6
PAPER Reading a
se oF Tg ‘our going to rea ng atin wi à payenlai desrbas cours
Tew it ann Row tobe comacon Fr qutelane 3-28 choose te sneer
~ Comedy and psychology
As an academic psychologist, Inne Petra has investigated and written about humour
‘With the sim of exploring comady from the porspecive ala comedia, he attended
2 comady course, as he describes hee
Eater this enr ia par tn comody course. The 8-trong lass included poople rom many dirt walks
a an vas tout hy Ryan, a professional tana up eomesion. Of al ofthe patents ik Fa probably
‘igged the most. Por ta lat vec Yon Ivo performed à mind taading show at en art festival yas
gina mane lo be a eomedy show = thought lwouls cut a commanding, mystrius figure onstage. but on
sy dat te aude Inet my rt joe, then caine ugh raughou al th roi het ware
‘meant to Lo soicus Thai, they were lighing a mo. Wel, sometimes thoy were, but most they wre
rth me. Sot was the audienee ‚ho told am funny, but | havn't always underetood why, or Row L cra
Sind contol the comic nomen, So joined th cours 0 inn. And although, se payehaloge Ive publshod
micos and books about humour, tiers was hardly a single joke in any of tom, sol Tle ike a beginner
um af your internal editor that makes you sy the right thing. Find your inver dit Remember how to be à
‘hil explained Ryan. Dany tobe clever. Don't ty to har fo be fanny. and knowing al about the theory
Sthumour i uly help yo much. dust mack around, Thats what peop want to ses on saga: So wid.
Byam would help us look up by saying tinge lo: Wander around talking Lo lers ln the room, Dut make
fire tat ya re te wrest status prton hare Noto be udn, found myelfeonversng wth others whit
fying prostrate on the oor,
Va say tot understanding the peycholegy of humour has actually helped a fo. I was only last year that |
‘Sumbled across ne Book Inside Jokes: Using Humor lo ReverseEngime the Mind, by Hurey, Dennett and
Adam. Ae | read the Introduction, couldnt nave grinneg much wider fF pu a coat hanger in my mouth,
Past afons to asplnin humour had never relly ut or me. For example, those theorists we Simply thought
thal humour wos a way ef exprosing anger or ol social conto, or of proving infact or ol stmalag others
Beam ie have oly sand so comio, pacs of mot ain notte mecanismos, Mee
Ths crux of hae thesis hat any sof retos intelligent eystem wll nee o corectits oven bugs Thnk of ein
{erm of th human mind running software 9 understand the rl sud i, Ant makes sense of thing tere
‘isk the camion ror wi De modo a Bugis wil have tobe debugged before long. Now if this was
{eulous or onorous, we'd be ess ince todo e However evolution has conspired to make Uh process tn,
ln more concrete terme, nes a joke cited in the book: Two ith are in a tank. Ono says 10 the other "Do you
now hose 1 diva ths thing? works on thu principe tho we have started o Imagine one tina that ne ton
{stn typical container people keep fan n= an jus in ano, the pune tele us that our fst assumption
‘in slong” the military venice Fo correct figuring out ts comraticon for bug), we are rewordes wih
ensure est, The joke won efficient way of sttating thie natural raneton, and comes Rave Became
‘port ining va mental funn Bone in Order to make vs laugh
‘So, wae Ryan right when he ed that knowing the theory af humour woulda’ help us that much aa stand up?
Fink he was, Se much of wit rate Gor group laugh over our sight rock of Me aiming melong around
tool Yr hats rg one che or of wre ad pr amps ar NE
zan and Careline sang gsrmest an alar side ol thw ng, spontaneously brought Henry to the Noor
She wo wrestled each other Ike Gutof control Wsnagers. The rest of na grunting In he audience, were
ID unzomraibie fits of super. As the moment was ca o the har, nd as a performer, | couldnt be an
‘dbsover Fl never aporeciat ust why seemed so lenny, But the point I, would noves Mowe ton MiS nto
erp I was a yout, found moment.
Test 6 PAPER Reg ane or En» 3