Funny Top Ten Lists and The New Theory of Humor By Don G. Asmus

Although funny top ten lists are a relatively new form of humor, various theories about the nature of humor have been around for thousands of years. Beginning with the ancient Greek philosophers, well over one hundred theories have been proposed to explain exactly why we find certain things funny. Thus far, however, none of these theories has ever been accepted as a totally adequate explanation.

Nonetheless, British evolutionary theorist Alastair Clark thinks that he has finally come up with a universal theory of humor, which he calls the Pattern Recognition Theory.

What did you say old chap?

In the preamble to his new theory, Clarke makes several interrelated points. First, our ability to instantly recognize various patterns in the natural world has proven to be a tremendous advantage in the survival and advancement of human beings. Second, language is also based upon this same inborn ability to quickly recognize patterns.

Finally, humor can not be explained in terms of content or subject matter. This is evidenced by the fact that different audiences (males vs. females; young vs. old) often respond quite differently to the very same content and subject matter.

Before we take a look at the exact wording that Clarke uses to describe his theory, keep in mind that the British have always been better known for their funny way of speaking, than their sense of humor. Clarke's single-sentence explanation of his new Pattern Recognition Theory serves as further evidence of this tendency: "Humour occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it, and this recognition is rewarded with the experience of a humorous response."

We should probably be grateful that Clarke wasn't trying to explain why sex is so much fun. Actually, his theory is quite appealing, but his choice of words makes the explanation of his theory rather difficult to follow.

Translating the new theory into English.

The confusion arises from these eight words: "the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it." Although this statement may be technically accurate, it does not tell enough of the story.

If you are willing to spend enough time to closely study Clarke's various examples and clarifications, it becomes clear that the definition should have been expanded to say something like this: We consider something to be funny if, in an unlikely or shocking situation, we compare it to our mental image of something else, and are surprised to see a similarity between the two images.

The pleasurable sensation of laughter that follows is nature's way of rewarding us for successfully detecting similarities that could someday save our lives.

Perhaps this example will help. A young woman (who has a mental image of what childbirth is going to be like) hears comedian Carol Burnett say that "giving birth is like pulling your upper lip over your head." The young woman suddenly bursts into laughter. What causes this response?

According to the Pattern Recognition Theory, the young woman found herself in the shocking situation of hearing a comedian describe something she may never have expected to hear mentioned in public. Her surprise at seeing the similarity between the mental image of childbirth depicted by Burnett, and the one already stored in her brain, caused the outburst of laughter.

Why does humor work this way? According to Clarke, humor is just one of many cognitive functions and has nothing to do with comedy. It's part and parcel of the same survival mechanism that helps us to quickly interpret patterns that could actually pose a threat to our lives. Therefore, humor is an important contributor to our continuing survival and success as a species.

What did you expect an evolutionary theorist would say?

I say old chap, what about funny top ten lists?

In the case of funny top ten lists, several mental images are potentially available for comparison. The first image is generated by the headline of the list. The next set are created by the humorously worded entries that comprise the body of the list. The final image is the one the reader carries around in his or her head about the subject. Whenever the reader is surprised by the similarity between a set of images, a particular list entry is deemed to be funny.

However, if the reader has no experience with a particular subject headline or list entry, then no mental images can be compared for similarities. And no surprising recognitions (or humorous responses!) will result. The writer of this list will slink off to contemplate other career options, while the survival of the human race will be left hanging in the balance.

Will the new Pattern Recognition Theory stand the twin tests of time and critical analysis? That's hard to predict. Many other initially attractive theories of humor have come and gone.

Astute comedy writers may be asking themselves a very similar question: Funny top ten lists may be wildly popular today, but where will they be in ten or twenty years from now? Not surprisingly, the author hopes that they will still be getting the last ten laughs!

Copyright 2009. Funniest Top Ten Lists. All rights reserved.

Don G. Asmus is the List Master at http://www.FunniestTopTenLists.com/ where he consistently creates the funniest top ten lists on the Internet.