The Psychology of Humor: Why Are Things Funny?

Everyone laughs to laugh! But why? What is the evolutionary purpose of laughter? How does laughter work on the mechanistic level? Why do we find things funny? There is a lot to discuss here from the standpoint of psychology, so let's dig in!

Script by Caitlyn Finton

Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience!

[HardToBeAPoopGod]

I know this is entirely anecdotal, but when i was deathly sick in bed, my dad would read one of my favorite picture books with me, except he read everything as its opposite, and i absolutely _lost it, _ then immediately felt better after that, almost fully healthy 😄 just a nice memory and reminder how laughter can really be medicine sometimes

[TheDevian]

As any comedian can tell you, it is more than the joke itself, the timing, delivery, and other elements can help make something funny (or not). Not to mention, how many times you hear it. ;)

[goodmicrophone]

I’m pretty sure that laughter and humour can also be used as a coping mechanism for trauma. That’s why a lot of first responders laugh at or make messed up jokes. I could be wrong though.

[agustinfranco]

hey Dave, could you do a series on Statistics? from probabilities to ANOVA and all that, id love it

[uhmok]

I feel like "does anyone have a rubber band" was somehow funnier than the supposed funniest joke 💀💀💀💀

[melm]

"the queen of england" had me giggle, guess dave had this vid in the pocket for a month or two before release lol

[ozymandiasultor]

When I was studying at university the professor who was teaching aesthetics had to say something about humor in general, what is humor, some main and most important parts of art where humor is present, and he explained humor, or what is funny with that theory of incongruity, we expect something, but something else is happening... He was an old professor, and I doubt that he was really interested in new things, theories, so he explained humor with that old theory, and almost immediately all thought of many examples when we expect something, but something else is happening, examples that are not gunny, in fact, some may be really sad.
About that theory that we laugh when there is danger and as a relief, I remember that I was reading that after an earthquake which happened in my city in the 60s, when more than a thousand people died, many people who were escaping from building were laughing. Psychology calls that a "paradoxical reaction" but that explanation in this video and Freud's "release of nervous energy" reminded me of that.
We have an expression in my native language for which I don't think that there is an English word, but it is the same as the German "schadenfreude", pleasure derived from someone's misfortune, and that is considered the lowest type of humor, humor of bullies in certain sense.

[thibautklinger]

Getting the concept of explaining the Joke to a while New Level Dave

[YoungGandalf]

"Does anyone have a rubber band?"

😂 This one gets me every time!

[Suitswonderland]

My laughter is a response too negative emotions now, mania and laughter, feels like I have gone insane.

[ReiverBlue]

Umm, I suspect that the people who responded we're mainly American.. as I don't really see how gunshots can be considered funny even in a joke. I'm not complaining that the joke is offensive or whatever... just not particularly funny as an autistic Brit. This study (and the rest of the research) would need to be done over again if they asked someone on the spectrum ;D Our sense of humour is VERY different :P As our ability to translate social cues, expressions and facial signals is not as effective then we don't need to understand an NT (Neurotypical) joke BUT that doesn't mean we don't have a sense of humour. The differences, as far as I'm aware, haven't been significantly researched (mind you, there's no where NEAR enough research done into ASD in the first place) but it would probably help in understanding humour overall

[passionoflovers]

Whenever someone doesn't get the joke, and you're like: 0:00

[GetMoGaming]

I sometimes wake my family because I'm watching funny stuff on my own at like 1 AM. I laugh quite loud, and sometimes it's literally unstoppable by me.

[MimiZ]

Truly funny people are hard to come by. Anyone can laugh and react to something funny, but the real talent comes from generating something funny to laugh at. It's about content, timing and being spontaneous. I've had many people tell me that I am a truly funny person. My humor comes from decades of pain, a crappy childhood and observing the insanity of this world and people. None of us are getting out of here alive folks, find the humor in the situation.

[triple_gem_shining]

Great video. Closest we can come to divinity in this life is through comedy.

[GetMoGaming]

David, You're the only person I request stuff from.>>>> MUSIC!! Why do we like music, and why does it affect us so? I think music is life changing. As a fellow artist, you probably feel the same.🎹🎶🎼🎵

[DodirAnelaIntuitivnoOtvaranje]

Life is not explanation. Also laughter and love..not meant for explaining

[cuddlecakes]

6:27 "These comments are obviously not funny."
Me who laughed at the random ass "anyone have a rubber band?": 😮

[colinmccarthy]

I have studied Psychology and Philosophy,
What makes us Laugh?Why is it Funny?
I would say the Mind, and the Body re-acts in many different Ways
to Situations.
There is a saying:-, It is not what you say or do, It is how you say it,
and do it.Stimulus plays an Important Part in this Process.There
again is the Stimulus within yourself, or the Exterior.
There has been Scientific Research carried out in this Field.

[ViolenceReality]

The answer also is Psychological shortcuts too, having something seemingly average reintroduced in toggled ways helps learn and Associates the learned activity with joy. Also it Releases the psychological positive energy audibly spreading it through the consciousness of others therefore getting the job done more quickly than addressing it literally.

TL;DR: Laughter is the easiest biological way to release stress in the most social species to exist, us.