Dialog

From “The Golden Girls” Season 5, Episode 10 “All That Jazz”:

Dorothy: Rose, what are you listening to?
Rose: A relaxation tape. The rain is supposed to relax me.
Dorothy: Is it working?
Rose: Not really. I keep worrying that I left my car windows down.

DEFINITION OF A JOKE: “A joke conveys information in a funny way.”

Content of the Joke: The relaxation tape does the opposite of its intended purpose.

In a funny way: I would say so yes.

MECHANISM OF A JOKE: “A joke adds information in a way that triggers a sudden cognitive shift.”

The information that triggers the cognitive shift are the words “I keep worrying that I left my car windows down.”

We suddenly understand that the tape isn’t working, but actually making Rose tense.

THE FORMULA: “Disappoint an assumption by fulfilling a second assumption in a surprising and satisfying way.”

Assumption: The assumption here is that a relaxation tape is relaxing.

A second assumption is fulfilled: Yes. That rain sounds make one think about things that can worry you when there is real rain.

Surprising: Yes. Because it’s nearly impossible to foresee Rose thinking about her car windows.

Satisfying: Yes. Because it fulfills all three conditions (Humorous, Harmless, Compatible)

Humorous: Yes.

1) Behavior (The tendency to laugh or to grin): Yes.
2) Cognitive (Something is intellectually perceived as “funny”): Yes.
3) Emotional (The positive feeling of amusement): Yes.

Harmless: Yes. Nobody gets hurt. Not even Rose. It just reveals her thinking.

Harmless according to the Benign Violation Theory: The norm of how a relaxation tape is supposed to work is violated but in a harmless way.

Is it still in a way compatible with the original assumption: Yes. Because the logic behind Rose reasoning is sound.

Unexpected Change that turns out to be benign: Yes. She is not relaxed but that isn’t a problem.