Zoe's Humor Blog

I have been on a binge watching fest of The Simpsons as one of my goals has been to watch all seasons of the show up until the newest episodes (which honestly has been a looooong ride since there are about a bajillion seasons🤣). I recently watched the crossover episode featuring Family Guy called , " The Simpsons Guy" and this scene stood out to me:   In the scene innocent bystander, Ralph Wiggum, watches on as Peter and Homer begin brawling on the moving bus, which then results in Ralph's nervous chuckle (and a very memeable moment) as he realizes the danger he is in. Ultimately, Ralph ends up being hurtled out of a window as the bus crashes due to the negligence of Peter and Homer to take control of the moving vehicle. This particular moment in the episode reminded me of relief theory. Relief theory is described as a theory in which humor is utilized as a mechanism by which psychological stress is diminished. Laughter in this theory is a result of the release of ps

One of the many pitfalls of humor is self-deprecation and I used to know it very well. Too well (sadly).  Self-mockery is often a very overlooked facet of the downsides of humor. We often think of aggression or the use of unhealthy humor to mask as a coping mechanism, but self-mockery never really enters the chat. It is almost like a silent pitfall because it can be an uncomfortable topic to address amongst people. I have always been known for my humor and people always remark about how funny I am and how I use humor to find the light in bad situations. But when I was a teenager, I had a very unhealthy tendency to utilize self-deprecation as my main source of humor in order to conceal how terribly bad I felt about myself. My confidence was low because I did not like the way I looked and I thought that by making fun of myself, others would not notice the flaws that I perceived about myself. I used self-deprecating humor as a means to distract, when in reality I was undervaluing myself a

It is hard to think of humor as being a bad thing because it is thought of as an inherently positive tool to communicate and connect with others, right? Well, the truth is that despite all of the wonderful things humor does do, there are definitely some dangers and pitfalls. The following are a list of the dangers of humor: - Humor can be used as an unhealthy mechanism to cope. While humor does have the ability to aid in the healing process (I can personally attest to this and am studying this for my final project), it definitely has the ability to be used as an unhealthy crutch. Instead of seeking actual help for whatever may be causing conflict in one's life, many will utilize humor as a way to hide or disguise how they actually feel and will use it as a mask to make others believe that they are okay, when, in reality, they are struggling and need help.  - Humor can serve as an aggressor towards other people. Disparaging comments, insults, and teasing, can lend to creating uncomf

My brother, Zack, and his girlfriend, Rachel (now fiancee, FINALLY), have been together for twelve years. I introduced them to each other when I was a freshman in high school and the rest is history. So, as you can already guess, I have had the opportunity to see them grow together throughout the years and I have been a witness to how their relationship has evolved as well. One thing that has always stood out the most to me is the role that humor plays in their relationship. I asked them about it not too long ago during the time period in class when we covered humor in personal relationships. In response to my question, "what role does humor play in your relationship?", both Zack and Rachel  agreed that it was a vital part of what made them them. Both are very funny people who have very similar senses of humor, so they mesh incredibly well together. They also said that humor kept their relationship afloat during difficult times in their lives and acted as a way to express how

One of my favorite shows in the whole wide world is Arrested Development . If you have not seen it, I will give you a little rundown. This sitcom is about Michael Bluth, a member of the dysfunctional and eccentric Bluth family who has been tasked with running the family's real estate business after his father is sent to prison for white-collar crime. Of course, as you can probably imagine, chaos and hilarity ensues throughout the series.  I believe that this show is a great example of family humor and how humor shapes the dynamics of a family unit. It gives an inside look as to how a family functions internally, as the show focuses on relationships within the family and not much on outside relationships. The family members often use very dry and aggressive humor with one another which is a staple in how they communicate. If you were to not know that they were related to one another, you would think that they dislike each other, but really the Bluth family's use of sarcasm and h

One of my favorite chapters/units in the textbook thus far has been the unit dedicated to the theories of humor. I love the idea that there are theories that function to better describe what humor is, what is considered humorous, and to attempt to explain the social functions of humor. Relief theory is one in particular that I find interesting and will be diving into a bit deeper in this post. Relief theory is described as a theory in which humor is utilized as a mechanism by which psychological stress is diminished. Laughter in this theory is a result of the release of psychological tension resulting from such acts as facing our fears, overcoming inhibitions, and releasing nervous energy built up in our everyday life. Humor in relief theory is neither a feeling of superiority nor the awareness of incongruity present but solely the feeling of relief that one experiences upon the removal of restraint. The more tension relief found in a situation is equivalent to more humor experienced.