Superiority Theory

Very Short Summary

The Superiority Theory is probably the oldest humor theory there is and goes back to Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes. It basically states that laughter expresses feelings of superiority. We laugh at someone stumbling because he made a mistake and we didn’t. We feel superior.

Proponents

Plato, Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan), Henri Bergson (Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic)

The Case for the Superiority Theory

We can’t deny that there can be an element of cruelty in humor. People are made the butt of jokes everyday and everyone who has ever been laughed at knows, that in this moment one can feel inferior.

“Its (Superiority Theory) modern adherents include Roger Scruton, who analyses amusement as an “attentive demolition” of a person or something connected with a person. “If people dislike being laughed at,” Scruton says, “it is surely because laughter devalues its object in the subject’s eyes.” Comic Relief by John Morreal (New Directions in Aesthetics) Wiley, Kindle-Version, page 6

The Case against the Superiority Theory

Is it necessary to feel superior in order to laugh? No.

It is possible to watch people make mistakes and being hurt without laughing, but rather feel empathy towards them. Additionally:

“We sometimes laugh at an odd metaphor or simile, for example, without comparing ourselves to anyone.” Comic Relief by John Morreal (New Directions in Aesthetics) Wiley, Kindle-Version, page 9

Is it sufficient to feel superior in order to laugh? No.

Otherwise a comedy show could constitute simply of people being kicked in the balls repeatedly. Which could be a form of entertainment, but I’d wager one where the Human Resources person burns out rather fast due to extremely high personal turn over rates.

Also we don’t need to compare ourselves to someone else to laugh.

“In an experiment by Lambert Deckers, subjects were asked to lift a series of weights that looked identical. The first several did weigh the same, but then the unsuspecting subjects picked up one that was much heavier or lighter, whereupon they laughed. In laughing, they did not seem to compare themselves with anyone.” Comic Relief by John Morreal (New Directions in Aesthetics) Wiley, Kindle-Version, page 9

Rating: Two out of Five Stars

Good effort. Some nice thoughts. Wouldn’t recommend as a world view.

The Takeaway

A joke needs a target. A person, a group or a concept. So ask yourself: Does your joke have a target?