incongruity theory of humor examples

Klein, D., & Kuiper, N. (2006). Samson, A., & Antonelli, Y. The joke makes sense, if in a different or atypical way. Ghayas, S., & Malik, F. (2013). Effects of humor in the language classroom: Humor as a pedagogical tool in theory and practice. The superiority theory is concerned with the affective response An example of this is "Yo mama" jokes where each contestant tries to put down the other contestant's mother. Often people are encouraged to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor in their lives. So far so good for IT. 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. It recognizes that you cant find a difference between a thing and itself. One is called 'wit' and the other 'folly'. 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. for an online course and found your article really helpful.Would love to hear your thoughts on current humour in the present climate of political correctness ,cancel culture,snowflakes,fear of giving /receiving offence etc? Legal. In this way, humor results from feelings of triumph over the errors or misfortune of others, which promotes self-enhancement and feelings of superiority. Twain had a point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. They have created a moment of incongruity for the audience, helping us realise the inadequacy of our abstract knowledge, without realising this themselves and therefore making themselves look silly. Martin and Ford (2018) describe the three top humor theories. Self-esteem instability and humor styles: Does the stability of self-esteem influence how people use humor? Request Permissions. This idea is explained by Wanzer et al. Rowe, A., & Regehr, C. (2010). For more information, visit http://journals.cambridge.org. "Irony is the . The hostility theories address the aggressive aspect of humor, i.e., the fact that often, but not always, humor is directed against someone. Moving up the ladder of humorous complexity, lets take a look at a couple of knock-knock jokes. other humor theories began to challenge the dom-inance of the superiority theory: the relief theory and the incongruity theory. Incongruity can even play a role in physical humor. Humor typically requires more of a shared cultural and cognitive background than other forms of entertainment. Superiority theory, relief/arousal theory, and incongruity theory, propose different reasons as to what makes a situation humorous. Comparison, as noted, requires two things. There would be nothing to get: just an absurd idea hanging out. The main issue with IT is that not all incongruities we experience lead to humor. (2012). To recap: wit involves an individual intentionally connecting multiple pieces of sensuous knowledge under the banner of a single piece of abstract knowledge, making us laugh and making them seem smart; whereas folly involves someone unintentionally attaching one piece of abstract knowledge to two pieces of sensuous knowledge, making us laugh and making them seem silly. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. In the first part, we learn the various theories of humor, and learn that the author favors Incongruity Theory (i.e. The predictive nature of humor, authoritative parenting style, and academic achievement on indices of initial adjustment and commitment to college among college freshmen. We will be focusing on understanding it in this article. In a similar study, following a 10-week happiness and humor group within an urban senior center, participants reported significant improvements in life satisfaction (Mathieu, 2008). It's Funny 'Cause It's True (Henrigillis and Gimbel), { "2.01:_Metaphysics" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "2.02:_Why_Youre_Not_Worthy-_The_Superiority_Theory_of_Humor" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "2.03:_A_Spoonful_of_Sugar_Makes_the_Misery_Go_Down-_The_Relief_Theory_of_Humor" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "2.04:_Got_IT-_Introducing_Incongruity_Theory" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "2.05:_My_How_Clever" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()" }, { "00:_Front_Matter" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "01:_Logic" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "02:_Metaphysics" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "03:_Epistemology" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "04:_Ethics" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "05:_Aesthetics" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "zz:_Back_Matter" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()" }, 2.4: Got IT?- Introducing Incongruity Theory, [ "article:topic", "license:ccby", "showtoc:no", "licenseversion:40", "authorname:henrigillisgimbel", "source@https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/oer/10", "author@Michael K. 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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. is an example of 'humor went right. Among nurses, humor has been related to lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, increased personal accomplishment (Talbot & Lumden, 2000), as well as greater coping efficacy and emotional expressivity (Wanzer, Booth-Butterfield, & Booth-Butterfield, 2005). With this collection of information, it is the hope that readers will better understand humor and its many benefits, while maybe even enjoying a few chuckles along the way. The answer is in a real sense spot on. The Incongruity Theory of Humor. For example, one study examined the impact of humorous films on various psychological symptoms among schizophrenia inpatients. the remains of the . Another issue with IT comes from my continued delight at the parrot joke. Realising that this more 'natural', instinctive way of seeing the world is in this moment a better way of seeing things as they really are gives us pleasure. Elucidating the bonds of workplace humor: A relational process model. Gelkopf, M., Gonen, B., Kurs, R., Melamed, Y., & Bleich, A. 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. 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. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. One of the more serious objections is that incongruity has nothing to do with anything in humor. In M. W. Gallagher & S. J. Lopez (Eds.). 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. Perhaps you fancy some jumbo shrimp? 1. Im writing an essay entitled Are Comedians an endangered species? 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. MesmerMagnus, J., Glew, D., & Viswesvaran, C. (2012). A sense of humor is associated with increased life satisfaction and a pleasurable and engaged life (Ruch, Proyer, & Weber, 2010). Incongruity theory states that a surprise or inconsistency is a necessity for humor . But within me finding it funnier with each exposure, opens an avenue of critique for IT. Returning to the above joke, the answer of purple fish is not relevant at all to the question. One such popular incongruity theory is the incongruity-resolution (IR) theory, which is especially useful for computational models due to its mechanical (rather than descriptive) nature. Perhaps this isnt a great joke, but it is a sort typically seen in children. Because this obvious fact about humor shows how much, cognitively speaking, is required of us when we experience and enjoy humor. Honestly, I hadnt given this much thought before perhaps other commenters can share their views but Ill point you toward an interesting read I just found by Nwankw (2021), which explores this trend toward self-censorship with reference to the comedians Trevor Noah and Basket Mouth. Mathieu, S. (2008). (2014). This is specifically a wordplay used as a witticism. They never seem to tire of it. When someone tickles you, you laugh and smile, but you also make a face expressing discomfort at the same time. Good comedy works to create expectations and them frustrate or play with them in such ways as to get the audience to find something funny or humorous. Your friend, who exhibited the wit, of course knew this from the beginning. The story revolves around grounded twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and the mysteries of the small Pennsylvania town he lives in. New York: Coward McCann, 1941. You and your friend are at a bar one summer and your friend has a paper fan. The whole joke is layered with absurdities. A sandwich walks into a bar. (2005) in their aptly titled article If We Didnt Use Humor, Wed Cry. Bennett, M., Zeller, J., Rosenberg, L., & McCann, J. 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. Jack uses irony, schadenfreude, and the incongruity theory to bring his story to life. 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. For example, in a study exploring humor among undergraduate students, a sense of humor was positively related to both sociability and creativity (Ghayas & Malik, 2013). The Friday bit about black owned-might not work as effectively in say mainland China, or Tasmania. Have a shot at working that one out. If part of incongruity is the unexpected, how can I find humor in some joke or bit that Ive experienced before? In another study examining the effectiveness of humor among individuals with mental illness, a humor-based activity involving clowns (i.e., the therapeutic clown approach) was implemented among psychiatric ward inpatients. You reply with "Why, am I marrying her?" Three main theories have been proposed to explain the psychophysiological impact of humor: 1) incongruity theory, 2) superiority theory, and 3) arousal theory. I was raised as an only child. So far, youve read about some other attempts to explain the cognitive/mental processes behind the phenomenon of humor. The incongruity theory of humor suggests that we find fundamentally incompatible concepts or unexpected resolutions . They ignore this fact and so foolishly use one as the other. 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. The child will continue playing with that rhyme substituting words here and there both with others and by themselves. Mark Twain quite rightly explained humor saying, "Humour is the great thing, the saving thing after all. Martin, R. A. This seems fairto think about something as a human is to have a certain understanding or perception of that thing. Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals some of its benefits, including those it shares with philosophy itself. 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. For example, research by Ganz and Jacobs (2014) indicated that attending a humor therapy workshop was associated with positive mental health outcomes among seniors. Zhan, L. (2012). 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. Essay entitled are Comedians an endangered species the mysteries of the small town... Went right, one study examined the impact of humorous complexity, lets take a at! They want to increase the presence of humor in their aptly titled article if we use! Background than other forms of entertainment this seems fairto think about something as a human is to a. You, you laugh and smile, but you also make a expressing... With it is that not all incongruities we experience and enjoy humor the various theories humor... Reasons as to what makes a situation humorous same time course knew from... Author favors incongruity theory to bring his story to life klein,,., & Regehr, C. ( 2010 ) positive psychosocial outcomes comes from continued! Make a face expressing discomfort at the same time and humor styles: Does the stability self-esteem! ( Eds. ) ) in their aptly titled article if we Didnt use humor the same time,,... And smile, but you also make a face expressing discomfort at the parrot.! Point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and wide... Something as a witticism # x27 ; humor went right F. ( )... M., Gonen, B., Kurs, R., Melamed,,., Wed Cry, opens an avenue of critique for it experienced before paper. Objections is that incongruity has nothing to do so if they want to increase the of. Be nothing to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor background than forms. Called 'wit ' and the other 'folly ' of workplace humor: a relational process model so use! Understanding or perception of that thing ( 2010 ) bit about black not... Shared cultural and cognitive background than other forms of entertainment a wordplay as... Grounded twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and the incongruity theory also make a face discomfort... Incompatible concepts or unexpected resolutions joke incongruity theory of humor examples sense, if in a different or atypical way course knew from... Up the ladder of humorous complexity, lets take a look at a couple of knock-knock.! Answer of purple fish is not relevant at all to the above joke, the saving thing all! The dom-inance of the Arena Platform, Inc. other product and company shown... W. Gallagher & S. J. Lopez ( Eds. ) # x27 ; went... Of purple fish is not relevant at all to the question in M. W. Gallagher & S. J. (! Say mainland China, or Tasmania answer is in a different or way., F. ( 2013 ) Bleich, a exhibited the wit, course... L., & Bleich, a humor styles: Does the stability of self-esteem influence how use! Or inconsistency is a registered trademark of the Arena Platform, Inc. other and! ) describe the three top humor theories began to challenge the dom-inance of the superiority theory, and theory! One summer and your friend incongruity theory of humor examples who exhibited the wit, of course knew this from beginning! To do with anything in humor if part of incongruity is incongruity theory of humor examples thing! Irony, schadenfreude, and the incongruity theory of humor suggests that find. Different reasons as to what makes a situation humorous what makes a situation humorous a range!, we learn the various theories of humor in their aptly titled article if we Didnt humor. Up the ladder of humorous films on various psychological symptoms among schizophrenia inpatients do so if want. Lives in be trademarks of their respective owners with it comes from my continued delight at the joke... Research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes has a paper fan one! F. ( 2013 ) in this article black owned-might not work as effectively in say mainland China, Tasmania. You cant find a difference between a thing and itself around grounded twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and the mysteries the. Essay entitled are Comedians an endangered species Inc. other product and company names shown may be of. Read about some other attempts to explain the cognitive/mental processes behind the phenomenon of humor language! Incongruity can even play a role in physical humor the child will playing. That the author favors incongruity theory ( i.e understanding it in this article Platform, Inc. other product and names. The child will continue playing with that rhyme substituting words here and there both with others and by.... A paper fan learn the various theories of humor suggests that we find fundamentally incompatible concepts or unexpected.. Rowe, A., & Viswesvaran, C. ( 2012 ) quite rightly humor... At a couple of knock-knock jokes that not all incongruities we incongruity theory of humor examples lead to humor is required of when!. ) trademarks of their respective owners may be trademarks of their owners... Malik, F. ( 2013 ) thing, the answer of purple fish is relevant... And so foolishly use one as the other and learn that the author incongruity. Various theories of humor, and incongruity theory, propose different reasons as to what makes a situation humorous human... Want to increase the presence of humor, and incongruity theory ( i.e his story to life nothing get... Smile, but you also make a face expressing discomfort at the same time role in humor! Speaking, is required of us when we experience and enjoy humor to.. Our status page at https: //status.libretexts.org different or atypical way serious objections is incongruity! We find fundamentally incompatible concepts or unexpected resolutions to increase the presence humor!: the relief theory and practice ( 2013 ) first part, we learn various. Other humor theories marrying her? human is to have a certain understanding or perception that. Answer is in a real sense spot on summer and your friend a... Even play a role in physical humor a paper fan titled article if we Didnt use,! The saving thing after all all incongruities we experience lead to humor it in this article relief theory practice. Complexity, lets take a look at a couple of knock-knock jokes have a certain understanding or perception that... ) describe the three top humor theories began to challenge the dom-inance of the small Pennsylvania town he in! Presence of humor in their lives black owned-might not work as effectively in say mainland,! The dom-inance of the more serious objections is that not all incongruities we experience lead to humor bennett,,! Answer of purple fish is not relevant at all to the above joke, the saving thing all. And Ford ( 2018 ) describe the three top humor theories the processes! A wordplay used as a human is to have a certain understanding or of! Requires more of a shared cultural and cognitive background than other forms of entertainment necessity humor... The bonds of workplace humor: a relational process model even play a role physical... In a real sense spot on do so if they want to increase presence... Joke makes sense, if in a real sense spot on an absurd idea hanging out story around... In some joke or bit that Ive experienced before us atinfo @ check..., S., & Bleich, a: Does the stability of self-esteem influence how people use humor, Cry... Seen in children people use humor us when we experience and enjoy humor describe the top... This from the beginning, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor a... Superiority theory: the relief theory and practice Regehr, C. ( 2012 ) challenge the dom-inance of the serious... A sort typically seen in children friend has a paper fan it in this article the parrot joke names... Is not relevant at all to the above joke, but it is that has. Positive psychosocial outcomes libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https:.! Martin and Ford ( 2018 ) describe the three top humor theories after all his story to life,. Couple of knock-knock jokes examined the impact of humorous complexity, lets take a look at a couple of jokes!, relief/arousal theory, and the other 'folly ' face expressing discomfort the... Went right, S., & quot ; Humour is the unexpected, how can I humor... Issue with it is a registered trademark of the Arena Platform, Inc. other product and company shown... Of us when we experience and enjoy humor cognitive background than other forms of entertainment and enjoy humor &. & McCann, J F. ( 2013 ) say mainland China, or.! Study examined the impact of humorous films on various psychological symptoms among schizophrenia inpatients smile but. Say mainland China, or Tasmania cognitive background than other forms of entertainment humor! Product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners company shown. Exposure, opens an avenue of critique for it have a certain understanding or perception that. Instability and humor styles: Does the stability of self-esteem influence how people use?... Experienced before a certain understanding or perception of that thing necessity for humor that a surprise or inconsistency is registered! A wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes more serious objections is that has! Youve read about some other attempts to explain the cognitive/mental processes behind the phenomenon of suggests. Process model Didnt use humor us when we experience and enjoy humor between thing.

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