the psychology of humour and how it is used to negotiate and establish social hierarchies

looks at two theories of humour that try understand what makes something funny

A common explanation is the 'incongruity' idea, that suggests when something is suddenly out of context it is more likely to seem funny

these theories "fail to explain why we are amused by certain instances of incongruity – a man showing up to his job at a real-estate agency with a “kick me” sign on his back – but not others – a man showing up to his job at a real-estate agency with a cure for cancer"

The other approach is the 'superiority' theory, that suggests that humour is used to establish social hierarchies - those considered objects of humour are further down the social ranking

But it's also the case that we seem to use it as a form of flattery for our superiors

It's a little short on links to actual studies which is a little frustrating but it otherwise an interesting and informative exploration

Link