The whole joke is layered with absurdities. I would have gone on, but you can check out www.thesaurus.com if you want to find other synonyms for incongruity. This idea is explained by Wanzer et al. Contributions of humor as perceived by the terminally ill. Hickman, G., & Crossland, G. (2004). Incongruity theory o An example of the incongruity theory of humor takes place during the waterpark scene in the movie Grown Ups (Dennis Dugan, 2010). Irrelevance that is in a funny way; something out of place that makes you laugh.Fast and visual humor. Gelkopf, M. (2011). We can give two forms to the claims of the superiority theory of humor: (1) the strong claim holds that all humor involves a feeling of superiority, and (2) the weak claim suggests that feelings of superiority are frequently found in many cases of humor. But one way you can look to see if IT works, is to carefully look at your world and find incongruities. In fact, when you get a joke, so the objection goes, there is no incongruity at all. For example, in a study by Abel (2002), coping strategies were examined concerning humor and various types of stress. Its philosophy Mike, everybodys wrong. Those words came to me from one of my dissertation advisors. Well thats the big question and one that occupies and vexes many researchers (this author included). But if you recall the definition of IT, it simply states that incongruities will be found funny. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the bizarre or absurd is with the following joke. 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. Incongruity can mean "lack of harmony" or "dissonance." That doesn't sound really funny. The humor in a pun is the surprise in discovering the dual meaning, or perhaps embarrassment in having chosen the wrong meaning first. Examining the impact of a brief humor exercise on psychological wellbeing. 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. Not only does humor have the ability to make school more enjoyable, but it is beneficial in various meaningful ways. Dont forget to download our three Grief Exercises [PDF] for free. As with other forms of illness, it is logical to propose that humor enhances coping among individuals dealing with mental health issues. Abel, M. H. (2002). they are based on some objective characteristics of a humorous text or other act (situation, event, picture, etc.). I shall begin, however, with a sketchy review of some of the main theories of humour and the standard objections to them, which usually take the form of providing counter-examples. The researchers found reductions in anger, anxiety, psychopathology, and depression among participants (Gelkopf, Gonen, Kurs, Melamed, & Bleich, 2006). This does not mean that IT is not without its problems. To use an example from the movie Friday, theres a scene where we enter into a local bodega (a corner store) in a largely African American community and we are met with a sign that proudly proclaims that the store is Black Owned. As the camera pans down, an Asian man rises from below the counter. 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. Before you continue reading, we thought you might like to download our three Grief Exercises [PDF] for free. The Incongruity Theory (IT, hereafter) is the dominant theory used in modern research to explain humorous things. 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. Thank you very much, for your good work! During the humor activity period, patients were reported as having significant decreases in multiple disruptive behaviors including self-injury, fighting, and attempted escapes (Higueras et al., 2006). Sense of humor as predictor of creativity level in university undergraduates. Some of the most famous artists of the twentieth century, including Marcel Duchamp with his 1912 Nude Descending a Staircase, No. Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. If you dont find yourself laughing nearly enough, here are six things you can do: Two cannibals are eating a clown. Built with love in the Netherlands. 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 Ostrower, C. (2015). Its not without its issues or critics. Raskin, Victor. Moving up the ladder of humorous complexity, lets take a look at a couple of knock-knock jokes. But within me finding it funnier with each exposure, opens an avenue of critique for IT. How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb? But what matters here is that something is at odds with another. 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. Humor. Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by one's fears. Humor's Bad Reputation 2. The incongruity theory states that humor is perceived at the moment of realization of incongruity between a concept involved in a certain situation and the real objects thought to be in some relation to the concept. This was a great help . You're now up to speed with incongruity theory. The most serviceable example of incongruity is the pun, in which a word has multiple meanings, and the meaning of the sentence in which it is included changes dramatically if one or the other meaning is applied. After watching a funny video, cancer patients reported significantly less stress, and a negative correlation was found between stress and amount of mirthful laughter. The use of defense mechanisms may have positive or negative ramifications depending upon the particular mechanism and how it is used. The intentional use of classroom humor also has been linked to enhanced learning among nursing students (Ulloth, 2002). 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. In order for any two people to share a joke, its important that they share a certain conceptual or knowledge base. 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. Your perception of the item is incomplete. Additionally, humor may represent a vital strength during middle childhood by helping kids to gain the support of a peer group and by enhancing self-esteem (Klein & Kuiper, 2006). Theories of the psychophysiological benefits of humor. The humor students bring to the classroom is also essential. Talbot, L., & Lumden, D. (2000). Violated expectations can indeed be funny, as is acknowledged by incongruity theories of humor. Bennett, M., Zeller, J., Rosenberg, L., & McCann, J. 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). competitors of incongruity theory are currently seen as even less able to provide an adequate an-swer to the basic question" (Levinson 1998, 564). THEORIES OF HUMOR IN THE MOVIE STEP BROTHERS 4 Another theory visible in Step Brothers is the incongruity theory. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Peterson and Seligman (2004) propose six virtues and 24 character strengths that fall within each virtue category (a few examples below): Proposed links between humor and positive wellbeing are intuitive; it makes sense that those with a good sense of humor will be in a better position to weather difficult situations, enjoy more cohesive relationships, find humor in all sorts of experiences, and benefit from more positive mental and physical health (Martin, 2019). That we see areas of the brain involved in higher level cognition and conceptual thought involved in humor behavior supports ITs claim that humor is a conceptually based activity that involve incongruity processing. 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. None, they were dead before electricity was invented. Perhaps this isnt a great joke, but it is a sort typically seen in children. The comedian isnt giving enough clues to indicate that this is supposed to be funny. This idea is evident in Cann and Collettes study (2014), as positive outcomes were associated with self-enhancing humor. Request Permissions. More about the theory: Expectancy Violations There is something to be said for not taking everything too seriously. (2012). Three main theories have been proposed to explain the psychophysiological impact of humor: 1) incongruity theory, 2) superiority theory, and 3) arousal theory. 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. We struggle to understand why. However, she finds herself overwhelmed with an anxious energy that finally reaches its peak at the clowns funeral, where she is mortified by her inability to stop her pressure valve of nervous laughter. 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. The incongruity theory purports to define the formal object of comic amusement, which it locates in certain kinds of incongruity. This page titled 2.4: Got IT?- Introducing Incongruity Theory is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Michael K. Cundall, Jr. (Lighthearted Philosophers' Society) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. Twain had a point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. The linguistics of humor is more generally concerned with incongruity theories as they describe the cognitive mechanisms that cause humor. More traditional comedians with their exaggerated gesticulations or bombastic/exaggerated vocal inflections help the audience understand that what is going on is supposed to be funny and then allows us to experience the incongruity as funny. Clocks dont melt like that. By Yuvika Koul, CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia. But whatever incongruity you focus on, the joke works on frustrating or playing around with expectations. Theres nothing more to get than the fact that its absurd. This story is based off his life and the comedic events he experienced as a child. However, it is safe to say that IT is accepted by most researchers as the most accurate and likely true approach to explaining humor. Many of us may relate to high-anxiety situations where a joke feels like a much-needed outlet. According to Schopenhauer, incongruity theory allows all of the 'ludicrous' to be divided into two categories. An example of this is "Yo mama" jokes where each contestant tries to put down the other contestant's mother. 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. If you were to see a character brushing their teeth with a toilet brush in a slapstick comedy show, it would be amusing. When is a coping technique seen as a way to manage, and when is it seen as a defense mechanism? But this also shows how deeply cognitive the act is. The IT is still the best working theory out there that has general acceptance. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Cann, A., & Collette, C. (2014). however, humor seems to be more prevalent in post-modern literature. But the incongruity theory says that our perceptions of things in the real world only ever relate to part of that thing- they are incomplete. Indeed, by nurturing their sense of humor, adults equip children with important coping skills (Martin, 1989). One way that Gantos makes his writing amusing is through the use of schadenfreude. The use of humor in medicine has also been studied from the perspective of healthcare workers. 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). Hydraulic Model. Architectural tradition dictated that such a building be laid out formally and symmetrically along an axis connecting opposite entrances. The hostility theories address the aggressive aspect of humor, i.e., the fact that often, but not always, humor is directed against someone. So far so good for IT. Mathieu, S. (2008). Ok, that wasnt simple. Just as the surrealists might have liked. This play then leads to a feeling of delight in the form of humor or mirth. For example, current neuroscience indicates that the areas that support higher-level conceptual thought, are involved in humor processing. 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. Lets continue using this approach of relying on jokes to clarify the IT; its a timehonored tradition in humor research. When in reality, it is simply a medium-sized tool for brushing. Humor as character strength and its relation to life satisfaction and happiness in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity. . . It is a combination of all three concepts that attempts to fully encapsulate the complex subject of racial comedy. Bizarre or absurd as types of incongruity are a bit more difficult to describe as they are, well, bizarre, but they are definitely further refinements, or subsets of the incongruous. In this way, humor results from feelings of triumph over the errors or misfortune of others, which promotes self-enhancement and feelings of superiority. It publishes over 2,500 books a year for distribution in more than 200 countries. Give yourself a pat on the back! Maybe it's a toilet brush, maybe it isn't. Who besides someone in a Monty Python sketch would use a fish to change a lightbulb?! High comedy this isnt; its barely qualifies as a joke. 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). In the historical fiction novel, Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, he includes examples of humor to improve his story. Philosophers are a notoriously surly bunchheck, even our patron saint, Socrates, did his best to show everyone was wrongand that landed him a heaping glassful of hemlock juice, which isnt too helpful if living is your goal. Hi Heather, thank you for the insight and information. As I noted above, the child is playing around with the expectation of the well-known lyric and substituting their own words. If my son had substituted an adjective or conjunction it would have been odd. 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 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. Incongruity Theory. Twinkle, twinkle little star how I wonder what you rooster! The substituted word would always change, but it was typically a noun of some sort and often an animal. 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. There are 3 main theories used to explain the functions of humor: (1) the relief theory, (2) the incongruity theory, and (3) the superiority theory. And why not? In linguistics, the affiliative aspect of humor has dominated the . This explains why humor is found more in times of leisure and play than anywhere else. In this respect, humor serves as both a defense mechanism and a way of coping with adversity. The benefits of humor in nursing education. Humor styles, peer relationships, and bullying in middle childhood. But if you know nothing of the Etruscans you couldnt possibly make sense of it. This is textbook IT. 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. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. 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. The superiority theory is concerned with the affective response that often accompanies comic amusement, which it maintains is an enjoyable feeling of superiority to the object of amusement. (2006). 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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