What Makes Something Funny?

[ImaginaryDay]

Analyzing humor to its raw elements, I still think we find that it's all some form of "wrongness" being portrayed as something other than wrong, and that humor is inherently a coping mechanism.

This is what I was alluding to with the 'Pink Panther' reference - some of the dry humor that others either don't prefer, or don't quite get. Here's a clip from a film that I enjoy (Dr. Strangelove) where the President is trying the explain to a drunk Russian President that the USSR (old, I know) is about to have the hydrogen bomb dropped. Serious as you-know-what, but I love how it unfolds. The whole scenario just falls apart.

 

[WretchedGoat]

This is what I was alluding to with the 'Pink Panther' reference - some of the dry humor that others either don't prefer, or don't quite get. Here's a clip from a film that I enjoy (Dr. Strangelove) where the President is trying the explain to a drunk Russian President that the USSR (old, I know) is about to have the hydrogen bomb dropped. Serious as you-know-what, but I love how it unfolds. The whole scenario just falls apart.

Out of curiosity, and only if you feel like it, can you explain why that is funny? I'm serious when I say I don't have a sense of humor, so I'm just ignorant about what in that clip is supposed to be funny. Funny how? Irony? Situational? Satire?

I mean, the last "joke" I giggled at was "Why don't oysters donate to charity? Because they're shellfish." Yeah, that was funny to me, but I don't "get" Dr. Strangelove.

 

[ImaginaryDay]

I guess because it is dry humor. There's this serious event going on - Russia is about to be bombed, and the President has to deal with the Russian President, who is drunk, and try to explain the situation. In the middle of all of it, the Russian President is all offended that it's not some "friendly call" and thinks our President doesn't like talking to him. It all ends with a conversation about who is more sorry about the event. Irl, it would never happen that way, but they make it seem so real, as if it was happening that way. Everyone is so serious about it, too. To me, that makes great comedy, and great acting. I don't see that quality of acting in comedies now. People like Adam Sandler and Tina Fey nauseate me, because they are so far below that type of talent.

 

[ValleyGal]

Here's a thought. I can't post the youtube link here because of language, but if you are not bothered by language, check out the narrated honey badger. I laughed and laughed all the way through it. Big, deep belly laugh. I don't care about the language and in fact the use of the language is what made it funny for me. But then it's funny with a honey badger....not so much if you replace honey badger with your spouse....

 

[akmom]

I'm a fan of good satire too. It takes a known theme or current event and exaggerates the "wrongness" of it, but unlike run-of-the-mill sarcasm, really pretends to be the real thing. It often works on several levels too. I think we'd have to summon a specific example to really analyze it (preferably in text).

Babies laugh at peek-a-boo because it's a game about something sad: Mommy being gone. In a sociology class I took in college, there was a chapter on child development and we learned that young babies actually do not realize that things exist when they are not presently visible. When they start to understand "Mommy" as a positive presence, and then they do not see her, they believe she is just gone. Peek-a-boo is supposed to be a great game for teaching them about object permanence (I *think* that's the term). That's why when you first start playing it, sometimes babies will cry. It's when they realize you're playing a game where Mommy being gone is actually fun and okay (though it is alluding to her absence, possibly loneliness), and that's when they start to laugh. It's the most basic joke, and one that adults (who take object permanence for granted) wouldn't even "get." They just know it makes the baby laugh. A similar example is tossing baby up in the air. It's about danger. Do it too early and babies will cry. You are putting them up high where the risk of falling becomes greater, and you're pretending it's okay and not scary, and when they "get" that, they laugh!

 

[Dave-W]

I am a fan of puns and other plays on words and word sounds.

But others find this kind of humor punishing.

 

[Thunder Peel]

It depends on the person. I love more cerebral, sarcastic and esoteric comedy, hence my love for shows like Seinfeld, Futurama and Red Dwarf. I also love randomness and satire like The Young Ones and Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. I still think The Marx Brothers are funnier than most comedies released today and I miss the days of comedy films like UHF, The Naked Gun, Spaceballs and Wayne's World.

Overly dirty and obnoxious behavior gets old fast, which is why shows like Family Guy don't hold my attention for long.

I do appreciate a good parody too:

 

[Gwen-is-new!]

Well as time has gone on I've looked at, read, watched things from my past that I found funny and no longer find them funny. I sometimes even find it stupid or wonder why I thought it was funny. One recent example of that is the old show Full House. After the new version came out I watched some of it and felt it was overly cheesy and stupid. I didn't get what was funny.

I think Hollywood tries to tell us what is supposed to be funny?!

"Full House" - well, the new one, "Fuller House", objectifies woman (tight butt), has a drug reference (acid trip), 2 hits on Donald Trump (political hit), idiot teenagers (2 college sons acting stoned), and 1 bad lang (if you don't like the word damn) -- all this takes place in the 1st 6 mins of episode one and I didn't laugh, but cried.

 

[Gwen-is-new!]

I think it's interesting that you said as you get older, you find things less funny. I said to my husband just the other day that as I'm aging, either the world is becoming more vapid, or I'm becoming more humorless. Some of the things people find hilarious on the internet I just... don't get.

People are always trying to show my husbands "funny" videos posted on Facebook and he absolutely can't stand it! He already hates social media and these videos makes him dislike it even more! He does have a great sense of humor - it was one of the reason I feel in love with him.. but that was 25 yrs ago

 

[Thunder Peel]

I think Hollywood tries to tell us what is supposed to be funny?!

"Full House" - well, the new one, "Fuller House", objectifies woman (tight butt), has a drug reference (acid trip), 2 hits on Donald Trump (political hit), idiot teenagers (2 college sons acting stoned), and 1 bad lang (if you don't like the word damn) -- all this takes place in the 1st 6 mins of episode one and I didn't laugh, but cried.

That's one reason why bringing back shows like Full House and The Muppets doesn't work in this day and age. Everything is politicized and sexualized to the point where great sitcoms would never work. Trying to bring them back while retaining that innocence isn't what most people want, sadly.

Thank goodness Home Improvement hasn't been tarnished yet. Tim Allen still has enough class and good sense not to ruin a good thing (and Last Man Standing is actually pretty enjoyable too!).

 

[Hetta]

....and I don't know about that. As I get older, I do seem to find less things funny.....but I'd never really given thought to what actually makes things funny.

Any ideas?

I have a pretty irreverent sense of humor, and it truly has not changed. I don't really like crude. I went to see There's Something About Mary in the movie theaters a million years ago, and thought it the unfunniest movie I ever saw. I don't like Ben Stiller, or any of those people. Adam Sandler ... shudder of revulsion. I was brought up on the Marx Brothers, someone else mentioned them, and these to me are some of the funniest movies I ever saw. I love the one liners, play on words, sarcasm, dry humor. The Marx Brothers typify most of this. Groucho was like that in real life - always a quip ready. I'm trying to think what I watch that is funny, but other than the Big Bang Theory - which I only came across two seasons ago because people here recommended it - I don't really choose much comedy, because I assume it won't be very funny to me. I wouldn't go and watch a comedy movie for any money.

Oh one that made me laugh today, was Bette Midler's response to yet another nude photo posted by Kim Kardashian of herself. She said that to show us something we haven't seen of her body before, she'd have to swallow a camera. I cracked up laughing out loud, and had to wait a while to get over it before I could tell my husband what had so amused me.

 

[Gwen-is-new!]

I'll confess to ignoring the gross and seeing sweetness in the Steve Carell movies, "Dan in Real Life", and "The 40 yr old Virgin".

 

[mkgal1]

Oh one that made me laugh today, was Bette Midler's response to yet another nude photo posted by Kim Kardashian of herself. She said that to show us something we haven't seen of her body before, she'd have to swallow a camera. I cracked up laughing out loud, and had to wait a while to get over it before I could tell my husband what had so amused me.

..... that's the sort of thing that makes me laugh the most---things that are TRUE and put in such a succinct and clever way (maybe that demonstrate the absurdity of some things?).

 

[Murby]

Oh one that made me laugh today, was Bette Midler's response to yet another nude photo posted by Kim Kardashian of herself. She said that to show us something we haven't seen of her body before, she'd have to swallow a camera. I cracked up laughing out loud, and had to wait a while to get over it before I could tell my husband what had so amused me.

My wife mocks me because I didn't know who Kim Kardashian was a few months ago...
And now I wish I could purge that knowledge from my memory.

 

[mkgal1]

Yes, Murby........in that case, ignorance probably *was* bliss.

 

[ImaginaryDay]

My wife mocks me because I didn't know who Kim Kardashian was a few months ago...
And now I wish I could purge that knowledge from my memory.

PREACH! (sorry...)

 

[Dave-W]

My wife mocks me because I didn't know who Kim Kardashian was a few months ago...
And now I wish I could purge that knowledge from my memory.

Don't we all!

 

[heliumskylark]

This is only loosely related, but I was just reading today about this neurological condition...
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/201...e-people-who-cant-stop-making-puns?ocid=fbfut
Sounds like acute problem to have

 

[Dave-W]

Sounds like acute problem to have

Very cute!

 

[mkgal1]

This is only loosely related, but I was just reading today about this neurological condition...
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/201...e-people-who-cant-stop-making-puns?ocid=fbfut
Sounds like acute problem to have

Punny