Wordplay

“I googled ‘how to start a wildfire’. I got 48,500 matches!”

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

Content of the Joke: That you can use matches to start a fire.

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 is the word “matches” which means two things: The result of a google search and a tool to start a fire.

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

Assumption: That we will get an answers to question to what the joke-teller got as a result to his google search.

A second assumption is fulfilled: Yes. The second meaning of “matches”.

Surprising: Yes, because the word “matches” perfectly work in both senses (google search and tool to start a wildfire.

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

Humorous: Yes. Because

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.

Harmless according to the Benign Violation Theory: The norm of we expect the word “matches” is used in the context of a google search gets violated but the violation is benign.

Is it still in a way compatible with the original assumption: Yes. The answer works both ways.

Unexpected Change that turns out to be benign: Yes. That the information on how many matches Google found can also be used as the answer to the Google query is an unexpected change that turns out to be benign.