Science Forums 2

[lemit]

Humor is irony. When I was in school and needed to write a paper on no particular subject, I always picked humor and comedy, because the research was a lot of fun. I suspect the teachers enjoyed reading something that could make them laugh, because I always got an A. (Of course, naturally writing an inverted pyramid probably helped too.)

So anyway, humor is irony. If you want to jump-start it, add surprise. That is why the sight of someone falling elicits laughter. It's inappropriate laughter, and can be a bad sign. Laughter at inappropriate moments can be a sign of brain trauma. In the way that people who have had strokes will occasionally cry when someone smiles at them or simply says "Hello," a laugh when it's not called for is a little hint that something might be wrong.

A strange thing I've noticed over the years is that if I write something with the greatest simplicity and clarity possible, people will think I'm joking. Think about that a while: simple, clear, direct language is so unusual, such a surprise, such a change from what is normal that it makes people laugh. That almost makes me cry.

(Another strange thing: in the two or three hours I've spent today editing and rewriting the "What Are We Afraid Of?" post, I've laughed out loud almost every time I've reread it. Ah, my favorite writer. If laughter is a medicine, would that be considered self-medication?)

--lemit