We’re not talking about the mechanics of humor this week — we’re talking about why we laugh. Is laughter really the best medicine? We talk about our first memories of laughter (and would love to know yours). Along the way, we realized there are dark corners when it comes to laughter; we walk down the alley and discuss at what point we began laughing at more…raunchy things. There are things guaranteed to make us laugh every time we see them, and we tell you what those things are.
Why do people laugh at things they feel are taboo? The Internet: is it good or bad for laughter? Why can something as fun as laughter also be seen as an insult? We also talk about why some people laugh when they’re nervous. Are comedies really all that funny? If so, what comedies make us laugh the most? Find out who makes us laugh the most! We close it all out talking about the hardest we’ve ever laughed and our favorite things about laughter.
We’re not saying this episode is a laugh-riot, but hopefully it will make you appreciate laughter on a much deeper level.
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Anybody else laugh when they stub their toe or experience a similar intense pain? I do, It’s automatic, because I don’t find humor in it.
In my family, we weren’t big on laughing when I was growing up. Even when watching comedies, we would only “laugh on the inside.” As an adult, I laugh more than when I was a child. I’m not sure I remember the first thing that made me laugh.
These days, I enjoy a lot of raunchy, bawdy, “trailer park humor.” Maybe that’s why I finally moved into my element – a trailer park. 😉 I enjoy Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Kathy Griffin, Gilbert Gottfried (his roast of Joan Rivers was GOLD), and Bobcat Goldthwait. I remember the first time I saw Goldthwait perform. I thought he had overdosed and was having a meltdown on live TV. I was absolutely fascinated. Christopher knows I am a big Stooges fan. My fav comedy movie is “Throw Momma from the Train.”
Loved the shows “Married with Children” and “Get a Life.” Loved “Beavis and Butthead,” and the similarly-themed (British) “The Young Ones”! I think Shawn will appreciate this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX7Yt0D4NEg
Conan’s “masturbating bear” makes me double over in tears every time. But I also love Lewis Black, oddly.
Other British humor favs – “Rising Damp,” “Who’s Minding the Store,” and “Keeping Up Appearances.”
I remember the “Truly Tasteless Jokes” books. I read them as a curiosity. The funniest book I ever read was “Mr. Bean’s Diary,” (Rowan Atkinson).
Gene Wilder is a comic genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5ylel-imFg
(“He thinks he’s a horse!” is in the top 10 funniest lines of all time.)
The show “Martin” was hysterical. This makes me laugh out loud every time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJp83W7XMFY
I read somewhere that all laughter, aside from “Nervous, or pain, or uncomfortable laughter” originates from NEW or unexpected connections being made in the brain.
If you think about it, this makes sense, which is why once you’ve heard a specific joke or story, upon the second telling, it does not make you laugh.
I’ve found that sleep deprivation can make you silly/more prone to roiling with laughter, to the point where you cannot function, you laugh so hard your sides hurt, which IIRC recently I read that sleep deprivation can help you be more creative/make connections you wouldn’t make in a rested state.
“once you’ve heard a specific joke or story, upon the second telling, it does not make you laugh” But if I think a joke is funny, I think it’s funny *every* time. So my brain must be good at severing connections . .
CMS: Yes, there are things I will laugh at all the time. You mentioned Masturbating Bear on Conan. I’m not sure there’s a thing that makes me laugh more…every single time! I can watch the same clip over and over and always laugh!
Also, raunchy humor makes me laugh. I can appreciate well constructed humor, but farts…farts will make me laugh all the time. I read a thing online a week or so ago…a guy in a class had to fart, but it was quiet. So…he “accidentally” dropped a book and planned to time it at the same time. Nope! Book hit the ground, drawing all attention…right as he farted!
Just reading it had me rolling…
Yes, sleep deprivation makes me giddy. Everything becomes funny for no real reason. I haven’t read that sleep deprivation can lead creative thinking, but I do tend to write quite a bit in a sleepy state. I have read that sleep deprivation, oddly enough, helps some with depression.
The brain…such an odd thing!