The Psychology of Humor: Why Are Things Funny?

[@HardToBeAPoopGod]

I know this is entirely anecdotal, but when i was deathly sick in bed, my dad would read one of my favorite picture books with me, except he read everything as its opposite, and i absolutely _lost it,_ then immediately felt better after that, almost fully healthy 😄 just a nice memory and reminder how laughter can really be medicine sometimes

[@stephenlamley541]

I had a stroke and the first thing my dad said to a nurse was it's the first stroke he's had in a while i laughed gallows humour. You have to laugh.

[@tomsenior7405]

@@stephenlamley541 I bloody-love gallows humour. I find it helps a heck of a lot. Most people feel offended. Thanks for your story. Lovely stuff.

[@brianmcguire5175]

Your dad was clearly an extremely funny person. The creativity it took to read the situation and then to decide to play with the familiar stories you knew so well and play opposites in significant details of that story is genius. He clearly had a gift for humour. The idea alone to do this is method only but to think to do this when you were in a sensitive moment and to predict an uplifting result is a clear showcase of your father illustrating a comedic mind and sensibility. Inspired and your story is inspiring also. Thanks for sharing

[@kwalksinfaith]

The Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the beginning,God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them.He made mankind in His image and gave them dominion over the earth.The first man and woman to be made were Adam and Eve and they were made perfectly.They lived in the Garden Of Eden and they were commanded by God to eat anything from the trees in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately,Adam and Eve ate from the tree due to temptation from the devil.That act brought sin, suffering and death into the world.People had to atone (or pay) for their sins using animal sacrifices and live by this set of rules given to them by a man named Moses to stayed righteous and what they had to do to escape second death(which is what we get or deserve because we sin). There once was a man called Abraham who was and special because he just had believed in God and he was counted as righteous.(Genesis 15:6).This made him escape death.God told Abraham that through His descendants all nations on earth will be blessed(Genesis 22:18).This blessing was through a man named Jesus Christ.He is God's only begotten Son and was sent by God the Father to become a human whilst being a 100% man,live a life without sin and die for everyone's sins,which he did.Now we bo longer have to work to receive salvation and escape the second death.How to receive salvation. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-29 “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God stays on him.” - John 3:36 Call upon the name of Jesus “And it shall come to pass, that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Acts 2:21 “…Now is the day of salvation.” - 2 Corinthians 6:2 Confess Jesus as your Savior “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” - Romans 10:9-10 Change your mind about sin. “So get rid of all immoral behavior and all the wicked things you do. Humbly accept the word that God has placed in you. This word can save you.” - James 1:21 Prayer Guide If you want to invite Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, receive God’s forgiveness and sincerely wish to turn from your wicked ways,talk to Him sincerely since He still knows everything. You can use these points to talk to Him. Thank You Lord,for dying on the cross to take away my sins. I am sorry for the wrong things I have done. Please forgive me. I receive You into my life right now to be my Savior and Lord. Please change my life and make it new and help me Lord to live for you. Amen. Things that you have to know as a Christian: .Being a Christian isn't easy.There will be trials,temptations,doubt and there might be times where we might be ashamed of being a follower of Christ.1 Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it".There will be times were you might feel lost or anxious. .God the Father,God the Son(or Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit are three different persons with different roles but they are the same God,not gods(the Triune God,tri meaning three,une meaning in unity).It's hard to form a ln example to explain this better without forming a heresy or lie. .Jesus Christ,whilst He was on earth was a 100% man and a 100% God.He didn't consider being equal to god as anything but He made Himself nothing and made Himself like a servant,being made in human likeness(Philippians 2:6-7). .When you become a Christian/are saved,you receive the Holy Spirit.He will help you in your walk with Christ,remind us of what Jesus said and will teach us all sorts of things. .There might be times that we sin.Even though we die to sin and the flesh as we get baptized and/or repent,there might be times that we slip up but we have to turn to God and ask for His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. As Christians,we must strive to be righteous and holy, or set apart from others,and ask God for His grace(something we get from God but don't deserve) and mercy(kindness thay we don't deserve). 1 Peter 1:15-16 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;for it written:"Be holy, because I am holy. Hebrews 12:14 [14]Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 [7]For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life

[@TheDevian]

As any comedian can tell you, it is more than the joke itself, the timing, delivery, and other elements can help make something funny (or not). Not to mention, how many times you hear it. ;)

[@ofdrumsandchords]

Yes, you have to tell the joke like it requires to be told, with the correct elements in the correct order to trig the laugh when you deliver the final line. I'm no comedian, I'm a joke addict, and I often adapt the joke to my taste. First, you have to love the joke, I always enjoy telling a few of them, mostly absurd, but you have to control the story telling. I don't know anything more irritating than a guy laughing so much while telling a joke that you can't understand what he is saying. And you are often disappointed by the fall. But the quality of the joke is essential. some are pure genius, how did people created it ?

[@Petticca]

Heh, I'm "that guy" who can't stop laughing while telling the funniest joke in the world. It is a joke I would categorize as being firmly in the absurd. Although, I can get through it with clarity, I just have never not found the upcoming punchline hilarious, so I _will_ start laughing as I get to it. I will also grin and let out a little chuckle if I am alone and I happen to think about the joke, so while the social retelling causes me to laugh more, the joke itself is apparently just inherently hilarious, to me, and has been for the past... er, 25 years. (Damn) Many people do seem to be genuinely confused by the punchline, and I _think_ it's because it requires that you immediately recognize a human psychological defense mechanism to being teased/ picked on is the impetus for the punchline, and it is an absurd line in the context of the joke, but a very expected line outside of that context. I think the absurdity of it is problematic for some people. Ok. An elephant and a mouse are talking one day, when the elephant suddenly stops, looks down at the mouse, and in a big, booming voice asks "Why am I so big, and strong, while you're so small, and weak?" Feeling hurt, the mouse looks up and falteringly responds "Well...I have been a bit ill recently."

[@MimiZ914]

Truly funny people are hard to come by. Anyone can laugh and react to something funny, but the real talent comes from generating something funny to laugh at. It's about content, timing and being spontaneous. I've had many people tell me that I am a truly funny person. My humor comes from decades of pain, a crappy childhood and observing the insanity of this world and people. None of us are getting out of here alive folks, find the humor in the situation.

[@goodmicrophone1254]

I’m pretty sure that laughter and humour can also be used as a coping mechanism for trauma. That’s why a lot of first responders laugh at or make messed up jokes. I could be wrong though.

[@scarba]

As a British person I resent the seriousness of the approach to this subject

[@agustinfranco0]

hey Dave, could you do a series on Statistics? from probabilities to ANOVA and all that, id love it

[@SNDN_LN]

Pretty sure he has a statistics playlist but let me check. He does not, good call.

[@ozymandiasultor9480]

When I was studying at university the professor who was teaching aesthetics had to say something about humor in general, what is humor, some main and most important parts of art where humor is present, and he explained humor, or what is funny with that theory of incongruity, we expect something, but something else is happening... He was an old professor, and I doubt that he was really interested in new things, theories, so he explained humor with that old theory, and almost immediately all thought of many examples when we expect something, but something else is happening, examples that are not gunny, in fact, some may be really sad. About that theory that we laugh when there is danger and as a relief, I remember that I was reading that after an earthquake which happened in my city in the 60s, when more than a thousand people died, many people who were escaping from building were laughing. Psychology calls that a "paradoxical reaction" but that explanation in this video and Freud's "release of nervous energy" reminded me of that. We have an expression in my native language for which I don't think that there is an English word, but it is the same as the German "schadenfreude", pleasure derived from someone's misfortune, and that is considered the lowest type of humor, humor of bullies in certain sense.

[@ofdrumsandchords]

There is a good example in Jean-Jacques Annaud's movie, Quest for fire. One of the guys drops a stone on his buddy's head, who pisses blood, and they are dead laughing. When I taught drums, I often told jokes, and the smartest kids laughed at absurd jokes, when the others didn't find them funny. I told jokes in rehearsals and was often rewarded by a big silence... I had to explain. Then they told the joke to their parents, who burst out laughing, and sent me e-mails to say the joke of the day was excellent ! Next rehearsal, the kids stubbornly refused to play until I told them a joke. And so on...

[@thibautklinger5178]

Getting the concept of explaining the Joke to a while New Level Dave

[@Suitswonderland]

My laughter is a response too negative emotions now, mania and laughter, feels like I have gone insane.

[@stephenlamley541]

I've laughed so much it hurts. I couldn't stop i don't know what it was now it was a long time ago. It would have been at someone's expense its the funniest.

[@melm4251]

"the queen of england" had me giggle, guess dave had this vid in the pocket for a month or two before release lol

[@YoungGandalf2325]

"Does anyone have a rubber band?" 😂 This one gets me every time!

[@EchoLog]

I know what he's talking about here but it's such an out of left field and not followed through example that it's hard for me to say if I even use laughter that way. Like, i laugh when things are funny or make me feel good, not when I'm just asking for something. Laughing when i didn't find something funny always felt gross like smiling with my teeth showing when I'm not actually ecstatic. Asperger's, aquarius, too much asparagus, whatever it is that makes me this way, it makes 90% of people seem manipulative and fake until I learn their body language "accent" and laughter style etc etc. (And then a lot of them turn out to actually just be fake anyway) Idk.

[@capitalb5889]

It could be an excellent joke in the right context

[@GetMoGaming]

I sometimes wake my family because I'm watching funny stuff on my own at like 1 AM. I laugh quite loud, and sometimes it's literally unstoppable by me.

[@ominous-omnipresent-they]

Being alone never hindered me from laughing.

[@ShyamkrishnanNair]

Wow! The science behind laughter is fascinating, and it’s clear that humor plays a big role in our social lives. I remember realizing just how often we laugh without any real jokes-like when a simple comment sparks giggles. It’s a reminder that humor can emerge from everyday moments, not just punchlines. The Sense of Humor Improvement Program by Habit10x really opened my eyes to how much we can enhance our humor skills. Keep embracing those funny moments-after all, laughter brings us closer and makes life a lot more enjoyable!

[@DodirAnelaIntuitivnoOtvaranje]

Life is not explanation. Also laughter and love..not meant for explaining

[@colinmccarthy7921]

I have studied Psychology and Philosophy, What makes us Laugh?Why is it Funny? I would say the Mind,and the Body re-acts in many different Ways to Situations. There is a saying:-,It is not what you say or do,It is how you say it, and do it.Stimulus plays an Important Part in this Process.There again is the Stimulus within yourself,or the Exterior. There has been Scientific Research carried out in this Field.

[@triple_gem_shining]

Great video. Closest we can come to divinity in this life is through comedy.

[@ViolenceReality]

The answer also is Psychological shortcuts too, having something seemingly average reintroduced in toggled ways helps learn and Associates the learned activity with joy. Also it Releases the psychological positive energy audibly spreading it through the consciousness of others therefore getting the job done more quickly than addressing it literally. TL;DR: Laughter is the easiest biological way to release stress in the most social species to exist, us.

[@finnishculturalchannel]

While sigh of relief is a response to something expected threatening not happening, at least not to the expected mount, laughter occurs when there's such a change in definition, which makes something feel less or nonthreatening altogether, at least for a while. So the question is what changes in definitions make things seem less or nonthreatening at least for a while, which definitions and how. E.g. in a movie theater one reason why people laugh is that they realize that the strangers around them aren't actually dangerous, at least at that moment and for awhile. The movie theater becomes a secure place by definition. The person who otherwise fears the people around the most will laugh the loudest when that change in definition takes place.

[@passionoflovers]

Whenever someone doesn't get the joke, and you're like: 0:00

[@NoVideoVideos]

Every time I see a new video I get so nervous it’s gonna be “James Tour has backed out”

[@uhmok7977]

I feel like "does anyone have a rubber band" was somehow funnier than the supposed funniest joke 💀💀💀💀

[@captainlengthwidth6692]

It was!

[@taweehill]

What does do someone have a rubber band mean?

[@cuddlecakes7153]

6:27 "These comments are obviously not funny." Me who laughed at the random ass "anyone have a rubber band?": 😮

[@Bondrewd_The_Based]

I wish we fully understood the intricacies of what makes something funny. My sense of humor is so ridiculously broken that I can't describe what sets it off. Have you seen that meme with Darwin (from The Amazon World Of Gumball) dancing in low resolution to a low quality version of Cloud 9 (Itro and Tobu) beneath a caption that only says "C"? That's it. That's my humor. I've shown it to numerous people and the majority thought it was the dumbest shit they'd ever seen and didnt get it while it consistently makes me laugh so hard that I start crying and can't breathe. WHY IS IT FUNNY?

[@maximebajer6354]

Hey, nice vid. I like the fact that you made your research in various domains (social psychology, neuroscience, psychoanalysis and philosophy etc)

[@GetMoGaming]

David, You're the only person I request stuff from.>>>> MUSIC!! Why do we like music, and why does it affect us so? I think music is life changing. As a fellow artist, you probably feel the same.🎹🎶🎼🎵

[@martinhernandez6579]

I think it would be interesting if Prof Dave did a standup routine for one of his videos. In fact I want it. I would be curious how it affects his speech patterns.

[@ReiverBlue1971]

Umm, I suspect that the people who responded we're mainly American.. as I don't really see how gunshots can be considered funny even in a joke. I'm not complaining that the joke is offensive or whatever... just not particularly funny as an autistic Brit. This study (and the rest of the research) would need to be done over again if they asked someone on the spectrum ;D Our sense of humour is VERY different :P As our ability to translate social cues, expressions and facial signals is not as effective then we don't need to understand an NT (Neurotypical) joke BUT that doesn't mean we don't have a sense of humour. The differences, as far as I'm aware, haven't been significantly researched (mind you, there's no where NEAR enough research done into ASD in the first place) but it would probably help in understanding humour overall

[@unbaised]

Nice video keep it up!!! We also want next part of philosophy series..... Love from India ❣️❣️

[@BruderSenf]

the funniest thing i ever saw was when i was 14 and my parents and i went to church cuz my moms niece celebrated her communion, which was nice family and friends together but the thing that was bad was that the priest talked like pilatus from the life of brian, the whole churche was dieing, everyone tried to suppress their laughter and we all know how good that works xD....little mean for the priest but he took it like a chad and at the end of his sermon he said "weleas bwian"💀💀💀

[@consciousmindgame5047]

Speaking of humor, flat earthers are funny as hell.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

because things are nameless which is why they are called things so it's ok to poke fun at them, no one specifically gets hurt.

[@Posh_Boy]

Jokes aren't allowed nowadays

[@Pancakegr8]

Thanks for answering the question I kept forgetting to Google.

[@kaziem]

True humor is a Professor Dave React video.

[@MisterItchy]

I think the funniest real-life situation is when two people are talking and neither of them know what the other is saying but they both think they do.

[@sandrozernicki]

Thank you bro for your channel, thanks you for been alive, and giving us depression with such high quality Science content, that make us understand the universe hahaha. Bro...for real, thanks, I study every day organic Chemistry, and physics from here.

[@theaviator1152]

Great video as always

[@thomasbellerive7382]

Once again, great video

[@mehrshadgafarzadeh2944]

and also has importent rules in social contact

[@thebadasswolves1374]

Can you next do "search for identity" by Erik Erikson...I think it will be interesting and relevant topic to discuss...

[@fatboyoficiale]

“Does anyone have a rubber band” is pretty funny

[@Lord_Engine]

Apparently dogs laugh too. I read somewhere about a study where they would play a so-called "laughing pant" in animal shelters and it would make the other dogs relax.

[@umamarajput456]

Plz make videos on attitude on psychology

[@manishachatterjee9563]

Can we get 6 packs if we laugh a lot?😂

[@cyrus6379]

Dammit, that world’s funniest joke is actually quite funny

[@BURN-ADDiCT]

"In extreme circumstances when you are laughing a lot, your tear ducts are also activate"..... then maybe I'm perpetually in extreme circumstances

[@ezryder111]

South Park has an episode about "the funniest joke ever" and it doesn't involve hunting 😅

[@glennpearson9348]

Well, he's finally done it. This is the first segment Professor Dave has produced which has content that is completely laughable. ;-)

[@666Crenado]

It's hard to be Angry and Laugh, but achievable

[@vn4228]

Nice video. Can we have some aviation/aerospace engineering related videos please?

[@dr.nebulanovae8398]

Finally I can know why I laugh at things like "monke :)".

[@dbuc4671]

Our mind doesn’t know how to react to a violation of societal accepted norms, so it uses laughter as a way to cope with not knowing what to do.

[@uncleanunicorn4571]

Peter Griffin of Family Guy and three friends are in an Alleyway, and Peter has a baseball bat. Peter explains," humor is all about timing and Misfortune", then he hits Cleveland in the kneecap with a baseball bat, Cleveland collapses moaning. And Peter says, "now we wait."

[@excalibur2772]

That first joke was actually quite funny

[@w.randyhoffman1204]

"...but when The Three Stooges do it, we know that it's just cartoon violence and no one was harmed." Unfortunately, the Stooges often injured themselves while filming their gags, sometimes seriously. And don't even get me started on Jackie Chan.

[@ofdrumsandchords]

Try Max Linder. Eddie Murphy crosses a freeway in a movie, I guess they took a few precautions. Clint Eastwood seriously warned Eli Wallach when shooting in Spain : "Don't do the stunts yourself, these guys don't know anything about safety !" What is absolutely unbelievable is a firearm coming with real bullets on a film set.

[@KayFlowidity]

00:25 🤣🤣🤣 2:20 Physiology

[@ravenwarjoy]

>dave put the desire emoji under the poop and the disgust emoji under the eggplant and peach is there something you're trying to say?

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

He was making you LAUGH due to the incongruity of it. You were "expecting" the reverse.

[@priyanshsuthar519]

Well I laughed for full 11:25 minutes during this entire videos.

[@ofdrumsandchords]

The "funniest" joke is far from being one of my favorites, but it's not bad. I'm a joke addict, I write the jokes I find good in a notebook, and I try to create some. Tough task. Yes, the key is to end the joke with something totally unexpected, whether you like jokes for maga trumpers or physicists. So far, I didn't find a technique to build a joke. A lost ship, a talking penguin...

[@Silverware22]

Does anyone have any theories on why the "callback" technique is so funny? Basically, this technique is where you make a joke, forget about it, and then incorporate the joke into a future punchline, making it twice as funny. Basically just inside jokes. Obviously, this is partly funny becuse you don't see it coming. However, this factor solely relies on the fact that youve heard this joke before in a different context. If that hadnt jappened, nobody would know what u were talking about in the recall.

[@flubble2473]

Oh boi do I get humorous when I'm stressed out haha ! I was about to ask why extreme dark jokes are funny even when we ourselves find them not funny but very much so at the same time buuut I guess it's like slapstick and tension releasing ones so nvm

[@erikheymann9390]

I absolutely love my Mexican in-laws but they don't get my jokes and I don't get theirs. Age is a factor as well as culture, I believe. That funniest joke was funny to me when I was a teenager (yes, it's at least that old) but at age 60 I don't find it very clever. I don't think it's even the funniest hunting joke.

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

It was funny because I recognized it in about 3 seconds. I'm older. I still think its funny.

[@mikotagayuna8494]

It feels great to laugh at pseudoscience peddlers. Not only does it make us feel superior, it also feels like we are fulfilling a moral obligation.

[@mindfulatheist]

nooooo, why did you shave your hairr, you looked so great mannn

[@Dananlol]

Time to send this to someone unfunny

[@clemensbock7434]

I know just the right person. Thank you for suggesting it!

[@ashleelarsen7765]

I resent this-

[@divine6104]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ6vYqaEo6p-jsU

[@sworthyboy]

No need. I found my way on here myself.

[@Nammm890]

Even the algorithm thinks I'm lame

[@PotatoChips-jy9pk]

​I laughed before clicking this video

[@kopkalol123]

Could laughter, in theory, be used to argue in favour of evolution? Sorry if the question is dumb

[@urielpolak9949]

Why are things funny? “ we actually don’t know”. Now that is funny

[@taylorlibby7642]

Fifteen people have sent me this so far and it's only been out for five minutes. ; )

[@donchristie420]

SeeDanan’s post😂

[@taylorlibby7642]

@@donchristie420😉🤣

[@crowningglory6654]

Why?

[@lorenfulghum2393]

just one thing- the epiglottis is not made of hardwood.

[@TheElectricCheeseProductions22]

Well if it's of any insight, I laughed when you gave the examples of the failing grade and the frying pan and part of it, I think is that you did not present the statements as if they were meant to be humorous If there's anything I've noticed between the things I find funny, it's that there's always a perceived absurd element to it

[@SN-]

And some Lough in dipression 😂😂

[@WokeandProud]

Humor is like food not everyone gets it.

[@PotatoChips-jy9pk]

I feel alive

[@tomsenior7405]

I've heard this one before.

[@SN-]

Some time we Lough at tha things we see different then usual

[@PotatoChips-jy9pk]

everything is funny on stimulants

[@aku7598]

word that can be used both literally and figuratively. used to emphasize the truth and accuracy of a statement or description.. Taking figuratively word as literal, create a joke.

[@roufium9710]

what is the difference between light and hard ? You can sleep with a light on !

[@bridgeofsighs5081]

The other day I saw a guy with beard stubble wearing a dress screaming "It's MA'AM" and I still can't stop laughing.

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

7:18 This one, I can't find funny, since I have heard multiple ridiculous stories about cops arresting very small children, including those with special needs, leading to traumatic events. The negative association here precludes any possibilities of this scenario being funny to me. If the knowledge of what happens in real life was absent, the word-play is still not guaranteed a laugh.

[@dnestrad6293]

Shout out to all the science nerds who wants to be the funniest in their peer group! This video won’t make you funnier…. I tried lmao

[@-JA-]

👏👍

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

Why is Sadhguru's name so funny? 😂😂😂😂

[@xero4479]

Neuron activation

[@thureintun1687]

cuz culture

[@johnclavis]

I knew it

[@theconsciousobserver6829]

I burst out laughing.

[@lukbrrr]

ooh ooh ah ah laugh

[@stephenlamley541]

I have gallows humour. It's the best. Not everyone gets it. That was a shit joke.

[@truedivyansh]

This video is a joke don't take it seriously...🙃

[@Tsumami__]

But why are farts funny. Tell me why Dave lol

[@prschuster]

People with a dull sense of humor are more likely to be angry or depressed. I seriously try to avoid these people and associate with funny people.

[@CareerDropout.]

It is what it is. . . That's the joke

[@hasbullaboren7720]

Why did my friend send me this?

[@capitalb5889]

My dog's got no nose...

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

Did you get it from the planet Barcelona (not the city here on Earth)?

[@johnclaset144]

I only didn't laugh because I heard the joke before :'( I wish it was funny again. Oh well, time to watch a youtube poop and laugh my fucking ass off until I piss myself.

[@PotatoChips-jy9pk]

lol it's funny

[@Roman-pd5kn]

Cool video as always! I might stop eating rats though :/