokes, lawyer jokes, racial jokes, [[viola jokes]]. |
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**Sick Jokes, arousing humor through grotesque, violent or exceptionally cruel scenarios |
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*[[Riddle]] |
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*[[Word play]] |
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**[[Oxymoron]] |
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**[[Pun]] |
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===Nonverbal=== |
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*[[Bathos]] |
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**Exaggerated or unexpected gestures and movements |
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**Inflicting pain, such as kick in the groin |
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*[[Character driven]], deriving humor from the way characters act in specific situations, without [[punchline]]s. ''Exemplified by'' [[The Larry Sanders Show]] and [[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]. |
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*[[Clash of context]] humor, such "fish out of water" |
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*[[Comic sound]]s |
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*Deliberate [[ambiguity]] and confusion with reality, often performed by [[Andy Kaufman]] |
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*[[Unintentional humor]], that is, making people laugh without intending to (as with [[Ed Wood]]'s ''[[Plan 9 From Outer Space]]) |
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*[[Funny pictures]]: Photos or drawings/caricatures that are intentionally or unintentionally humorous. |
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*[[Sight gag]]s |
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*[[Visual humor]]{{fact}}: Similar to the [[sight gag]], but encompassing narrative in theatre or comics, or on film or video. |
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==Understanding humor== |
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Some claim that humor cannot or should not be explained. Author [[E. B. White]] once said that "Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind." However, attempts to do just that have been made, as follow. |
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The term "humor" as formerly applied in comedy, referred to the interpretation of the [[sublime (philosophy)|sublime]] and the ridiculous. In this context, humor is often a [[subject (philosophy)|subjective]] experience as it depends on a special mood or perspective from its audience to be effective. [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] lamented the misuse of the term (the German [[loanword]] from English) to mean any type of comedy. |
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Language is an approximation of thoughts through symbolic manipulation, and the gap between the expectations inherent in those symbols and the breaking of those expectations leads to laughter (This is true for many emotions, and is not limited to laughter){{cite needed}}. [[Irony]] is explicitly this form of comedy, whereas [[slapstick]] takes more passive social norms relating to physicality and plays with them{{cite needed}}. In other words, comedy is a sign of a 'bug' in the symbolic make-up of language, as well as a self-correcting mechanism for such bugs{{cite needed}}. Once the problem in meaning has been described through a joke, people immediately begin correcting their impressions of the symbols that have been mocked. This is one explanation why jokes are often funny only when told the first time. |
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Another explanation is that humor frequently contains an unexpected, often sudden, shift in perspective. Nearly anything can be the object of this perspective twist. This, however, does not explain why people being humiliated and verbally abused, without it being unexpected or a shift in perspective, is considered funny - ref. ''[[The Office (UK TV series)|The Office]]''. |
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Another explanation is that the essence of humor lies in two ingredients; the [[relevance]] factor and the [[surprise factor]]. First, something familiar (or ''relevant'') to the audience is presented. (However, the relevant situation may be so familiar to the audience that it doesn't always have to be presented, as occurs in [[absurd]] humor, for example). From there, they may think they know the natural follow-through thoughts or conclusion. The next principal ingredient is the presentation of something different from what the audience expected, or else the natural result of interpreting the original situation in a different, less common way (see [[wiktionary:twist#English|twist]] or [[surprise factor]]). For example: |
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{{cquote|''A man speaks to his doctor after an operation. He says, "Doc, now that the surgery is done, will I be able to play the piano?" The doctor replies, "Of course!" The man says, "Good, because I couldn't before!"''}} |
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Both explanations can be put under the general heading of "failed expectations". In language, or a situation with a relevance factor, or even a sublime setting, an audience has a certain expectation. If these expectations fail in a way that has some credulity, humor results. It has been postulated that the laughter/feel good element of humor is a biological function that helps one deal with the new, expanded point of view: a lawyer thinks differently than a priest or rabbi (below), a banana peel on the floor could be dangerous. This is why some link of credulity is important rather than any random line being a punchline. |
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For this reason, many jokes work in threes. For instance, a class of jokes exists beginning with the formulaic line "A [[priest]], a [[rabbi]], and a [[lawyer]] are sitting in a bar..." (or close variations on this). Typically, the priest will make a remark, the rabbi will continue in the same vein, and then the lawyer will make a third point that forms a sharp break from the established pattern, but nonetheless forms a logical (or at least stereotypical) response. Example of a variation: |
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{{cquote|''A gardener, an architect, and a lawyer are discussing which of their [[vocation]]s is the most ancient. The gardener comments, "My vocation goes back to the [[Garden of Eden]], when God told [[Adam]] to tend the garden." The architect comments, "My vocation goes back to the creation, when God created the world itself from primordial chaos." They both look curiously at the lawyer, who asks, "And who do you think created the primordial chaos?"}} |
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In this vein of thought, knowing a [[punch line]] in advance, or some situation which would spoil the delivery of the punchline, can destroy the surprise factor, and in turn destroy the entertainment value or [[amusement]] the joke may have otherwise provided. Conversely, a person previously holding the same unexpected conclusions or secret perspectives as a [[comedian]] could derive amusement from hearing those same thoughts expressed and elaborated. That there is commonality, unity of thought, and an ability to openly analyse and express these (where secrecy and inhibited exploration was previously thought necessary) can be both the relevance and the [[surprise factor]]s in these situations. This phenomenon explains much of the success of comedians who deal with same-gender and same-culture audiences on gender conflicts and cultural topics, respectively. |
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Notable studies of humor have come from the pens of [[Aristotle]] in ''[[Poetics (Aristotle)|The Poetics]]'' (Part V) and of Schopenhauer. |
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There also exist linguistic and psycholinguistic studies of humor, [[irony]], [[parody]] and pretence. Prominent theoreticians in this field include [[Raymond Gibbs]], [[Herbert Clark]], [[Michael Billig]], Willibald Ruch, Victor Raskin, Eliot Oring, and [[Salvatore Attardo]]. Although many writers have emphasised the positive or cathartic effects of humor some, notably Billig, have emphasised the potential of humor for cruelty and its involvement with social control and regulation. |
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A number of [[science fiction]] writers have explored the theory of humor. In [[Stranger in a Strange Land]], [[Robert A. Heinlein]] proposes that humor comes from pain, and that laughter is a mechanism to keep us from crying. [[Isaac Asimov]], on the other hand, proposes (in his first jokebook, [[Treasury of Humor]]) that the essence of humor is anticlimax: an abrupt change in point of view, in which trivial matters are suddenly elevated in importance above those that would normally be far more important. |
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===Humor evolution=== |
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As any form of art, humor techniques evolve through time. Perception of humor varies greatly among social demographics and indeed from person to person. Throughout history comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the kings or the villages of the far east. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of wit and sarcasm.[[18th-century]] German author [[Georg Lichtenberg]] said that "the more you know humor, the more you become demanding in fineness". |
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==Humor formula== |
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{{unreferenced|date=October 2006}} |
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Required components: |
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* some [[surprise]]/[[misdirection]], [[contradiction]], [[ambiguity]] or [[paradox]]. |
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* appealing to [[feeling]]s or to [[emotion]]s. |
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* similar to [[reality]], but not real |
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Methods: |
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* [[metaphor]] |
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* [[hyperbole]] |
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* [[reframing]] |
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* [[timing]] |
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[[Rowan Atkinson]] explains in his lecture ''[[Funny Business]]'', that an object or a person can become funny in three different ways. They are: |
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* By being in an unusual place |
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* By behaving in an unusual way |
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* By being the wrong size |
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Most [[sight gag]]s fit into one or more of these categories. |
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Humor is also sometimes described as an ingredient in spiritual life. Some Masters have added it to their teachings in various forms. A famous figure in spiritual humor is the [[laughing Buddha]], who would answer all questions with a laugh{{fact}}. |
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==See also== |
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{| style="background-color: transparent; width: {{{width|100%}}}" |
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<p></p> |
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| width="50%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" | |
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* [[black comedy]] |
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* [[clown]]s |
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* [[comedy]] and [[comedian]]s |
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* [[comedy film]] |
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* [[comics]] (also known as funnies) |
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* [[dialect humor]] |
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* [[gloating]] |
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* [[Internet humor]] |
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* [[irony]] |
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* [[joke]]s, including [[anti-joke]]s, [[in-joke]]s, and [[meta-joke]]s |
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* [[laughter]] |
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* [[Mark Twain Prize for American Humor]] |
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* [[Robert Benchley]] |
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* [[mathematical joke]] |
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* [[political satire]] |
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* [[practical joke]]s and [[prank]]s |
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<p></p> |
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| width="50%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" | |
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* [[professional humor]], for example, lawyer jokes |
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* [[ribaldry]] |
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* [[surreal humor]] |
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* [[toilet humor]] |
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* Humor and [[brain]] |
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** ventromedial [[prefrontal cortex]] |
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*[[Satire]] |
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*[[:Category:Comedy and humor by nationality]] |
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<p></p> |
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|} |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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*''Mobbs, D., Greicius, M.D., Abdel-Azim, E., Menon, V. & Reiss, A. L.'' ''Humor modulates the mesolimbic reward centers''. [http://www.neuron.org/ Neuron], '''40''', 1041 - 1048, (2003). |
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*Billig, M. (2005). ''Laughter and ridicule: Towards a social critique of humor''. London: Sage. |
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*''[[Daniele Luttazzi]]'', [[Introduction (essay)|Introduction]] to his italian translation of [[Woody Allen]]'s trilogy ''[[Side Effects]]'', ''[[Without Feathers]]'' and ''[[Getting Even]]'' (Bompiani, 2004, ISBN 88-452-3304-9 (57-65). |
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*Goldstein, Jeffrey H., et. al. "Humor, Laughter, and Comedy: A Bibliography of Empirical and Nonempirical Analyses in the English Language." It's a Funny Thing, Humor. Ed. Antony J. Chapman and Hugh C. Foot. Oxford and New York: Pergamon Press, 1976. 469-504. |
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*Holland, Norman. "Bibliography of Theories of Humor." [[Laugh]]ing: A Psychology of Humor. Ithaca: Cornell U P, 1982. 209-223. |
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*McGhee, Paul E. "Current American Psychological Research on Humor." Jahrbuche fur Internationale Germanistik 16.2 (1984): 37-57. |
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*Mintz, Lawrence E. Humor in America: A Research Guide to Genres and Topics. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1988. |
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*Pogel, Nancy, and Paul P. Somers Jr. "Literary Humor." Humor in America: A Research Guide to Genres and Topics. Ed. Lawrence E. Mintz. London: Greenwood, 1988. 1-34. |
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*Nilsen, Don L. F. "Satire in American Literature." Humor in American Literature. New York: Garland, 1992. 543-48. |
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==External links== |
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*[http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.cgi?id=dv1-58 ''Dictionary of the History of ideas'':] Sense of the Comic |
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*{{Dmoz|Recreation/Humor/|Humor}} |
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*[http://facstaff.uww.edu/shiblesw/humorbook/ Humor reference guide]: a comprehensive classification and analysis |
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*[http://onetrickpony.ws/interviews A collection of interviews with standup comedians] |
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*[http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wklab/pubs/moran_2004_NeuroImage.pdf Neural correlates of humor detection and appreciation] (pdf) |
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[[Category:Humor]] |
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[[Category:Virtues]] |
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[[ar:دعابة]] |
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[[bn:হাস্যরস]] |
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[[cv:Кулăш]] |
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[[it:Umorismo]] |
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[[sr:Хумор]] |
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[[tr:Mizah]] |
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[[zh:幽默]] |
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Revision as of 06:45, 6 December 2006
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