This is a painting of Charlie Chaplin, a man who was able to make many people laugh. Some would perhaps say that he was a "funny" man; he had a great sense of humour.
But, what makes someone funny, and what is humour.....in short, what makes us laugh?
As far as I can ascertain, it very much depends on the person and on the situation.
Some suggestions of different types of humour:
Slapstick = a kind of comedy based on practical jokes, things and people bumping into each other, fumbling's and other displays of clumsiness, often accompanied with a "cringe" factor (feelings of embarrassment).
Sarcasm = a kind of comedy often dark, biting and "having a laugh at someone else's expense", commonly often founded on a play on words.
Parody = mimicking something, someone for comic effect
There are many more types of humour, but as to not get bogged down, I will stay with these three.
People walking in to glass doors, slipping on wet floors, birds dropping a "load" on an unsuspecting person, etc.etc., aka "slapstick humour", can be very funny, well, as long as it is not us it is happening to. Watching others fumble, stumble and embarrass themselves, we feel better about ourselves, after all, most of us have probably experienced similar experiences.
Sarcasm, some say is the lowest form of wit. (In my view, sarcasm is often a "masked" insult.)
What is sarcasm? When we use words that mean the opposite of what we really want to say:
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception." - Groucho Marx"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde
"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop
"I love that you are so punctual, you're only an hour late".
"Me? Sarcastic? What, can't you take a joke?"
Why do we find sarcasm funny? (If we do) According to some we find it funny because there is often a mix of "smartness" and truthfulness in sarcastic comments. Once again, it is often easier to find sarcastic comments "funny" if they are not directed at us. Says a friend to a friend who lives in a messy environment: "How do you keep your place so tidy?" Response: "With a lot of grit and determination." Light-hearted banter of the sarcastic kind between friends can be enjoyable, and occasionally down-right funny, as long as there is a mutual understanding of where to draw the line between play on words and insults.
Saying something mean-spirited to someone on the other hand, and then throwing out: "can't you take a joke?" when the other person becomes visibly upset by the comment, in my view, is a cowardly act. (A turd is still a turd even if it is gift wrapped...)
Most of us at some time or another have probably imitated someone or something, not to belittle, rather, exaggerating certain aspects for comic effect. Robin Williams, the comedian, now no longer with us, was (in my view) a master at mimicking and exaggerating different aspects of people and situations with hilarious results. (Mrs Doubtfire, Mork from Ork, Patch Adams, Flubber, a priest in Licence to Wed, etc.etc.) By exaggerating certain aspects of our expectations of how a Scottish babysitter should behave, or what an alien from another planet would be like, or how a doctor, or scientist, or priest should behave, we are offered a way of finding something comical in something previously un-comical. Parody, is basically "taking the mickey" out of something, but usually not in a mean-spirited way, rather, in my view, parody is about finding a humorous angle in something rather un-humorous.
"Laughter is the best medicine" so someone has said. Now, is that true and if so, why?
According to Helpguide.org: "Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain".
Okay, so laughter is good for our well-being, but what makes us laugh?
Lots of different things, but as far as I can ascertain, it very much varies from person to person.
According to some, what makes something funny has to do with surprise and incongruence. Incongruence, as in: the juxtaposition of elements that conflict or contrast with each other; the simple and the complex, the rational and the absurd, the expected and the un-expected, etc..
Why do so many of us find cats (or other animals) doing un-expected things funny?
I watched a cat video with a cat "talking" in the most hilarious way only to discover that here at the complex where I live, there is a small black and white cat who does the same thing! One night, I heard the cat "talking" on the back veranda, so I walked out on the veranda while imitating the "talking". The cat froze dead in its movements and just stared at me with her bright yellow eyes.
After ten seconds or so, she took off into the bush. I called out to her: "Was it something I said?", but she was long gone.
Humour, and what we find "funny" being such a complex issue, I surfed the net for something that may be helpful (and save me from a lot of writing...hehehe) . I found this on Quora and contributed by an anonymous writer:
"Lucky is the man who can laugh at himself for he shall never cease to be amused."
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