What Makes Something Funny? The Psychological Theories of Humour.
Why do Brits laugh with self-deprecation, Belgians with quirky defiance, the Dutch at others (mostly Belgians), Japanese with wordplay, and Germans not at all?
The last part is a joke based on a stereotype that isn’t true. Does that make it a bad joke? Depends. Stereotypes, satire, irony, parody, puns, self-enhancement, cynicism, comparisons, punching up, punching down, body movements, facial expressions, pacing, rhythm—all of this is important, no matter the culture you’re from, but how and why they’re used vary greatly.
Before we get into the psychology of all that, what triggered me to write this article?
In my piece “The Worst Thing About Non-Americans,” I explain how voice messages act as a cultural and linguistic equalizer but catapult me into a fury capable of beheading unfriending anyone.
M. E. Rothwell commented:
“I am actually all for voice messages. They definitely can drag, and a 5-minute voice note is a definite fuck you but as someone who spends so much time away from family and friends, it is really nice to hear their voices. Also, I have a weird sense of humour, which I think comes across much better when I can put inflections and emphasis on certain words. In written form, it can often seem like I’m just being rude!”
I can forgive Mikey for having the wrong opinion.
If I delivered that comment in a dry, offhanded matter without any change in inflection, a Brit would still understand the sarcasm.
However, American millennials would too. They’ve become more sarcastic and cynical since discovering they’ll never afford a home, and their public health care ends before it starts.
When you kill a Yank’s optimism, they’re one step closer to sounding like a Brit.
Mikey was right—not about liking voice messages, of course. He was right in saying that inflections and emphasis matter. Imagine emphasizing the word Yank with disgust. That would make it sound like I think Brits are better than Americans. I mean, they are, but that’s beside the point.
I’m joking! Of course, I’m joking. They stopped being better ever since they left the EU.
Do I need to say it again?
You can find an updated and improved version of this article on bornwithoutborders.world.
Click here for the updated article.
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Firstly, how dare you. I’m fairly sure I’ve never been wrong. Not even once.
Secondly, the part I laughed at the hardest in this piece was when you insulted the British, which perhaps only reinforces the stereotype that we love self-deprecation. What really tickled me was the idea that we’re the same as Americans except super gloomy - matches so well onto our history and current politics 😂😂😂
I worked with a Danish colleague who was nearing retirement, so I bought him a book called “Danish Humor and Other Myths.” When he opened the package and read the title, I saw an almost invisible but not quite twinkle in his eyes as he commented, “And what’s so funny about this?”