Epiphany 1

I think that by starting the previous immaturely-inspired thread, I may have finally stumbled upon the answer to a question that has been blissfully preoccupying my mind for the most of the past 6 years. What is the significance and evolutionary purpose of laughter and thusly humor?

Let’s begin…

After reading Daniel’s comment I felt the inescapable urge to add a little of me although I vastly agreed with him (I can’t help it – and neither can you, o’ reader). I was going to state that toddlers merely had less self-restraint than adults. Paired with the inescapable nature of the phenomenon (Daniel), this made children interpret a taboo as a humorous superficial idea rather than a deeply ingrained psychological restraint (of which we are so casually unaware of). But why laughter, of all the emotions we posses? Why not anger? Why not fear?

Because laughter is our way of accepting and rewarding wit and creativity, specifically triggering feelings.

Have you ever noticed that jokes get old? That the best jokes are the ones that are most unexpected? That the sense of humor changes with time (I mean on the large scale – think decades)?

As long as it is new, within our intellectual grasp and not overly taboo, we laugh. Children, specifically, laugh the most because they discover more, because to them, the world is new. The anal stage, in particular, exists because it is an inescapable occurrence that is only amplified by the society’s enduring strive to hide it; and to children, it feels like an ongoing discovery.

Whether the last statement is true or a misguided explanation for the “anal stage”, don’t let my definition of laughter and humor lose its value.

Humor, in my opinion is evolution’s way of forcing us to stay creative and rewarding those who are quick with their wit. This is nature’s way of ensuring that when we need something done quickly, our brains are active and ready. The joy of laughter comes from the bond created with the humorous individual – it is safer and more productive to stay close to one who can provide quick decisions.

Of course, in our day, with the social distribution of work, humor has become more of a means of entertainment (a way of wasting time and relaxing one might add). Wit, being a requirement for a large fraction of our jobs, no longer necessitates humor for rehearsal. Nevertheless, this instinct still serves a mildly important purpose, although it has been demoted from its original glory of a survival instinct.

(Daniel, thank you for inspiring this thread.)

Ps: I'm sorry for all the photos I posted, but I just think they're very pleasant to look at...