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What is my type of humor and what main types of humor are out there?
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What is my type of humor and what main types of humor are out there?
Heather Gillette
What I know...
Nothing, not really. I had came across one article that talked about four main areas of humor but I didn't really remember what they were. I also knew that humor was hard to pinpoint because it's different for every individual. For example I have one friend that when he makes a joke your not quite sure if it's a joke or a comment. He doesn't really show any emotion behind it, except maybe a smirk around the eye. Then other friends who laugh so loud at their own jokes that they themselves are funnier than what they said. I didn't know if I was accuarately describing my friends humor. Or why we thought the same things were funny. I just wanted to learn a little more about my humor.
Questions
The main thing I wanted to learn was, "What type of humor is out there and from a psychological point of view what is mine?"
Why, with my humor, do I like some but not all of my friends or family's humor?
How many times do you scroll through social media accounts and laugh, comment or ignore it? Why? What makes you share it?
Does different humor effect different parts of the brain? Or is it more what is relatable that makes it funny?
What I want to know...
The Rabbit Hole
Story of my search...
So what started me off was finding that article or quiz that defined my sense of humor. Then I took the quiz and wasn't too surprised at the results. From that article it led to HSQ. What did the abreviations mean and what did it entail? Once I discovered what HSQ was and who developed it. I learned about the four dimensions of humor. I spent time looking at videos, jokes, memes and cartoons about each dimension of humor. I also found an article that explained how humor is conceptionalized. Which helped answer why I find things funny and also why friends, strangers and family might think something is funny when I don't. This then led me to The Benign Violation Theory. Which depending on a persons view of what is violation can also attribute to what they think is funny or not. I also recognized the video from class earlier in the semester. When I went back to look at the questions I'd written down I saw that I answered a few of them but others I didn't even touch. So I went on to search a little more and discovered an example of humor used on facebook. I didn't get all my questions answered but my research took me down a different rabbit hole.
Humor
Humor
Sense of humor- "How much people laugh about and appreciate jokes."
Style of humor- Sarcastic, self-defeating, etc.
Rod Martin a professor of psychology says that humor can be theorized as:
1. a cognitive ability (you need to understand jokes, etc)
2. an aesthetic response (you need to like certain types of jokes)
3. an habitual behavior pattern (some people have the habit or laughing often, or of telling many jokes)
4. an emotion-related temperament trait
5. an attitude
6. a coping strategy or defense mechanism
The use of humor is not always related to healthy psychological behavior. Some forms of humor are, while others are not (e.g., sarcasm).
For example I grew up learning nothing about cars so jokes about cars or engines, I don't find funny because I don't understand them. However I still figured this one out and thought it was funny. There's that little bit of humor from each category in each of us.
Now the meme that shows Katniss from the Hunger Game movie holding her fingers up in support to other mothers, I totally get. This to me is funnier. When I'm stressed at the grocery store and I see another mom stressed too, I imagine this meme and I'm like, I'm okay. I'm not alone. I can relate, heck I think I even did this sign to another mom once and she did it back. Ha ha!
These both play a part in my identity because it's about who I am and what I relate to that makes things funny. Things that help me cope or laugh at things to relieve stress. That's why we laugh at things are friends say and do, we can relate to them. Inside jokes with a best friend or husband that only you two get. If I were to say, "There aren't enough pillows to cover up your ugliness." You'd say what the heck, or I don't get it, but my husband would understand.
Professor Martin's developed components of sense of humor: adaptive and maladaptive humor. “The three main components of humor are: cognitive, emotional and interpersonal. As well as distinctions and similarities between humor and laughter. "
Adaptive- Affiliative and Self Enhancing, "Less Depression, higher self-esteem.
Maladaptive- Aggressive and Self Defeating, "More depression and lower self-Esteem.
Villy Tsakona requoted, "One of the most common functions of humour is the construction of identity, usually achieved by including certain individuals in a group sharing specific values and views, and by excluding others representing different values and views. An example given was from Villy Tsakona. When an crocodile was found in a lake in Crete, Greece. The authorities wanted to capture it. However, a facebook page started that fought for the rights of the crocodile wanting it to live their freely. This group of facebook people started making memes defending the crocodile and making the situation laughable.
The idea that humor is a part of a persons identity. So those involved were doing it for reasons such as: love of freedom, resistance to official authorities, rebelliousness, and heroism." The idea that we laugh at things that are a part of our identity.
Superiority Theory
- Superiority Theory
- Relief Theory
- Incongruity Theory
- Benign Violation Theory
These were the four theories that I researched and found useful. I particularly liked the video of superiority theory. I understood it better by watching it. I also learned about myself that I didn't care much for incongruity theory. Benign Violation Theory made sense to me and helped me understand why things are funny to me and not to others. Depending on what one consideres a violation.
Theories
Superiority Theory
Plato and Aistotle introduced the superiority theory. The Theory is that people laugh at the misfortune of others. Which is great for "teasing and slapstick," but not for knock-knock jokes.
Superiority Theory
Relief Theory
Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory. "The concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension, overcome their inhibitions, and reveal their suppressed fears and desires." Once again his theory leans towards dirty jokes and for some puns.
Relief Theory
Incongruity Theory
Incongruity theory, "The idea that humor arises when there’s an inconsistency between what people expect to happen and what actually happens." (Jokes with punch lines.) A couple of professors did a study and determined that people actually thought punch lines were funnier when they knew it was going to happen.
Incongruity Theory
Benign Violation Theory
Humor influences your choices, books and movies you watch. Humor happens when three conditions are satisfied.
1. Violation- Something seems wrong. Moral violations cause anger and disgust.
2. Benign- The situation is harmless
When the above two are combined it becomes a Benign violation. To make a violation benign, your not committed to the violation. It happened a long time ago or happened to someone else. It also just doesn't seem real. Or there is an alternative explanation. Threatening situations are harmless. Which for me growing up a classic was Coyote and road runner. The fact that Coyote gets blown up, crushed, thrown of cliffs and suffers all kind of unimaginable fate, we all know he's alright. We also know that the road runner always wins. Yet deep down we secretly hope for the one time the Coyote wins. I guess what I learned with this theory is that something I find as a violation my friend might not, so when I think it's not funny he will think it is.
Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ)
Rod Martin retired from the University of Western Ontario. He developed a test that focused on how people used humor in their every day life. Instead of the joke being told. This became Rod Martin's signature work: The Humor Styles Questionnaire, (HSQ). "The first scientifically validated measure of humor. In 2003, Martin and his colleagues published the HSQ in the Journal of Research in Personality; today, it’s in common use all over the world."
The HSQ divides humor into four main styles. Two positive and two negative scopes of humor. Affiliative, Self-Enhancing, Aggressive, and Self-Defeating. Everyone has a combination of all four yet tend to lean toward one catergory more than the others.
Affiliative Humor
Affiliative humor, "Is defined as the style of humor used to enhance one's relationships with others in a benevolent, positive manner. This style of humor is typically used in a benevolent, self-accepting way."
HSQ defines Affiliative humor as, "Cracking jokes, engaging in banter, and otherwise using humor to make others like us."
I personally find this one useful in that it's great at breaking the ice and getting to know someone through humor. Also someone getting know you. Like when my husband actually said the first time he noticed me was when I laughed at a joke someone told. He liked that I found that joke funny when others didn't.
Self-Enhancing Humor
Self-enhancing humor is, "A style of humor related to having a good-natured attitude toward life, having the ability to laugh at yourself, your circumstances and the idiosyncrasies of life in constructive, non-detrimental manner. It is used by individuals to enhance the self in a benevolent, positive manner."
HSQ definition of Self-enhancing humor is, "An optimistic, coping humor, characterized by the ability to laugh at yourself or at the absurdity of a situation and feel better as a result.
Self-Enhancing Humor
Example: The moment I walked in my bathroom and saw that my 2 1/2 year old had taken a carton of eggs and cracked them all over the floor and into the toilet. Instead of screaming and yelling, (which I've done.) I decided to laugh and record it. It made me happier and him. Now it's a memory of laughs instead of ohh... I wish I would have handled that differently.
Agressive Humor
Aggressive humor, "Is a style of humor that is potentially detrimental towards others. This type of humor is characterized by the use of sarcasm, put-downs, teasing, criticism, ridicule, and other types of humor used at the expense of others."
Agressive Humor
HSQ characterizes Aggressive humor, "By sarcasm, teasing, criticism, and ridicule."
I think we might have all experienced this at one point in time from a friend or even a parent to an aquaintance. The more I'm on social media I see this type of humor. Is it really aggressive if it's true? Ha ha... Yes, yes it is.
Self-Defeating Humor
Self-defeating humor, "Is the style of humor characterized by the use of potentially detrimental humor towards the self in order to gain approval from others. Individuals high in this dimension engage in self-disparaging humor in which laughter is often at their own"
Self-Defeating Humor
HSQ defines Self-defeating humor as, "Attempting to get others to like us by putting ourselves down.
The 38 Brutal Reddit Roasts could be also used I think for Aggressive humor but definitely shows self defeating humor because they're asking to be roasted.
Reflection
When I looked back at what I learned and discovered about myself, I learned that it is true I do have a little bit of each category of humor. I realized that I even found self defeating humor at times funny. I was less enthusiastic about Agressive Humor. I learned that people click like on Facebook, or laugh out loud because they can relate. They share things because they have that thing in common. For example my husband will send me a picture of Forest Whitaker. We love him as an actor but our daughter when she was born had a droopy eye. It should correct itself by the time she's three. We'll see... So whenever we see a photo of Forest Whitaker we think of her.
I also learned that it's a great way to relieve stress. You read a friends post who seems down. Then you see a meme or video that would uplift them or make them laugh you share it. Facebook pages created with those who have the same the interest, values or hobbies We recently got chickens and joined a facebook group called backyard chickens. This is where I understand that identity plays a part in why we join certain groups and why we don't.
How we were raised I think also plays a part in what we think is funny. What we understand and what we don't will make things not funny/relatable. Martin said it best, "Some people are always laughing and joking as a way of avoiding issues. It’s really the way we use humor that is most important, not so much how funny you are, but how you use humor in advancing relationships or in detrimental ways.”
Here is the link if you'd like to take the quiz to see what type of sense of humor you have.
https://www.thecut.com/article/whats-your-humor-style.html
Quiz, what is your humor?
My results from the HSQ Quiz
"You have a mostly affiliative sense of humor.
Everyone's sense of humor is a mix of all four styles, but yours leans most heavily toward affiliative, meaning you're good at cracking jokes and trading banter to build connections with other people.
Works Cited
Admin. (2015, September 22). Best Funny Friendship Quotes and Memes. Retrieved from Vitaman-HA: http://www.vitamin-ha.com/best-funny-friendship-quotes-and-memes/
Blunt Cards. (n.d.). Retrieved from M: https://me.me/t/blunt-cards
Huber, H. (2014, May 18). Best of Coyote and RoadRunner. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd_41tM6H2Y
Jacobson, R. (2017, April 4). Test Yourself: Psychologists Created a Quiz to Define Your Sense of Humor. Retrieved from The Cut: https://www.thecut.com/article/whats-your-humor-style.html
Martin, R. P.-D. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being:Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 48-75.
McGraw, P. (2010, October 12). What makes things funny. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysSgG5V-R3U
McGraw, P. W. (2014, March 23). The Humor Code. Retrieved from Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/features/2014/the_humor_code/what_makes_something_funny_a_bold_new_attempt_at_a_unified_theory_of_comedy.html
Veatch, T. C. (1999, July 15). A theory of Humor. Retrieved from The International Journal of Research: http://www.tomveatch.com/else/humor/paper/
Veley, B. (2018). Self-assurance Cartoons and Comics. Retrieved from Cartoon Stock: https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/self-assurance.asp
Wikipedia. (2017, June 24). Humor Styles. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humor_styles
Works Cited
Works Cited
Admin. (2015, September 22). Best Funny Friendship Quotes and Memes. Retrieved from Vitaman-HA: http://www.vitamin-ha.com/best-funny-friendship-quotes-and-memes/
Blunt Cards. (n.d.). Retrieved from M: https://me.me/t/blunt-cards
Generator, M. (n.d.). Katniss. Retrieved from Meme Generator: https://memegenerator.net/instance/63903233/katniss-respect-when-i-see-another-mom-with-a-screaming-toddler-in-public
Huber, H. (2014, May 18). Best of Coyote and RoadRunner. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd_41tM6H2Y
Jacobson, R. (2017, April 4). Test Yourself: Psychologists Created a Quiz to Define Your Sense of Humor. Retrieved from The Cut: https://www.thecut.com/article/whats-your-humor-style.html
Martin, R. P.-D. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being:Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 48-75.
Works Cited Continued
McGraw, P. (2010, October 12). What makes things funny. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysSgG5V-R3U
McGraw, P. W. (2014, March 23). The Humor Code. Retrieved from Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/features/2014/the_humor_code/what_makes_something_funny_a_bold_new_attempt_at_a_unified_theory_of_comedy.html
Muscle Meme Cars. (n.d.). Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealMuscleCarMemes/
Veatch, T. C. (1999, July 15). A theory of Humor. Retrieved from The International Journal of Research: http://www.tomveatch.com/else/humor/paper/
Veley, B. (2018). Self-assurance Cartoons and Comics. Retrieved from Cartoon Stock: https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/self-assurance.asp
Wikipedia. (2017, June 24). Humor Styles. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humor_styles