Comic Relief

John Morreall’s previous publications include Taking Laughter Seriously (1983); The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor (1987); Humor Works (1997); and Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion (1999). In 2004 and 2005, he was elected President of the International Society for Humor Studies. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Economist.

• Foreword ixRobert MankoffPreface xiAcknowledgments xiii1 No Laughing Matter: The Traditional Rejection of Humor and Traditional Theories of Humor 1Humor, Anarchy, and Aggression 2The Superiority Theory: Humor as Anti-social 4The Incongruity Theory: Humor as Irrational 9The Relief Theory: Humor as a Pressure Valve 15The Minority Opinion of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas: Humor as Playful Relaxation 23The Relaxation Theory of Robert Latta 242 Fight or Flight – or Laughter: The Psychology of Humor 27Humor and Disengagement 28Humor as Play 33Laughter as a Play Signal 363 From Lucy to “I Love Lucy”: The Evolution of Humor 40What Was First Funny? 41The Basic Pattern in Humor: The Playful Enjoyment of a Cognitive Shift is Expressed in Laughter 49The Worth of Mirth 644 That Mona Lisa Smile: The Aesthetics of Humor 69Humor as Aesthetic Experience 70Humor and Other Ways of Enjoying Cognitive Shifts: The Funny, Tragic, Grotesque, Macabre, Horrible, Bizarre, and Fantastic 73Tragedy vs. Comedy: Is Heavy Better than Light? 75Enough with the Jokes: Spontaneous vs. Prepared Humor 835 Laughing at the Wrong Time: The Negative Ethics of Humor 90Eight Traditional Moral Objections 91The Shortcomings in the Contemporary Ethics of Humor 98A More Comprehensive Approach: The Ethics of Disengagement 101First Harmful Effect: Irresponsibility 102Second Harmful Effect: Blocking Compassion 103Third Harmful Effect: Promoting Prejudice 1056 Having a Good Laugh: The Positive Ethics of Humor 111Intellectual Virtues Fostered by Humor 112Moral Virtues Fostered by Humor 115Humor during the Holocaust 1197 Homo Sapiens and Homo Ridens: Philosophy and Comedy 125Was Socrates the First Stand-up Comedian? 126Humor and the Existentialists 129The Laughing Buddha 1338 The Glass is Half-Empty and Half-Full: Comic Wisdom 139Notes 146Bibliography 160Index 179

"As an intelligent treatment of what humor is and what it means, this work raises significant questions and proposes plausible answers." (CHOICE, September 2010)