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Ha Ha, Bonk:Humour and Reproductive
SuccessBen Hawkes & Les Walton
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Humour. What’s thatall about then?
A question for you:
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Theories of humourOver 100 theories, including…• Aristotle, Plato, Hobbes: Superiority• Freud: Relief• Defence mechanism• False alarm• Incongruity-resolution• Benign violation
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
Comedy is when you fallinto an open sewer and die.
Mel Brooks
Did humour evolve?And why?
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Components of Humour
Stimulus
Mirth Emotional &psychological
Laughter Physical & physiological
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
Play and laughter in animals• Chimps• Bonobos• Orangutans• Gorillas• Dogs• Rats
1027 March, 2014 [email protected]
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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
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
From fleas to tee-heesStages in the evolution of
humour?
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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.
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
Laughter is the best* medicine.
*It isn’t. Antibiotics are much better.
Stages of laughter
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Silent1 Smirk2 Smile3 Grin
Voluble4 Snicker5 Giggle6Chuckle7 Chortle8 Laugh
Involuntary9 Cackle10 Guffaw11 Howl12Shriek
Helpless13 Roar14Convulse15 Die
laughing
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
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Positive psychologicaleffects of laughter
Reduces• Anxiety• Tension• Stress• Depression• Loneliness
Improves• Self-esteem• Hope and
energy• Sense of
control
27 March, 2014 • [email protected]
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Positive physiologicaleffects of laughter
Reduces• Allergic
response• Stress
response• Mood
disturbance• Muscle tension
Improves• Pulmonary
function• Weight loss• Disease
resistance• Muscle tone• Immune
functioning27 March, 2014 • [email protected]
Die, laughing.
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Physiological risks of laughter
• Seizures• Cataleptic and narcoleptic attacks• Cerebrovascular accidents• Myocardial infarction
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
Personal preferencefor humour styles
What’s your sense of humour?
• Affiliative• Self-enhancing• Aggressive• Self-defeating
Find out athttp://personality-testing.info/tests/HSQ.php
2127 March, 2014 [email protected]
Ha ha, bonk:Is funny sexy?
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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)
27 March, 2014 [email protected]
Something to talk about(and stuff we didn’t have time for)
Stuff we didn’t have time for…
Gelatophobia• The fear of being laughed at.
Witzelsucht• A condition characterised by excessive
and inappropriate joking.
2527 March, 2014 [email protected]
Something to talk about…• So why do babies laugh?• Is there a universal gag?• Can computers be funny?• How soon is ‘too soon’?
2627 March, 2014 [email protected]
Thank you!Let us know if you want
a copy of the slides.
Or go to www.yacmo.com/humour.pdf
Ben & Les