1. by Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen
Humor Theories
by Don L. F. Nilsen and
Alleen Pace Nilsen

2. Salvatore Attardo

3. Arthur Asa Berger

4. Steve Kaplan

5. Allen Klein’s “Good Humor”

6. John Morreall

7. Alleen and Don Nilsen

8. Victor Raskin

9. WHIMSY

10. Whimsical Don and Alleen

12. THE NATURE OF HUMOR FEATURES = CHARACTERISTICS
FUNCTIONS = THE PURPOSE(S)
SUBJECTS = THE TOPIC(S)

13. AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF HUMOR IS INCONGRUITY AND INCONGRUITY RES0LUTION
Consider an umbrella in a severe rain and wind storm.
We feel tension until we put things right—at least in our mind’s eye—as with the kitten on the next slide.

14. Another Example of Incongruity and Incongruity Resolution

15. Machinification: Monorail LOL Cat

16. Other Features of Humor
Ambiguity
Exaggeration
Understatement
Hostility
Incongruity or Irony
Situation-Insight
Sudden Insight
Superiority
Surprise or Shock
Tension and Relief
A Trick or Twist
Word Play
Visual Imagery

17. Metaphor: “Pool Table”
Features:
Ambiguity
Sudden Insight
Surprise
Visual Imagery
Word Play

18. Pun: “Eye Pod” Features Ambiguity Incongruity Surprise Visual Imagery
Word Play

19. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes’s “Superiority Theory” said that we laugh at someone else’s inferiority.
Later philosophers, including Frances Hutcheson, argued that what we are really laughing about is incongruity.
We don’t go to asylums to laugh at the “inferior” beings, nor do we laugh at animals unless they resemble human beings.
We laugh at someone who slips on a banana peel not because we feel superior, but because of the incongruity between our expectations and the sudden insight.
And if the person who slips on a banana peel is pretentious, and is not seriously injured, we laugh even harder.

20. “The Rule of Three” is another common feature of humor illustrated in this cartoon.

21. Another Rule of Three Joke

22. Incongruity and Incongruity Resolution

23. Dog-Related Incongruity and Incongruity Resolution

24. Functions of Humor PSYCHOLOGICAL INTELLECTUAL To amuse
To establish superiority
To gain control
To persuade
To save face
To test limits
To inbond/outbond
INTELLECTUAL
To amuse
To teach
To make connections
To compare two scripts—one metaphorical, one straight-forward

25. An Important Literary Function relates to Double Entendre.
Salvatore Attardo and Victor Raskin say that the text of a joke is always more or less compatible with two distinct scripts and the two scripts are opposed to each other in a special way.
It is often the punch line that triggers the switch from the mundane script to the dramatic script.
The punch line makes the hearer backtrack and realize that a different interpretation [of the joke] was possible from the very beginning.

26. A Real-Life Example of the Usefulness of Two Scripts

27. Accidental humor occurs when the creator and the receiver have different scripts in mind.

28. The impossibility in this picture causes tension, until we realize that it is a joke.

29. The Function of Disparaging Oneself.
On the surface, Self Disparagement appears to be humbling oneself, but the mock-humility really puts the speaker in a position of power as in these commercials:
Terminex Pest Control: “When you think of pests, think of us.”
Twist Lemon-Menthol Cigarettes: “Our new menthol is a lemon.”

30. Champion International Trend Carpet: “Eight million people walked all over us. And they don’t even know our name.”
Quaker Oats as a diet food: “Quaker Oats: Breakfast of losers.”
Simmons bunk beds: “Simmons beds are a lot of bunk.”

31. Educators Use Humor To:
Relax Students
Teach Facts
Argue and Persuade
Teach Vocabulary Concepts
Teach Careful Observation
Model Problem Solving

32. This Egg-to-Bird picture first causes tension, followed by a smile of relief as we “catch on.”

33. Real vs. Unreal This is an amusing lesson in careful observation.
What are the clues that it is a painting?
Were such paintings precursors to today’s PhotoShop fun?

34. JONATHAN WINTERS--STICK PROP:

35. SUBJECTS OF HUMOR
We joke about the subjects that we hesitate to talk about. To test out the attitudes of new friends, we often send up “trial balloons” disguised as jokes.
TABOO SUBJECTS
Ethnic Identification
Politics
Sexual Roles and Scatology
Occupations
Religion and Belief Systems

36. What subjects do the two fish shapes on this car speak to?

37. Jokes Reveal Current Areas of Social Discomfort
OLD TABOOS
Vulgarities
Swear Words
Body Parts
Sex
Religion
Obscenities
NEW TABOOS
Lack of Patriotism
GLBTQ Issues
Disabilities
Ethnicities
Old People

38. Hot Potato Humor—Based on Metaphors

39. Canadians joke that this maple leaf design is really Jack and Jacque arguing over English vs. French.

40. Humor Theory: The Sciences vs. The Humanities

42. Hate Speech Vs. Humor
The subject matter that people choose to joke about goes a long ways in determining whether they are using humor as a release of moderate levels of discomfort, or whether they are really engaging in “hate-speech” disguised as humor.
The important question to ask is whether the humor is used to weaken the target or strengthen the target.
M.I.C.H. (Moderate Intergroup Conflict Humor) is a humor theory that stresses moderation. Tension is necessary, but not too much.

43. Humane Humor Rules Never target the victim.
Don’t joke too soon about tragedies.
Never target a quality the target can’t change.
Target only a person’s best qualities, not their worst qualities.
Joke only about your own gender, ethnicity, religion, appearance, etc.
If you want to hurt or disempower someone, then break all of these rules. Use the following rule: “What would Trump do?”

44. In conclusion Here are two paradigm Shifts

45. Don and Alleen Nilsen Humor PowerPoints on the AATH Web Site: