Humour and laughter are universal across human cultures, and seemingly have been for thousands of years. While it’s not so clear that animals have a sense of humour, many species at least demonstrate a sense of play (Also, rats laugh when they’re tickled).
So has the universality of humour amongst humans come about through natural selection? If so what evolutionary advantage does humour provide? Is the variety and complexity of humour so conveniently explained by simple evolutionary advantage?
In this session, Ben Hawkes and Les Walton will touch on the psychology, biology and philosophy of humour and laughter, and might even throw in a couple of jokes.
(*Ben, a psychologist, and Les, a radio producer, know a little thing about humour, having written and performed with The Missing, Inc. comedy group, including an almost entirely fictitious account of the life of Charles Darwin, The Beagle Has Landed, performed at Shrewsbury’s very own Darwin Festival and various science and comedy festivals around the country.)
10. Play and laughter in animals
• Chimps
• Bonobos
• Orangutans
• Gorillas
• Dogs
• Rats
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11. Back to the theories…
• Demonstrating superiority and elevating social status
– Raising our own status
– Lowering the status of others
– Enhancing camaraderie and affiliation
• Brain practice
• Repression of sexual or aggressive feelings
• False alarm model: laughter as a signal
• Development from grooming
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12. From fleas to tee-hees
Stages in the evolution of humour?
13. 1. Parasites bad. Grooming good.
2. Grooming relatives and mates is good too.
3. But I only groom the ones that matter to me.
4. The important thing about grooming is not
the grooming.
5. Don’t need grooming when you ain’t got fur.
But let’s keep all the other stuff.
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14. Laughter is the best* medicine.
*It isn’t. Antibiotics are much better.
21. What’s your sense of humour?
• Affiliative
• Self-enhancing
• Aggressive
• Self-defeating
Find out at
http://personality-testing.info/tests/HSQ.php
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23. Ha ha, bonk: Is funny sexy?
• Women are more attracted to humorous men.
• Men are uninfluenced by women’s ‘humour production’.
• Unattractive people are perceived as using humour more.
• Men’s humour quality is positively correlated with ratings
of their attractiveness.
• Men’s humour quantity is negatively correlated with
ratings of attractiveness.
• For both sexes, humorous individuals were seen as less
intelligent and trustworthy but as more socially adept.
Bressler (2006)
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25. Stuff we didn’t have time for…
Gelatophobia
• The fear of being laughed at.
Witzelsucht
• A condition characterised by excessive and
inappropriate joking.
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26. Something to talk about…
• So why do babies laugh?
• Is there a universal gag?
• Can computers be funny?
• How soon is ‘too soon’?
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27. Thank you!
Let us know if you want
a copy of the slides.
Or go to www.yacmo.com/humour.pdf
Ben & Les