The psychology behind comedy and 'Why is that joke so funny?'

This might make you emit a high-pitched what? Followed by an intrigued why? But a few years ago while living in Mexico City I actually took a class on stand-up comedy... and I was not disappointed.

My teacher was an experienced stand-up comedian and was really good, not only because he was funny, but because he was indeed really good at teaching comedy.

At first, most people in my class −me included− thought how can someone teach me to be funny? Isn’t that an innate skill? Well, sure, we’ve all met this cousin, or classmate or coworker who is incredibly funny and has probably been funny ever since he/she was a toddler.

But I was delighted to find out there are actually good, studied techniques comedians use to make things sound so funny. And while learning them I obviously was intrigued about the science behind it. There must be a psychological reason for comedy, and some people simply have a high emotional intelligence to naturally comprehend certain aspects of human behavior and enjoy using this ability to make people laugh.

There’s no doubt that laughing is a pleasurable experience and, as such, we seek for it. It’s healthy, it releases endorphins and it strengthens interpersonal bonds. But while this is true, still most of us don’t laugh that easily... although our willingness to laugh does vary depending on the situation, our levels of stress, and even how many drinks we’ve had (i.e. momentary disinhibition).

So, I did some research in the matter and found that there’s a theory on what makes something funny, and it’s called the benign violation theory, elaborated by Peter McGraw. Basically, it says that something is funny when it meets two conditions: "it violates the way we think the world should work, and it does so in a way that’s not threatening."

So, there you go. We find something funny when it goes against the way we know life should work, according to our expectations on norms, appropriate demeanor and, in general, what is right. And, here’s the second rule: it must be something that causes no real harm.

Furthermore, some scientists of humor have identified that the element of surprise is also an essential part of comedy, we laugh at the unexpected result of a good punchline, and we also laugh in recognition of the wit involved. There are of course other factors, as you may imagine, that take place in a good comedy act, including timing, delivery... and the way media has altered the way we think comedy should be.

But, yes, I must say, taking that comedy class was a lot of fun, it was enriching and I do use some of the techniques I learned in my daily life. Still, if we ever meet in person, please don’t ask me to tell you a joke. Unfortunately, my shyness is still stronger than my histrionics.

-Kristal Pastor
B.S. in Psychology - Universidad Intercontinental, Mexico
Certified Course in Neuromarketing and Market Intelligence - Universidad Anahuac, Mexico


Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn (Kristal's LinkedIn profile)

Para leer este blog en español, visita Hackeando la vida con psicología