Humor theories blog

     Reading about the physiology of laughter and how scientists and theorist try to understand it was at

 times uneventful. I thought the most interesting aspect of this reading was Freud's understanding of

 laughter and humor. One thing I noticed about Freud's theories on humor is that it makes humans sound

 interesting and quite wondrous. 

    Freud believes that humor can be freeing, but this ultimately leads to a sort of smugness. He says that 

humor has a "liberating element" but also something "fine and elevating" (Freud 113). The fineness 

of humor comes from "the ego's victorious assertion of its own invulnerability" (Freud 113). While humor

 is liberating, Freud believes it is only liberating because of the impenetrable walls that we constantly put

 up to avoid telling others the truth. This is one of the occasions that is "affording" of pleasure and laughter

 (113). I would say this can be true some of the time, but thinking about humor in this way takes away its

 power. It is not that great of a feeling to be told everyone laughs just to avoid being vulnerable with

 others. 

    While Freud does take a cynical approach to where we find humor, he understands the wondrous

 elements that come with laughter. He describes the pleasure that we find in humor as "intoxication, self-

induced states of abstraction and ecstacy" (Freud 113). Humor and laughter can overwhelm our bodies and

 take over our control. Humor has such an interesting hold on humans because laughter comes with being

 happy, and the expression of happiness and joy shown on our faces is what I think sets us apart from other

 species. Humor and laughter makes us different and gives us a distinct status in this universe that involves

 an overwhelming amount of joy and cleverness not necessarily associated with an instinct to survive.  

    Another point that Freud makes is that humor between two humans creates an interesting relationship,

 similar to that of a child and an adult.  He claims that when someone takes on humor he is "identifying

 himself to some extent with the father, while he reduces the other people to the position of children"

 (Freud 114). He believes this to be true because when you make a joke about someone, you are joking

about something probably small but the victim believes it to be a bigger issue than it is and therefore is

made to feel like a child. I'm really not sure how relevant this theory is but I do understand what he is

trying to say, but I also do not believe that it is not just children who foolishly believe small things to be 

big problems. All throughout life humans believe small problems to be their whole world because it might 

be true that we have made these problems our whole world. There's a part of me that thinks Freud's 

theories take away the funniness we find in humor. A cynical approach to humor and putting the people 

involved into specified roles makes the humor all too serious. I do believe an ongoing question is where 

we can draw the line between seriousness and humor. 

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