What is laughter?: Philosophy Forums

What is laughter?
Not much has been written on this in Philosophy of Mind

What is laughter?

Paul Jolley
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Posted 01/27/08 - 10:46 AM: Subject: What is laughter?	#1
First of all, some psychology: Is laughter essential to the psychology of humour? If so, then a creature with the facility for humour must have a body. But then the physical symptoms of laughter can occur without amusement (e.g. someone with a mental illness which means they can't stop laughing), so laughter surely can't just be a physical occurence. Aristotle follows this tack by saying that a person is not identical with a body, yet does not exist without a body (a theory of human nature essentially). John Wisdom's idea that humour and it's objects provide pointers to the analysis of the relation between subjective and objective elements in the nature of value. What one person finds 'laughable', another will not. For example, some people will belly-laugh at Monty Python style-humour, whereas others will not react, as they find it silly. (maybe they need to get a sense of humour!). A friend commented on the nature of 'black comedies', like pulp fiction or trainspotting, where some will laugh, some not. A lot more needs to be researched on this subject, the resources on it are spartan. Edited by Paul Jolley on 01/27/08 - 10:59 AM. Reason: site posted twice
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tomv
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Posted 03/27/08 - 09:51 AM:	#2
"Laughter is the language of the soul" - Pablo Neruda. Laughter is essentially, to me, an internal social construct. We can be taught what is funny, what can amuse our souls. But when you talked about 'black comedies' or as I call them dark comedies - where some laugh and others not, I understood what you were saying. I am often in situations, even with popular media where I laugh, but my friends do not, either because they do not understand the situation, they did not pick up the "joke", or because their lives have been shaped around experiences that have taught the person that this situation cannot possibly be funny. I apologise for the lack of philosophy, but I am, by academic study, a social scientist rather.
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RiyadhtheFacilitator
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Posted 04/28/08 - 10:46 PM:	#3
This is an extremely tough topic. Mainly for lack of information to discuss. I personally believe in laughter as a guide, a healing power, a force that brings you down to earth. Like you said, circumstance is the key to each what each individual finds funny. Circumstance forms our ideals and morales, and it is based off these what we find funny. In a time of war, joking about the death of a fellow comrade would not be funny, whereas at home drinking with your friends, poking fun at the possibility of a friend dying(for whatever reason) could be found quite funny. I know this does not help whatsoever. I just believe in circumstance. But, you have really got me thinking...
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jimRH7
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Posted 05/04/08 - 03:20 AM:	#4
I remember reading something along these lines somewhere, I'm not sure if it is my oppinion exactly: Laughter is regognition that a supposed threat or fear is not actually posing any danger. Take, for example the game that mothers play with babies peek a boo. When the mother hides thier face, the baby thinks it is under threat of being left or abandoned by it's mother, when the baby sees it's mother again, when she uncovers her face again, the baby then realises it's no longer under threat, and laughs. This is why laughing at people is offensive, what you are basically saying is "you do not/could not pose any real threat to me, therefore I have no respect for you - you are my inferior" and why people often take the most offence at being laughed at when they are trying to make an authoratative stance.

The_Rational_Animal
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Posted 05/08/08 - 11:14 AM:	#5
I see laughter as a biological process because if one spends enough time around the human's closest genetic relative, the chimpanzee, one will see a type of "pre-laughter" present as a response to one chimp tickling another. And I don't think laughter is expressly limited to the semantic implications of the word in English: laughter is rather any kind of consistent reaction to a pleasurable stimulus. What this means is that laughter is different in different contexts: a dolphin makes a noise and bobs its head up and down, the dog wags its tail in a particular fashion, and so on. Comedy is simply a description of a particular kind of situation, it is not the universal precursor to "laughter" in all circumstances.
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Kwalish Kid
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Posted 05/08/08 - 12:38 PM:	#6
You may want to check out The Psychology of Humor by Rod A. Martin. It's a new textbook on the subject by someone who has worked in the field for quite a few years. I haven't had a chance to go over it, though I would like to work with Martin in the future. From what I have seen, I don't expect that the book goes into great philosophical depth on the subject, but the neurophysiological results that he reports about humor are fascinating.
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