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Humor

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible

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Definition

Humor comprises, in its broadest definition, everythingrelated to the funny. This includes how humor is perceived, appreciated, and produced by individuals, but it also includes humorous stimuli (texts, cartoons, jokes, situations) and their properties. The concept of incongruity is postulated as a central element of humor in many theories and models; as such, humor is inherently related to the possible. The present chapter first defines humor and gives a brief overview on humor theories. Then, the family of incongruity-resolution theories of humor and the wittiness model of humor are described, as they are particularly relevant for understanding the relationship of humor and the possible. Next, the relevance of individual differences in humor and aspects of humor development are discussed. Then, empirical findings on humor and humor interventions are presented briefly. The final section explores the links between humor and the possible from five perspectives: playfulness,...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Sonja Heintz & Jennifer Hofmann

Authors
  1. Sonja Heintz
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  2. Jennifer Hofmann
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Correspondence to Sonja Heintz or Jennifer Hofmann .

Section Editor information

  1. Kingston University, Kingston, UK

    Wendy Ross

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Heintz, S., Hofmann, J. (2020). Humor. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_98-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_98-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98390-5

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