Theories of Humor

Incongruity, superiority, and relief. They all are forms of comedy and may elicit laughter at any time. However, they all have different variables—different reasons for why some events or statements may be seen as funnier than others that happen to fall into the exact same category.

Some people do not enjoy seeing others put at a disadvantage compared to themselves. These naturally benevolent folks that always wish the best for others most likely will not find superiority humor to actually be humorous. On the other side, many other people find superiority humor enjoyable because some people are inherently selfish or envious of others and seeing themselves at an advantage compared to another person is a happy feeling. Superiority humor always depends on the nature of the person on the receiving end.

Incongruity humor's inconsistencies stem from how not all incongruity has the capability of being comedic. For instance, a highly respected figure being assassinated will not be perceived as humorous to any rational human being, despite the event still being considered incongruity. Due to how some incongruity is meant to evoke other feelings such as grief, anger, or anxiety, incongruity cannot be the root of comedy, and is not the most persuasive theory.

Relief humor is extremely consistent compared to the other two. All people have subconscious and unconscious thoughts that they are unable to project because these thoughts are deemed unacceptable by the rest of society in a public or social setting. These ideas that are considered to be taboo build up stress, and that stress must be relieved by expressing the thoughts in a setting where such thoughts are acceptable. Many people do this in places with close and trusted friends where they do not have to worry about appearing offensive, or on the Internet, where they have at least some anonymity. For example, r/darkjokes is a site that is dedicated to all dark humor that generally would not be acceptable in public.

The only variable in relief humor is how people perceive it. This is why relief humor strikes at the heart of the matter. The core of comedy is the attitude, disposition, psychology, and the perception of the audience. A superiority joke is not funny to a group that dislikes seeing others being disadvantaged. An incongruity joke is not funny if the audience fails to perceive an incongruity in the first place. A relief joke is not funny if the receiving end finds it to be a sensitive subject for them and gets offended. Generally speaking, all actions taken have results based on the perception of other people.