Durham etheses philosophical perspectives on humour and. Interconfessional aspects are often ignored, in some cases, possibly, to avoid religious conflicts but this is one of the ways to introduce humor and laughter into the sociology of religion. 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 modern analyses of humor and laughter, social scientists have begun to recognize the potential importance of social variables. Imagine the existence of such brain regions with the ability to learn, remember, recognize, and transmit information about specific functions. Philosophy of humor stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. 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.
Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by ones fears. Laughter can arise from such activities as being tickled, or from humorous stories or thoughts. Theory of laughter synonyms, theory of laughter pronunciation, theory of laughter translation, english dictionary definition of theory of laughter. An extension to the semantic script theory of humor swarthmore.
Laughter and mirth, according to relief theory, result from this release of nervous energy. If the laughter of the mind historically uses the premade mask of the laughter of the body, so the shame of the mind similarly uses the mask of its primitive predecessor shame. Relief theory maintains that laughter is a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological tension is reduced. This book could be a foundation for a practical guide learn to be funny, but to reach the hearts of broader audience, but it would have to be written in a simpler language and would have to include more. Incongruity theory is restructured, the superiority theory and the relief theory can be seen as supplementary to it. Rehabilitation counselor training program in the graduate school. Secondly, he emphasizes laughter bears close relations. In 2004, a nobel prize was awarded for the discovery that the olfactory system recognizes smells by recognizing a combinatorial code in the firing combinations of its. Amusement, laughter, and humour in everyday life humor positivo. I ventured to define humor as playing with institutionalized meanings in interactional settings, and laughter as the language of humor, which is more than a behavioristic response to comic stimuli. Theories of humor in the wider sense are attempts to solve this problem. Pdf humor seems uniquely human, but it has deep biological roots. This superiority theory was held by plato, aristotle, and hobbes.
There are 3 main theories used to explain the functions of humor. Humor theory the formulae of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf. A brief introduction for rehabilitation counselors by miranda g. Sometimes humor is the cause, which is more mental and cognitive, while the effect is laughter more of a physical phenomenon.
In fact, laughter and humor share a causeandeffect relationship. Humors manifold applications make sense since its as fundamental to human populations as sex. 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. Findings from these studies have important implications for nurse practitioners working in hospice settings, longterm care facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals. A theory of humor does the brain contain separate functional regions. 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. Whether overheard in a crowded restaurant, punctuating the enthusiastic chatter of friends, or as the noisy guffaws on a tv laugh track, laughter is a fundamental part of everyday life. Concepts of laughter and humor in the sociology of religion.
Evolutionary psychologist geoffrey miller contends that, from an evolutionary perspective, humour would have had no survival value to early humans living in the savannas of africa. Most commonly, it is considered a visual expression of a. Humor and laughter play a vital part in our everyday social encounters. Laughter is a physical reaction in humans consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. According to him, what makes a person laughable is vice, laughable people tends to be cocky and supercilious. Bergsons theory of laughter as a social corrective, and nietzsches view that laughter is the appropriate response to the ultimate liberation of an individual. For example, they may see themselves as wealthier, more handsome or smarter than they really are. Although most people value humor, philosophers have said little about it, and what they have said is largely critical. Humor theory formula of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf at last, the resution of eternal puzzle. Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals.
Intense laughter leads to increased heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen consumption like aerobic exercise does, and is followed by muscle relaxation 10. Humor theory little audrey jokes emerged 1930s basic format. Assume original source code at folder tb01, and latest source code at folder tb02. 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.
Theory in the modern studies sociological approach to the phenomena of laughter has mostly localized within certain social, ethnic or gender groups. A play theory of humor article pdf available in philosophy and literature 281. Humor theories and the physiological benefits of laughter. Igor krichtafovitch discovered a formula of laughter. This paper presents a theory of humor, that certain psychological state which tends to produce laughter. 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. They tied her to a tree and started their pot to boiling. Formula of laughter by igor krichtafovitch goodreads.
Three traditional theories of laughter and humor are examined, along with the theory that humor evolved from mockaggressive play in apes. Humor is a bloodless verbal fight aiming to raise your status and strengthen your position. The formula of laughter is primarily for comedians, writers who write satirical pieces, politicians and for people with strong sense of leadership. Connecting laughter, humor and good health laughter is the biological reaction of humans to moments, or occasions of humor. Rico, john ruszkiewicz, and bill bridges new york, ny. 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. He argues that humour emerged as an indicator of other traits that were of survival value, such as human. Humor theory by igor krichtafovitch, published by outskirts press. He proposes that human characteristics like humor evolved by sexual selection. Monros theories of humor michigan state university. Humor, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome.
Even a friendly banter is a sort of intellectual clash, a kind of training before serious battles. Six elements are required for something to be humorous. University of illinois urbanachampaign, 2010 a research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master of science degree. Humor theory the formulae of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf humor theory the formulae of laughter by igor krichtafovitch pdf. One of the earliest theories of laughter is from plato 427 348 b. The philosophy of humour 11 in the dialogue, and think about which character might use which terms, and why.
Igor krishtafovich discovered a formula of laughter. There are some who argue that the relief theory is really a form of laughter theory having little to do with humor. That, we laugh because nervous energy is no longer needed to repress or deal with something. Introduction the philosophy of humour and laughter is a rarely studied field. 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. Contemporary linguistic theories of humour arvo krikmann abstract. All or virtually all humorous situations involve the equivalent of a setup which can be considered a type of establishing operation and a punch line or trigger, by which we mean auditory or visual stimuli that supplement an.
The following is, supposedly, the actual radio conversation of a us naval ship with canadian authorities off the coast of newfoundland in october 1995. A fourth type of theory, which takes the central feature of humor to be ambivalence, a mingling of attraction and repulsion, is of minor importance. Laughter, a behaviourally stereotyped, staccato vocalization, is a case in point. The theory states that humor is fully characterized by three conditions, each of which, separately, is necessary for humor to occur, and all of which, jointly, are. In laughter clubs, laughter is the cause and the effect is humor. The evolution of laughter and humour was marked by three distinct adaptations. Humour british english, also spelt as humor american english. In order to ensure broad coverage of the rel evant literature, i will use the term sense of humor in the widest sense, as. Laughter emerges by around 4 months of age, long after the.
Pdf developers are already doing this variable ui with missions after beating game in hard difficulty. This book is concerned with the exploration of the psychology of humor and laughter by the foremost professional researchers in these areas. 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. 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. 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. Having appeared, shame and laughter act very similarly. Laughter defines a sentence, an act, or any other form. 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. 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. Whats more, the derived formula of laughter is a tasty intellectual tidbit, which captures human behavior in an amazingly accurate way. This is despite the fact that many of the wests most celebrated.
It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Far from mere reactions to jokes, hoots and hollers are serious business. With the combination of all these theories, they can be all classified as the superiority theory of laughter. However, this theory doesnt explain why we experience other types of jokes as funny, for example why we laugh about humorous nonsense. We draw on findings from empirical studies on laughter to demonstrate that these physiological benefits occur regardless of the theory that is used to explain the humor function. 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. Bergsons theory of laughter as a social corrective, and nietzsches view.
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