Why is comedy so important?
Comedy entertains and connects us, offering a break from the world. Comedy addresses difficult topics safely, prompting social reflection and dialogue. It also helps us adapt to changing norms. Like play, humor involves harmless mock conflicts, providing a space to explore complex emotions. Ultimately, comedy is a powerful tool for cultural evolution and understanding.
Humor is universal to all human cultures and valued for its ability to entertain and uplift. From ancient jesters to modern stand-up comedians, humor has always been a vital part of social interaction and personal enjoyment. Laughter feels good. It often brings people together and allows us to feel connected beyond just the moment. Humor can offer a respite from serious life — but I would argue there is more to it. We don’t just enjoy it, instead, we enjoy it because it’s an essential part of our cultural lives.
The mechanics of humour: The Benign Violation Theory
Before we look at the cultural importance, let’s spend a minute understanding the mechanics of humor. One prominent explanation is the Benign Violation Theory, proposed by Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren. This theory suggests that humor arises when something simultaneously appears to be a violation (something that disrupts our sense of how things should be) and benign (non-threatening). When these two conditions are met, the result is often laughter.
Leaning more towards the mythological side, humour was described as the moment when Dionysis pulls the rug from under Apollo. Dionysus, the god of wine, ecstasy, and chaos, represents the uninhibited, spontaneous, and often subversive aspects of humor. Apollo, on the other hand, symbolizes order, logic, and structure. Humor thrives at the intersection of these two forces, balancing chaos with order, and the unexpected with the familiar. The interplay between these elements creates a space where humor can flourish, making the unacceptable acceptable and the serious light-hearted.
Comedy as a Tool for Difficult Conversations
One of the profound roles of comedy is its ability to broach difficult subjects — to make it possible to discuss the unspeakable. Comedians often tackle topics that are taboo, controversial, or even painful, relying on humor to open up conversations that might otherwise be too uncomfortable. Louis CK has a routine where he humorously acknowledges that while it’s universally accepted that slavery is bad, we need it in order to create our personal tech devices. He calls this, “Of course…but maybe…”, stacking the obvious moral assertion against the horror of modern reality. His comedic approach allows audiences to confront an unsettling topic in a way that feels less threatening and more palatable thereby allowing us to think about it rather than to simply shut down in a moment of cognitive dissonance.
By addressing these challenging subjects through humor, comedians help us to explore and question our beliefs and assumptions. This ability to laugh at ourselves and our most serious concerns can lead to a shift in perspective, making it easier to discuss and understand complex issues. Comedy thus serves as a catalyst for social change, encouraging dialogue and introspection where silence might otherwise prevail.
Humour shifts our conversations
Humour not only facilitates conversations but also plays a crucial role in rethinking and reshaping societal norms. Without the ability to laugh at ourselves and our circumstances, we risk becoming rigid in our thinking and resistant to change. In a static social and moral world, this would not be a problem, but our environment is constantly shifting and flexing beneath our feet and we need a vehicle that allows us to shuffle and find our footing. Humor introduces this flexibility and adaptability, essential traits for adjusting to our ever-evolving landscape.
The Benign Violation in Action: Sport
Play, much like humor, operates on the principle of benign violation. It involves engaging in activities that mimic serious, often threatening situations, but in a safe and controlled environment. Take, for instance, a football game. It is essentially a mock war, complete with arbitrary rules, goals, and structured conflict. There is no neccesary or natural consequence to scoring a goal or moving over a specific line — these are all artificially imposed to create a safe ‘battle zone’. Players engage in physical competition, mirroring the chaos of battle, yet the context of the game ensures that the “violations” (missing a goal, stepping outside the field) are perceived as benign.
This playful mock attack embodies the essence of humor, where the violation is understood to be harmless. Once again, it is enjoyable in its own right but also allows us a safe environment in which to discover talents and abilities while without actually having to hurt anyone in real battle.
As a side, an interesting theory for actual laughter (which is in itself a curious phenomenon) is that it is a evolved version of laboured breathing under these mock attacks. The bearing of teeth and the breathlessness that is simulated in laughter are all echoes of aggressive behaviour. We can then see, that even in the space of play, humour necessarily rubs up against aggression and violations while working hard to announce itself as an essentially benign act.
The Transformative Power of Humor
In conclusion, humor is much more than mere entertainment; it is a powerful tool for social interaction, personal reflection, and cultural evolution. It allows us the benefits of combat and aggressive problem resolution without bearing the cost. Through theories like the Benign Violation Theory, we gain insight into the mechanics of humor and its deep-seated role in balancing order and chaos. Comedy enables us to approach difficult conversations with ease, providing a means to challenge and rethink our societal norms. Playful activities further illustrate how humor operates within safe boundaries, offering a space to engage with complex emotions and ideas.
Is this useful? I would argue yes. It is hard to fake the things we find funny. Standup comedy must be one of the hardest industries to crack which means those who made it really stuck a nerve. If the Benign Violation theory holds, we can then reverse engineer comedy to understand where society is at any given point. The cultural landscape is abstract and very hard to map, but if we’re look closely, we can use comedy to plot the direction of perceive violations, the direction of travel and ultimately the shape of our culture.
