Part 1: Presentation of the Intellectual Function and Incongruity Theory of Humour
Introduction:
Humour is what enables man to function internally as well as within society It allows the individual to cope withtragedy,manageday-to-dayinteractions,andmaintainasenseofhopeforthefuture Thisessay will discuss the characteristics of intellectual function and the incongruity theory of humour Withinthis essay,Iwillusetextualandreal-lifeexamplestounderstandthetheoryandfunctionbetter
There are multiple reasons forinvestigatingthisparticularfunctionandtheory However,mymainreason is that both the function and the theory are intensely popular in the field of philosophy behind humour
The reason for such popularity is that function and theory canreadilyapplytomanyhumanexperiences For example,afarmer,anastronaut,andabusinessmanwillallhaveexperiencedhumourthatcanenforce the intellectual function and the incongruity theory of humour. As such, the function and the theory are valid in a near infinite amount of situations, giving it an aura of superiority in a field where many concepts are inconsistent or overly specialised. To challenge whether or not this popularity is justified,I will investigate the reasoning behind the function andthetheory.Iwillalsoidentifythecharacteristicsof the function and the theory to reach my ownevaluationonwhetherIendorsethefunctionandthetheory. A side benefit of exploring the intellectual function and the incongruity theory of humouristhatthetwo are closely linked and often compliment each other. Therefore, it is convenient to select the two for this essay.
After this introduction, this essay will explain the intellectual function and the incongruity theory of humour. Then, the essay will evaluate the function and the theory according to Personality and Sense of Humour by Avner Ziv and Taking Life Seriously by John Morreall. Finally, the essay will concludewith mythoughtsandwhetherornotIendorsethefunctionandthetheory.
WhatistheIntellectualFunctionofHumour?
This part will present the intellectual function of humour The intellectual function of humour originates from the concept that humans find an innate pleasure in understanding Furthermore, because all humour requires some form of prerequisiteknowledgetounderstand,humour'sintellectualfunctionis valid in nearly all situations, thus alluding to its popularity When a joke is presented, the person telling the joke must assume that thereceiverisawareofsomebackgroundknowledge Thereceiverthenmakes the intellectual connection of the joke with the background information, which then provides the satisfactionofthejoke
Stand-up comedy is anexampleofhumour'sintellectualfunctionwithinmodernsociety.Themodern-day jester often assumes the audience possesses some knowledge and usesthattopictogeneratehumour.For example, comedian Pete Davidson constantly makes jokes regarding hisfather'sdeathon9/11[3],which is a joke that plays on the shared experience of paternal issues from a young age His audience can measure the effect of his joke; their laughter is a clear sign that because the audience possesses the knowledgeregardingdaddyissues,theycanfindpleasureinthejoke
Another critical aspect of the intellectual function of humouristhattheassociationbetweenpleasureand understanding is long-standing within themind Laughterandproblem-solvinginchildhoodareprevalent phenomena used to justify the intellectual function of humour Avner Ziv found that when a child is successfully able to solve a problem, they tend to smile or laugh [4] This is an exhibition of the connectionbetweenintellectualtriumphandhumour
WhatistheIncongruityTheoryofHumour?
This part will present the incongruity theory of humour. The incongruity theory of humour originates from the idea that humans find pleasure in emancipation from regular thought processes and logical and rational thought limitations. This means that humans expect life to manifest within specific, consistent patterns. Humans sometimes find amusement when the consistency is broken. Furthermore, humans can enjoy absurdity, as idiocy deviates from the norm. As such, this theory posits humour as a paradigmofcreativethought,whichmanoftenfindsenjoyable.
An exhibition of the incongruity theory of humour is the video "history of the entire world, i guess" byAmericanmusicianBillWurtz.Thepopularityofthevideoisreflectedinthe146millionviews and nearly 400 thousand comments. The content of the video is not onlyintellectualandinformativebut is conveyedinawaythatusesnonsensicalandnearpsychedelicaudioandvisualelementstobreakupthe consistency of the video. The juxtaposition of the seriousness in the content and the absurdity of the presentation format also adds to the overall humour of the video. The tempo of the video can also be considered emancipation from the format used by traditional educational films, as the high pace and unorthodoxbackgroundmusicaddtotheauraofabsurdity
Another valid example of the incongruity theory of humour is the everyday use of puns and question-and-answer jokes Both methods of joking rely on the exact mechanism of humour - the useof double entendres to create a secondary reality that is unexpected to the audience It is noted that this example relies on some parts of the intellectual functionofhumour,astheaudiencemustbeawareofthe double entendre but are not actively considering it The pun "Geology rocks but Geography iswhereit's at!" plays ontheliteraldefinitionsofthewordsandthedoublemeaningsbehindthedefinitions Although "rocks" and "where it's at" can be used as phrases of enthusiasm, they are also authentic descriptions of
the words. Althoughtheaudienceislikelyawareofthedefinitions,theyarenotanticipatingthedefinition to be used to a comedic effect. Question-and-answer jokes are similar in conceptionandeffect.Thejoke "Why did Adele cross the road? To say hello from the other side" similarly requires the audience to be aware of the famousAdelelyric"hellofromtheotherside"andthetraditional"whydidthechickencross the road" joke in ordertoreceivesatisfactionfromtheinteraction However,integratingthetwofactorsis acleverutilisationofeverydayurbanknowledgeandthedisruptionofwhatisexpected
Part 2: Evaluation of the Intellectual Function and the Incongruity Theory of Humour According to Avner Ziv and John Morreall
Introduction:
Part two will be separated into two subsections, one for Avner Ziv's thoughts and one for John Morreall Both intellectuals were notable philosophers within the field of laughter and offered their thoughts on the matter in their books, Personality and Sense of Humour and Taking Life Seriously, respectively. Their opinions on the matter will be used as supplemental evidence tohelpmeevaluatethe intellectualfunctionandtheincongruitytheoryofhumour.
AvnerZivin Personality and Sense of Humour:
This section will describe Avner Ziv's conception of the intellectual function of humour and the incongruity theory of humour. In Personality and Sense of Humour, Ziv discusses the importance of enjoying humour. Ziv compares the function with problem-solving and the accompanying feelings of enjoyment upon completion. According to Ziv, the source of satisfaction is proof of ability and brings a better sense of understanding toone'ssurroundings.Toaddtothispoint,Zivreviewshowthechildlearns toenjoyhumour.
In this chapter and Chapter three of Personality and Sense of Humour, Ziv states thatthechild's smile is an exhibition of their calibration to andinteractionwithnewstimuli.Thestimulusinthissection refers to a new problem Ziv emphasises the importance that the child cannot beexposedtothestimulus for an overextended period, as suchoverexposurecausesboredom,causingtheeventualdisappearanceof the smile The problem must also be complex enough for the child to place their fullest attention into solving it, but notsocomplicatedasforthechildtobeunabletosolvetheproblem Zivusesthisexample of the problem-solving childtoclaimthatchildrenenjoyactivatingtheirintellectualprocessesandthatan intellectual activity that succeeds produces a sense of victory and satisfaction Ziv loops back to the original topic of humour and states that the development of laughter and problem-solving are highly similarphenomenaandareprocessesstillpresentinadults
As the child grows up, Ziv uses everyday interactions between the child and their parents to exemplify the incongruity theory of humour. Ziv describes games such as peek-a-boo and unsuitable behaviours, suchaswalkingaroundonallfours,asamusingforthechild Zivdescribesincongruityasthe creation of a problem and applies his definitionoftheintellectualfunctionofhumourassupport Healso states thatforanindividualtounderstandincongruity,theymustfirstunderstandwhatiscongruous,using the example that a child who has never seen a dog before will not glance twice at a five-legged dog Regardless, Ziv maintains that the unknown stimulus creates curiosity and fear within the individual, which may either react with laughter or fear For the individual to react with laughter and notfear,there must be someelementofabsurditywiththeincongruitytoensurethatthepersondoesnotfeelthreatened The individual must also not feelanxiousaboutthestimulusorenvironmenttoenjoytheincongruity Ziv concludes the chapter by stating that intellectual humour enables heightened problem solving and creativity and that the intellectual function and the incongruity theoryofhumourarebothappropriatefor justifyinghumourandarenecessaryforthewell-beinganddevelopmentofhumans[4]
JohnMorreallin Taking Life Seriously:
This section will discuss John Morreall's interpretation of the incongruity theory of humour in Taking Life Seriously. Morreall opens by characterising the incongruity theory of humour under the cognitive side of laughter. He then states that humans have come to expect specific patterns in life, and humans laugh when the patterns are disrupted. He adds that the disproportion between expectation and reality produces the most laughter. Morreall then quotesImmanuelKant,citing,"Laughterisanaffection arising from the sudden transformation of a strained expectation into nothing." Morreall finally reaches hisgeneralevaluationofthetheoryandadmitshisopiniononthetheory"Ithinkthatthecentralweakness of the incongruity theory of humour is that it is not comprehensive enough to explain all cases of laughter." He then continues to list situations that manifest the limitations of the incongruity theory of humour.
The first kind of situation where Morreall believed the incongruity theory of humour would be invalid is animal laughter Morreall cites James Beattie in that beings with no intellectual capacity for appreciating incongruity are exempt fromthescopeoftheincongruitytheory Morespecifically,Morreall claims that non-humorous laughter, such as a baby being tickled, cannot be explainedbytheincongruity theory of humour The second kind of situation where Morreall deems the incongruity theory inappropriate is sentimental laughter He uses examples of humour following the solving of a puzzle or witnessing an acrobatic stunt that does not require the judgement of incongruity and therefore is also excluded from his definition of the incongruity theory of humour Lastly, Morreall argues that not all incongruity noticed by an individual will cause laughter Once again, citingBeattie,Morreallassertsthat
factors such as fear, disgust, and pity can override the tendency to laugh at the incongruity. He uses the example that spotting asnakeinarefrigeratorwouldmorelikelycauseanindividualtoslamthedoorand run Morreall concludes by affirming that the incongruity theory of humour cannot stand as a general theoryoflaughter[2]
MyEvaluationoftheIntellectualFunctionandtheIncongruityTheoryofHumour:
The intellectual function and the incongruity theory of humour are notable theories within the field of philosophy andhavebeenendorsedbydistinguishedphilosophers,suchasImmanuelKant,Henri Bergson, Francis Hutcheson, James Beattie, and Brian Boyd That isnottosaythatitisfreeofcriticism; equally famous philosophers have challenged its validity Despite the conflicting claims regarding the extent to which the theory is legitimate, most can agree that the intellectual functionandtheincongruity theory of humour address its area of focus, and philosophers generally believe that many instances of humour can be explained by more than one theory of humour [1] Theincongruitytheoryofhumourhas been long-standing in the field and is a valid explanation for much of modern humour,suchasnonsense and aggressive humour. Although it falls short when used in life-threatening situations, it has much application in general day-to-day interactions. The intellectual function of humour is significant in the sensethatitisverycompatiblewithothertheories,suchasthesuperioritytheory.
Compared to other theories of humour, the incongruity theory cannotbeusedasageneraltheory but covers a large enough scope of humourthatitcanbethoughtofasasemi-generalrule.Asmentioned earlier, the incongruity theory cannot be appliedtosituationsthatthreatenorcauseanxiety.Nevertheless, when humour is used intentionally, it often has elements of incongruity. That being said,theincongruity theory of humourismorelikelytobevalidinscenarioswheremostfactorsareunderhumancontrol.This is because the theory uses a significant amount of behavioural evidence from children and assumes the same for adults. For the average human, that may bethecase.However,thereistoomuchroomforerror to use the incongruity theory as a general theory. Nevertheless, compared to other theories of humour,it covers a large area of focus and is more applicable than most The intellectual function of humour is an idea that is highly compatible with others, namely the aggressive function and superiority theory of humour, another theory of humour that is vastly applicable in modern social situations However, the intellectual function of humour fails to explain why humour can be found in nonsense, as it is based on the idea that prerequisite knowledge and problem-solving are critical factors to enjoying the humour As such, it fails to address a large portion of humour and only justifies humour that occurs in a controlled environment
I believe that there can be no general theory of humour Human society and psychology are far too complex and ever-changing for a singular theory of humour to exist However, some theoriescanbe
more applicable than most. I believe that the incongruity theory is among such ideas.Thecircumstances in which the incongruity theory of humour can be applied covers a good amount of human experience, and the explanations used for its conception seem logical and plausible Furthermore, I agree with the core concept within the incongruity theory that a harmless disruption in a pattern can be amusing and elicit laughter I also endorsetheintellectualfunctionofhumour,asitiscompatiblewithotherreasonable theories of humour and that within its area of focus, it is valid and coherent Furthermore, the literature behind the function and theory makes good use of theoretical and real-life examples, which helped me make sense of the authors' ideas Lastly, the incongruity theory and intellectual function of humour integrate laughter with creativityandintelligence,posinghumourinapositivelightandreorientingsocial interactionsforthebetter
In conclusion, the intellectual function and the incongruity theory of humour are theories that assign the human enjoyment of laughter as the outcome of problem-solving, intelligence, and creativity Philosophers AvnerZivandJohnMorreallhavedetailedtheirthoughtsonboththeoriesintheirrespective books Personality and Sense of Humour and Taking Life Seriously I believe that the incongruity theory and the intellectual function of humour arevalidwithintheirnicheandexplainamoresignificantportion of humour than most theories. Therefore, I mainly endorse both theories and believe them to position humour and laughter in a reasonably positive light. Drawing on the basic human concepts of problem-solving, intellectual capacity, and pattern deviations, the intellectual function and incongruity theory of humour have a long historyinthefieldforareason.Thecharacteristicsthatdefineincongruous humour and theaccompanyingintellectualfunctionrepresentvariouspositivevirtuesofhumanityandare whollyvalidwithintheirfocusareas.
Bibliography:
[1] Buijzen, Moniek, and Patti M. Valkenburg. “Developing a Typology of Humour in Audiovisual Media.” Taylor & Francis Online, Informa UK Limited, 17 Nov. 2009, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s1532785xmep0602 2.
[2] Morreall, John. “The Relief Theory.” Taking Laughter Seriously, State University of New York Press,NewYork,NY,1983,pp.15-19.
[3] “Pete Davidson: SMD - Coping with a Family Tragedy - Uncensored.” Performance by Pete Davidson, YouTube, YouTube, 26 Mar. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czrM 1gxcxA. Accessed13Aug.2022.