Learning Blog #2

            Learning about humor this semester has completely changed how I look and perceive things that are funny. It makes me think about why I actually find certain things funny. I also find myself thinking about jokes before I say them. Questions like, is this appropriate for the situation? And, is this humor going to be harmful to anyone? The second of the two questions in particular has really tripped me up. My sense of humor is a little different than most. I like to give people a hard time and a lot of times that involves saying something mean in a joking manor (as to diffuse the situation and hopefully allowing the other person to notice I am in play mode). I have found that sometimes people don’t or can’t pick up my play signals and they take me seriously and therefore are, or can be, offended by my comment. Taking this course has really allowed me to realize when certain comments are funny and appropriate and when they aren’t. These comments tend to deal with the superiority theory, when in fact I don’t actually believe I am better, but I say something that hints at it merely to be funny. In theory, I’m trying to get them to be offended at first, but then hopefully they will pick up on my play signals and realize that it is simply a joke. In which case they get that false alarm sense of relief and hopefully laugh because of it. What I have learned form this class has allowed me to understand why others might not find something is funny, even though that it’s my intent.

            Learning about humor has also improved my own jokes and one-liners. Breaking down the theories of humor has actually allowed me to think things through for that extra second to make the witty comment or quip even funnier. Such as waiting until everyone is disengaged before saying something funny. Humor can be considered as disengaging, therefore if the people hearing the humor are already in a disengaged state, the joke will be generally more effective than if the audience is deeply engaged in something else. If this is the case, they may miss what you said or the intricacy of the comment and it is no longer funny. Studies have shown that the human brain can only focus on one major thing at a time, therefore if one is engaged in something other than looking for funny comments, the comment might easily be missed. I’ve also been able to read and realize when people are in this “play mode” or disengaged state. This means that my jokes are generally timed better, therefore usually well received and have a positive effect. As I stated before, sometimes jokes are more effective when people aren’t in the disengaged state, in which case they almost believe what you are saying before realizing that it is a joke. This false alarm causes the “fight or flight” or initial shock of the statement to be released as laughter.

            Before I started taking this class, I was trying to get better at biting my tongue and being more careful in certain situations so people wouldn’t take what I say the wrong way. I was having a really hard time with that, and I still am. However, what I’m learning from this class is allowing me to craft my (or what I think are my) humorous statements. The things I have learned in this class are allowing me to filter myself and actually think over what I’m about to say in an effort to avoid people taking what I’m about to say the wrong way. Sure, I still step on toes occasionally, but that is almost never my intention and this knowledge is at least guiding me in the right direction when it comes to filtering what and when I say things.