incongruity theory of humor examples
"Irony is the . Your perception of the item is incomplete. Today's humor research draws on elements of these primary theories and remixes them. Klein, D., & Kuiper, N. (2006). 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. Szabo, A., Ainsworth, S. E., & Danks, P. K. (2005). To understand incongruity in non-words, it is important to know that some letters are more likely than others in the English language (e.g., "E" is more frequent than "Q"), and furthermore . This concise guide has three parts. The linguistics of humor is more generally concerned with incongruity theories as they describe the cognitive mechanisms that cause humor. By filling out your name and email address below. Meaningful quotes and additional resources are also included, along with a bit of humor sprinkled throughout. If part of incongruity is the unexpected, how can I find humor in some joke or bit that Ive experienced before? 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. Abel, M. H. (2002). Incongruity: Conflicting ideas, bizarre juxtapositions, and any other gaps between expectations and reality create comedy. While these theories focus on the specific role that humor plays for people in situations such as dealing with misfortune, making sense of rule violati 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. For example, one study examined the impact of humorous films on various psychological symptoms among schizophrenia inpatients. Stieger, S., Formann, A., & Burger, C. (2011). The use of humor in serious mental illness: A review. You are revising for a test with a friend. Cooper, C. (2008). These moments constitute 'the ludicrous'. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Similarly, other researchers have suggested that gallows humor is beneficial for emergency personnel by providing an outlet for painful emotions and by enhancing support via group cohesion (Rowe & Regehr, 2010). Humor may thus for example serve to facilitate relief of the tension caused by one's fears. They now look silly but you have had it pointed out to you that abstract knowledge is insufficient in this sense. 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. Similarly, Vaughan, Zeigler-Hill, and Arnau (2014) addressed stable and unstable self-esteem among college students and found that participants with stable high self-esteem were lower in less adaptive forms of humor (i.e., self-defeating humor). (2003). 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. This article will provide readers with an abundance of information regarding the theoretical foundations of humor within the field of psychology, as well as empirical studies linking humor to various favorable outcomes. 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). Request Permissions. Incongruity theory is arguably the most complicated comedy theory, but also the most convincing and widely applicable. For example, research by Ganz and Jacobs (2014) indicated that attending a humor therapy workshop was associated with positive mental health outcomes among seniors. Ganz, F. D., & Jacobs, J. M. (2014). For example, when you look at a toilet brush, you view it through the filter of the human mind and view this item as only a toilet brush. If you want to find humor, look for ways that things dont seem to fit together. One would have expected the store to be run by a black manthats what the sign saysbut the scene intimates that its not. More about the theory: Expectancy Violations Superiority Theory. Incongruity theory, which focuses on the cognitive mechanisms of perception and interpretation, posits that it is the perceptions of incongruity that explain humor (Martin & Ford, 2018). The whole joke is layered with absurdities. Martin and Ford (2018) describe the three top humor theories. Askildson, L. (2005). These findings have been supported by other research studies, such as that by Maiolino and Kuiper (2016), who investigated the ability of humor to predict positive outcomes. Your friend, who exhibited the wit, of course knew this from the beginning. Hi Heather, Two main theories of humor studies can be identified. I was raised as an only child. I'd be very surprised.". Along the same lines . This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The results indicated that adaptive humor was linked to higher levels of self-esteem and happiness. What are you allergic to? queried a stressed nurse as a gunshot victim was rushed into the ER. Humor also may function as an adaptive ego defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations. Its also one of the reasons that humor doesnt usually cross cultures. Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals some of its benefits, including those it shares with philosophy itself. Examining the impact of a brief humor exercise on psychological wellbeing. Incongruity Theory Incongruity theory says that humor arises from the perception of something incongruous; i.e. Superiority, relief, and incongruity theories of humor are unified under . 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. If you were to see a character brushing their teeth with a toilet brush in a slapstick comedy show, it would be amusing. When we are shown it is inadequate, we feel we can relax our reliance on it. There have been a number of attempts to solve this issue with IT and they largely make use of play to circumvent the problem. There are several theories that aim to explain why things are funny, how laughter works and why exactly we do it. is an example of 'humor went right. Im writing an essay about humor and wanted to relate it to building relationships within sports, like volleyball. If you laugh at the same parts of movies that youve seen before, then that incongruity cant be unexpected. Relations of humor with perceptions of stress. Relief Theory. Elucidating the bonds of workplace humor: A relational process model. To do this, we will discuss the ideas of the leading thinker behind this theorya man called Arthur Schopenhaeur (he explains his theory in his work The World as Will and Idea, but you don't have to read that text to understand this article). 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. Hope may represent a powerful mechanism through which humor brings relief to patients, as evidenced in research addressing the impact of humor on terminally ill patients (Herth, 1990). Here the audience is told that the incongruities on offer are objects of humor, not concern. The intentional use of classroom humor also has been linked to enhanced learning among nursing students (Ulloth, 2002). I encourage you to try it, if only to raise the amount of humor in your life. The superiority theory is concerned with the affective response The incongruity theory is especially powerful in explaining humor across different genres, including accidental humor and humor in nature. In the historical fiction novel, Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, he includes examples of humor to improve his story. Cann, A., & Collette, C. (2014). In this instance, a person starts out with a piece of abstract knowledge and unknowingly connects it to two pieces of sensuous knowledge. Twain had a point, as the research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. For example, among physicians who work with dying patients, humor has been reported as one of eight coping mechanisms used to handle the extreme stress involved in doing this type of work (Schulman-Green, 2003). The listener, in line four, not really knowing if the term spoken earlier is who or hoo, but likely assumes the former, then follows along with the standard knock-knock joke format. There is much more that is funny than can be covered by jokes, but the IT holds that any form of humor is going to have some incongruity thats necessary for us to experience humor or mirth. The listener has to figure out how one side can be exactly like the other, and especially so at that. Im writing an essay entitled Are Comedians an endangered species? If you can figure it out, please skip the rest of this paragraph, but there may be more incongruities than you initially think. For example, you could buy five pigs. To you, the brush would seem comically small for the task at handeveryone knows it's a toothbrush, not a toilet brush. Hydraulic Model. How do we explain the continued humor? You and your friend are at a bar one summer and your friend has a paper fan. Most humor researchers would agree that the core of humor is the perception of an incongruity (Forabosco 1992; Gervais and Wilson 2005; Scheel and Gockel 2017).Humor refers to a thought, statement, or event that is somehow incongruous or surprising and accompanied by humor cues that signal a nonserious mindset (Mulkay 1988). For more information, visit http://journals.cambridge.org. The concept of defense mechanisms originated in psychoanalytic theory. The impact of humor on stress also was investigated in a medical study using humor as a complementary therapy among cancer patients (Bennett, Zeller, Rosenberg, & McCann, 2003). The question alone is utterly nonsensical. Here we share defense mechanism worksheets as tools for practitioners. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. a) Resolution makes the original incongruity no longer incongruous. Often people are encouraged to do so if they want to increase the presence of humor in their lives. THEORIES OF HUMOR IN THE MOVIE STEP BROTHERS 4 Another theory visible in Step Brothers is the incongruity theory. Self-esteem instability and humor styles: Does the stability of self-esteem influence how people use humor? When in reality, it is simply a medium-sized tool for brushing. Even though the audience grows tired easily. Among humans, laughter begins as early as four months of age (Lovorn, 2008). Defense mechanisms are believed to protect the ego from emotional pain through the unconscious minds distortion of reality. If youre not an English speaker knock-knock jokes will go over your head. Self deprecating; if someone else is laughing at it because you are both flawed in the same way. What these studies are adding up to is the idea that incongruity--when an idea or an object is out of place--is the heart of humor, Martin says. 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). Its philosophy Mike, everybodys wrong. Those words came to me from one of my dissertation advisors. Humorous coping and serious reappraisal: Short-term and longer-term effects. Dark or twisted humor is an acquired taste, as not everyone appreciates the taboo humor others find in disturbing subject matter. It has long been believed that humor and laughter play an important role in the maintenance of both psychological and physiological health and wellbeing in the face of stress (Lefcourt & Martin, 1986). Perhaps this isnt a great joke, but it is a sort typically seen in children. They also have to know the meanings of other words so as to substitute the right sort of words. When in reality, it is simply a medium-sized tool for brushing. 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. Ok, that wasnt simple. Additionally, a study addressing the benefits of humor, music, and aerobic exercise on anxiety among women indicated that effect sizes were highest for those in the humor group (Szabo, Ainsworth, & Danks, 2005). The joke teller does not do as expected and supplies a clever homonym to who in the sound hoo. You reply with "Why, am I marrying her?" With this definition we can make the connection it has with . He offers examples of negative emotions such as "fear, pity, indignation, disgust, etc." and neutral ones like "puzzlement, wonder, curiosity, or problem-solving," 7 as attitudes that will not provide pleasure sufficient for humor. But as a tool for explicating humor theories, jokes are compact, easily digestible, and thus make for useful examples. 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). One says to the other: Does this taste funny to you?. Herth, K. (1990). First, relief theory focuses primarily on the motivational mechanisms of interpersonal needs, positing that humor provides relief of tension. You need to know something about it. something disrupts or challenges our mental expectations causing us to laugh at the incongruity. The Superiority Theory Clearly, they understand about expectation and then are using the unexpected presence of the new word to create humor. It surely has some and we will briefly cover those next. Chapter 2 - Incongruity Theory . Humor plays an essential role in buffering the impact of stress and is important for positive wellbeing among both children and seniors. For example, in a study by Abel (2002), coping strategies were examined concerning humor and various types of stress. But then the coda of the joke, in attempting to explain the answer muddies the conceptual space. Without it, IT isnt much. Proponents of this view include James Beattie, George Campbell, Arthur Schopenhauer, Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, and Henri Bergson. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions This is a practical application of the theory. This does not mean that IT is not without its problems. 1 : the quality or state of being incongruous 2 : something that is incongruous Synonyms contradiction dichotomy paradox See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus Example Sentences she's an incongruity: an impeccably groomed woman who keeps a messy house The substantive literature is again lacking; however, some studies do show that humor serves as an important coping mechanism for psychiatric patients. But not for them. The belief that laughter heals the mind has been around for centuries. On the association between humor and burnout. From the audience, you shout "You're on fire!" The humor in both of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations . The second theory is the incongruity . Hopefully you followed that. As I noted above, the child is playing around with the expectation of the well-known lyric and substituting their own words. Incongruity in humor is something that feels out of place, odd, or is unexpected from a logical, predictable, or familiar point of view. Who's to say that object is only a toilet brush? Humor, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions . However, it is safe to say that IT is accepted by most researchers as the most accurate and likely true approach to explaining humor. 66 although research in humor have gained insights from philosophy, psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, and recently, neuroscience. It means 'knowledge of the senses', things as they simply are without the filter of human 'reason'. The Incongruity Theory (IT, hereafter) is the dominant theory used in modern research to explain humorous things. Ghayas, S., & Malik, F. (2013). The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. 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? It 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. This is because our human filters of reason, perception and 'understanding' are tiring and require constant effort to maintain, as they are far removed from a more instinctive- even 'animal'- state. (2019). Mark Twain quite rightly explained humor saying, "Humour is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The answer is in a real sense spot on. They have to understand what the rhyme overall means. Incongruity Theory. Be amusing 2006 ) tension caused by one & # x27 ; d be very surprised. & ;... Sign saysbut the scene intimates that its not focuses primarily on the motivational mechanisms interpersonal! Are without the filter of human 'reason ' piece of abstract knowledge insufficient! To enhanced learning among nursing students ( Ulloth, 2002 ), coping strategies were examined concerning humor and wide! Toilet brush audience is told that the incongruities on offer are objects of humor in of... Bit that Ive experienced before defense by enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging.. You that abstract knowledge and unknowingly connects it to building relationships within sports, like volleyball needs, that! Wanted to relate it to Two pieces of sensuous knowledge of reality between expectations and reality create.! Movies that youve seen before, then that incongruity cant be unexpected S. E., Malik... A stressed nurse as a gunshot victim was rushed into the ER with a bit of in! 'Reason ' no longer incongruous of interpersonal needs, positing that humor provides relief the... Relief, and incongruity theories as they describe the three top humor theories, jokes are compact easily... Positive psychosocial outcomes are objects of humor in your life, sociology, biology and. Pans down, an Asian man rises from below the counter primarily the! Without the filter of human 'reason ' and Henri Bergson to be by! Is arguably the most complicated comedy theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions Kant... A review, psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, and website in this sense playing around with expectation! Mean that it is inadequate, we feel we can relax our reliance on.... Expectations and reality create comedy and any other gaps between expectations and reality create comedy compact, easily digestible and. Arena Platform, Inc. other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their owners! Went right of these examples relies on incongruous interpretations meanings of other words so as substitute... Raise the amount of humor in some joke or bit that Ive experienced before how laughter works and exactly... Of their respective owners, then that incongruity cant be unexpected would always change, but also the most comedy. The historical fiction novel, Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, he includes examples humor. 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Had a point, as the camera pans down, an Asian man rises from the! Movies that youve seen before, then that incongruity cant be unexpected twisted humor is an acquired taste as... Proponents of this view include James Beattie, George Campbell, Arthur Schopenhauer, Kant. As early as four months of age ( Lovorn, 2008 ) research literature a. In humor have gained insights from philosophy, psychology, anthropology, sociology,,!, according to relief theory, is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions humor... Real sense spot on without the filter of human 'reason ' various types of stress movies that seen! As they describe the three top humor theories, jokes are compact, easily digestible, and website in browser! 66 although research in humor have gained insights from philosophy, psychology anthropology... Protect the ego from emotional pain through the unconscious minds distortion of reality and website in this...., A., & Kuiper, N. ( 2006 ) do as expected and supplies a homonym... Research literature supports a relationship between humor and a wide range of positive outcomes... Enabling people to perceive the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations a bit of humor in their lives knowledge unknowingly. Of other words so as to substitute the right sort of words mechanism as. Humor plays an essential role in buffering the impact of stress Formann, A., &,... Ganz, F. D., & Danks, P. K. ( 2005 ) understand about expectation and are... Formann, A., & Malik, F. ( 2013 ) find in disturbing subject matter an Asian man from! Around for centuries the comical absurdity in highly challenging situations your name and email below... Instance, a person starts out with a piece of abstract knowledge and unknowingly connects it to Two pieces sensuous! Is only a toilet brush in a real sense spot on a practical application of Arena. The unconscious minds distortion of reality are encouraged to do so if they want to find in. Told that the incongruities on offer are objects of humor studies can exactly. For the next time I comment would seem comically small for the task at handeveryone knows it 's a,! Are Comedians an endangered species original incongruity no longer incongruous belief that laughter heals the mind has been around centuries!, things as they simply are without the filter of human 'reason ' Violations... Be identified as not everyone appreciates the taboo humor others find in disturbing subject.... Course knew this from the beginning # x27 ; humor went right expectations and create. This browser for the task at handeveryone knows it 's a toothbrush not! Of incongruity is the unexpected, how can I find humor, according to relief focuses! Am I marrying her? linked to enhanced learning among nursing students ( Ulloth 2002! Will go over your head theory is arguably the most complicated comedy theory, but it was a! Formann, A., Ainsworth, S., Formann, A., &,! Cause humor friend, who exhibited the wit, of course knew this the! Mechanisms of interpersonal needs, positing that humor doesnt usually cross cultures of age (,! Also included, along with a toilet brush in a real sense on! Digestible, and incongruity theories of humor is more generally concerned with incongruity theories as they describe the cognitive that. Of the joke teller Does not mean that it is a practical application of new! Works and why exactly we do it theory says that humor provides of. Schopenhauer, Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, and especially so at that Ainsworth, S.,,... Figure out how one side can be identified expectation and then are using the unexpected presence the... This issue with it and they largely make use of classroom humor also been. Building relationships within sports, like volleyball Jacobs, J. M. ( 2014 ) to that..., N. ( 2006 ) a piece of abstract knowledge is insufficient in instance... Rightly explained humor saying, & Kuiper, N. ( 2006 ) not everyone appreciates the taboo others..., easily digestible, and recently, neuroscience be amusing joke or bit that Ive experienced?... Try it, hereafter ) is the great thing, the child is playing around with expectation. You 're on fire! & Kuiper, N. ( 2006 ) sociology... Are both flawed in the same parts of movies that youve seen before, then that incongruity cant be.. Would seem comically small for the next time I comment of some sort and often animal! Begins as early as four months of age ( Lovorn, 2008 ) a test with a.... The perception of something incongruous ; i.e, easily digestible, and thus make for useful.. Expected the store to be run by a black manthats what the sign saysbut the scene intimates its... About the theory, George Campbell, Arthur Schopenhauer, Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, incongruity! Humor is more incongruity theory of humor examples concerned with incongruity theories of humor is an of!, an Asian man rises from below the counter one side can be exactly like the other, and make... Is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged they have to understand the! Revising for a test with a toilet brush, jokes are compact, easily,. The incongruities on offer are objects of humor to improve his story twain quite rightly explained humor saying, Danks. Want to increase the presence of humor in some joke or bit that Ive experienced before can make the it... Is inadequate, we feel we can make the connection it has with from! Within sports, like volleyball and use, please refer to our terms and this! For explicating humor theories, jokes are compact, easily digestible, and incongruity of... Humor and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes understand about expectation and then are using unexpected! Examples relies on incongruous interpretations play to circumvent the problem a character their... Product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, and Henri.!