Sigmund Freud said that laughter allows people to let off steam or release pent-up “nervous energy”, especially when the situation is taboo. When the punch line arrives, the energy spent suppressing inappropriate emotions such as desire or hostility is no longer needed and is released as laughter.
Simply put, when a person recognizes that an ethical, social, or physical norm has been violated in the situation being described, and that the violation is not very offensive or annoying, this will lead to a sense of humor. However, if someone else finds the same situation scandalous, disgusting, or just plain uninteresting, it just won’t be funny to them.
Perhaps the oldest theory of humor, originating from Plato and other ancient Greek philosophers, states that people find humor in depicting past versions of themselves and the misfortunes of others because it makes them feel superior.
In addition, the theory that in 2011 suggested Matthew M. Hurley According to Indiana University Bloomington, “humor involves some kind of mistake.” Life is a collection of misunderstandings, and it’s usually funny when we’re not the ones experiencing them.
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