The Incongruity Theory Of Laughter And It's Purpose

What is laughter and it’s purpose

Laughter is the psychological response to humor that is part of the universal human vocabulary, which consists of two parts – a set of gestures and the production of a sound. Laughter has a social factor of bonding with individuals within a group, which is often positive, but can have negative aspects as well. There’s a clear line drawn between “laughing with” and “laughing at” people. The difference with this is, people who are “laughing at” other may be trying to conform or make them feel like an outcast, which is a factor of developing depression. The biological response of laughter is a multifaceted response that involves similar skills that are used in problem-solving. We develop the ability to laugh at about 3.5 to 4 months of age, even before we are able to speak. Laughter, like crying, is a way for infants to communicate with their mothers.

Laughter is enormously subjective, what may seem funny to one person, may upset another. It is claimed that fake laughter can be as effective as real laugher. Our body cannot differentiate

There are three common theories that explain why we laugh. The incongruity theory states that humor ascends when logic and familiarity are replaced by things that don’t usually go together. Thomas Veatch states that a joke becomes funny when we expect one thing and another happens. The superiority theory suggests that we laugh at jokes that have emphasis on one’s misfortune, mistake or stupidity. Therefore, feeling a sense of power and dominance towards this person. The relief theory is the idea of laughing as releasing an accumulation of nervous energy. It is believed that the reason we laugh when we are being tickled is because of the built up of tension as the tickler “approaches”. However, even with these three theories, not everything can be categorized into a section because behaviour is a multifaceted phenomenon that simply cannot be