Everyone loves a good laugh every now and again….. There are three main humor theories written by Freud, Hobbes, and Bergson covering everything from we laugh as a release mechanism to we laugh out of superiority.
Sigmund Freud’s theory over humor serves the purpose to explain why we laugh at the times we do. In Freud’s theory he explains laughter as a release mechanism to let go of tension you may have. In his theory he describes how when a joke is being told tension builds up behind a cathexis and when the punchline is reached and the cathexis is lifted, the energy is released as laughter. Freud also makes the distinction, however, that the effect of the release is lessened the more effort you must put into understanding the joke. If it’s …show more content…
In Hobbes book, Human Nature, he goes further into detail with this making the first claim that humans do not like to seem inferior to others. According to Hobbes, humans feel as though anyone who is an enemy is undeserving of any positive outcomes they may have in life. Conversely, the opposite is true. If their enemies experience negative outcomes, humans become overjoyed and laugh at their superiority. To summarize, humans are petty …show more content…
Part I begins by delving into the underlying explanation for why we as humans laugh at the times we do. The first of these is humans. Humor revolves completely around humans or human characteristics. People do not find inanimate objects or animals doing natural actions to be amusing, unless it has a human quality to it. This would include things such as a cat doing something said to be human like tripping over something or a dog sounding like it is talking. The second point is if you are too emotionally close to a subject, you are not able to laugh at it or see the humor. You must be indifferent or emotionally detached to understand the comic in the situation. Third, laughter is the product of a group. What Bergson means by this is that it takes company to, “appreciate the comic,” and it would not be as funny if you were alone. (Bergson,
Sigmund Freud’s theory over humor serves the purpose to explain why we laugh at the times we do. In Freud’s theory he explains laughter as a release mechanism to let go of tension you may have. In his theory he describes how when a joke is being told tension builds up behind a cathexis and when the punchline is reached and the cathexis is lifted, the energy is released as laughter. Freud also makes the distinction, however, that the effect of the release is lessened the more effort you must put into understanding the joke. If it’s …show more content…
In Hobbes book, Human Nature, he goes further into detail with this making the first claim that humans do not like to seem inferior to others. According to Hobbes, humans feel as though anyone who is an enemy is undeserving of any positive outcomes they may have in life. Conversely, the opposite is true. If their enemies experience negative outcomes, humans become overjoyed and laugh at their superiority. To summarize, humans are petty …show more content…
Part I begins by delving into the underlying explanation for why we as humans laugh at the times we do. The first of these is humans. Humor revolves completely around humans or human characteristics. People do not find inanimate objects or animals doing natural actions to be amusing, unless it has a human quality to it. This would include things such as a cat doing something said to be human like tripping over something or a dog sounding like it is talking. The second point is if you are too emotionally close to a subject, you are not able to laugh at it or see the humor. You must be indifferent or emotionally detached to understand the comic in the situation. Third, laughter is the product of a group. What Bergson means by this is that it takes company to, “appreciate the comic,” and it would not be as funny if you were alone. (Bergson,