Why and How We Laugh: The Psychology of Humor

By Samuel Kahn

The psychological meaning and importance of laughter is explored in this insightful volume by the eminent psychologist and author.
 
One of the great, simple pleasures of life, laughter is also one of its great mysteries. In Why and How We Laugh, psychoanalyst Dr. Samuel Kahn explores the many purposes, causes, and effects of laughter. He examines laughter as a form of communication and as an important contributor to physical and psychological health.
 
Dr. Kahn also looks at the curious nature of what makes us laugh. With clinical expertise and relatable examples, he covers the different kinds of laughter, from polite chuckles to nervous titters to convulsive belly laughs. He also uncovers what makes various kinds of jokes funny, as well as the laughter-inducing quality of certain surprising, profane, or even frightening events.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Philosophical Library Open Road
• Release date: Aug 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781504067652

Book preview

Preface

I do hope most sincerely that this book will be helpful to your health and your happiness, and perhaps make you a better person.

Laughter at the proper time may bring you closer to your friends, may help you to get well and stay well. It can lessen the suffering in your illness, it can lessen your pain, and thus help you live longer.

If laughter becomes your companion it may reduce your conflicts, your tensions, your anxieties.

The great philosopher Spinoza once said that the feeling of happiness will bring you a step closer to perfection. And what better symbol of happiness is there than laughter? No one single trait will satisfy life, and certainly a good combination of fine traits includes honesty, kindness, the desire to work and study, and by all means, the love of laughter.

As the Good Book says, In laughter, the pain of the heart is eased. (Proverbs 14:13)

Ways of Comedy

Laughter in man has been compared to dogs and cats wagging their tails. It is a form of communication. Reducing laughter to a smile is similar to reducing hypnosis to suggestion. People should smile and laugh; it is normal. Think of the person who always smiles and laughs, or one who never does. Is laughter inherited or acquired or is it some special instinct? Unrestrained laughter is not characteristic of the wise or strong. We laugh symmetrically with both sides of our face, but we sneer with only one. A grin is an exaggerated smile.

Sarcasm literally means tearing of the flesh like a dog. The cynical attitude of wit derives its name from the dog.

Sardonic is derived from the Greek, meaning show your teeth.

Laughter is pleasurable, and becomes stronger after age forty. Happy people more often laugh. Laughter relaxes and improves the digestion and body chemistry. Laughing involves the eyes, face, chest, lips, tongue, throat, lungs, diaphragm, hands, feet, and belly.

Convulsive laughter involves the whole body.

Joyful laughter occurs frequently during play. Play is an attitude, when we exercise our instincts and our emotions very superficially. Play is nature’s device for recreation and is a means of pleasure and escape.

Pain or displeasure is in strong conflict with instinct, for instincts are unconscious, motivated by negativistic hedonism. Pleasure is giving in to the instincts. Play and pleasure may also be derived from superficial achievements, from recognition, from accomplishments and from praise.

Relaxation when partially conflicted with tension and pressing duties is pleasurable. Escaping from strain, danger, insecurity and concentrated effort is also pleasurable. Relief from strain is pleasurable.

Playful dread and sometimes even danger may make us laugh. Acts involving playful shock or disappointment are associated with pleasure and laughter. We might be shocked or horrified and this may be followed by a spasm of mad laughter. Tickling certain areas in the body may create laughter because of hypersensitivity of the area or due to psychological conditioning. It may be mixed pain-pleasure feeling or it may be associated with an ambivalence of inviting or trying to get away from it, but unable to act because of the paralysis due to the mixed emotion. A humorist could hypnotize an audience and condition it to hypersensitivity with a very low threshold for laughter. The entire process of conditioning is unconscious on the part of the audience and much of it may depend on prestige, stage effect, attitude and partial hysteria, which is associated with a specialized or conditioned hypersuggestibility. The law of mass psychology ennervates people. People who are tickled and laugh spasmodically may produce the suggestion in the others present, gradually developing a contagious condition, until the entire group succumbs to spasmodic laughter. Tickling, if it becomes painful when carried out to excess or too rough may curtail laughter. We cannot enjoy tickling ourselves because there is little or no suspense, and tickling involves objectivity and only partial control.

Surprise and enjoyment on the part of others may also create laughter. Sensing mortal combat without actual suffering, and knowing that the situation is not real, could result in good laughter. Loud spasmodic laughing is contagious because emotions beget emotions. Crying begets crying or sadness or you run away. When in fun, certain attacks which might produce pain may produce laughter. Funny may stand between play and perplexity, may be unusual, stupid, sex, ignorant behavior, and sudden strange or unusual happenings.

In play, success is fun; but someone else’s failure is funnier. Those whose work is play are lucky. Sudden surprise and disappointment and showing strong reaction to such is important. Indifferent identification seldom gets laughs. Directed nonsense and impersonation of inanimate into animate objects—with proper identifications—will create laughs. Many humorists are sad people or come from very sad environments and escape from these emotions by making others laugh.

An extreme reaction, when not called for, may create laughter. A mean, negative person, suddenly punished, may create laughter. A sudden disappointment to a negative, mean person, may create laughter, in others as an outlet, a way to get even with him.

Montaigne was a humorous philosopher. He believed that religion is related to fixations or obsessions. Humor is related to flexibility and it takes evaluations lightly. It is an act of aggressive resignation. Comedy doesn’t necessarily mean a humorous drama. Children may laugh at nothing or anything especially when looking at each other, but adults require some better values. Laughing at times is a defense mechanism and it could be a farce.

Freud said, "I sat next to Solomon Rothschild who treated me just as if I were an equal, quite famillionaire."

A professor who taught in the University of Gottingen wishing to enroll a student met Warren in his class and asked his age. Thirty was the reply. Aha said the professor, so I have the honor of seeing the thirty years war.

But humor, when repeated, loses some of its appeal, while it can stand constant repetition. Positive humor is much more effective than negative humor.

Certain types of humor are only good for certain nationalities or areas, or sects,