How do you explain humor?

[BardSeed]

If someone with no prior knowledge of the subject in question, were to ask you what humor is, what would your reply be? I'm sorry if this is a little sketchy, I came up with it earlier and was just wondering what other people's approaches to this would be.

Humor can be clever but not all that is humorous is clever. Humor can be crude but not all that is crude is humorous.

Note: "Something that makes you laugh", or any variation of this, is not the answer I'm looking for. I want you to describe what humour actually is.

 

[NeedAUserName]

Something which is pleasing enough to make you make involuntary noises

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

I think humor is something that amuses you in a particular way that makes you think and is expressed through laughter, as sadness is expressed through tears.

 

[Dance The Revolution]

That's a hard question to answer.

 

[meatloaf231]

Anything that induces laughter.

 

[BardSeed]

Meatloaf, you are a sneaky person, I have edited my original post to include variations of your post being disallowed.

I know it's a hard question, that's why I asked it.

I think humor is something that amuses you in a particular way that makes you think and is expressed through laughter, as sadness is expressed through tears.

But humour can, in some cases, also cause tears can it not?

 

[LewsTherin]

Situational/verbal irony effective enough to induce irregular breathing and/or paroxyms.

 

[CasualZombie]

I saw this on Star Trek once trying to be explained by the android "Data"
"A joke is a trick to purposely mislead someone one way and then suprise them in a non-threatening manner by quickly telling them it was meant in the way you didn't expect"

suppliment: "Bums!" and "Tits!" are funny ironically and cuz God says so

 

[BardSeed]

Slapstick comedy hasn't been accounted for.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Humor is the violation of anecdotal expectations.

That, I think I read in new scientist a while ago that jokes trick you, and that laughing is your brain's way of blanking out that mistake.

 

[Shivari]

Slapstick comedy hasn't been accounted for.

Slapstick comedy is for people who don't have a good sense of humor, so we can discount that.

 

[Dance The Revolution]

Humor is the violation of anecdotal expectations.

That, I think I read in new scientist a while ago that jokes trick you, and that laughing is your brain's way of blanking out that mistake.

Very boring reason.

 

[BardSeed]

Slapstick comedy hasn't been accounted for.

Slapstick comedy is for people who don't have a good sense of humor, so we can discount that.

It's still a form of humour. Humor encompasses both physical and verbal comedy. I am not asking you to define your sense of humour, I am asking you to explain what humour is as a whole.

 

[Shivari]

Then humor is what makes you laugh. I know you said not to, but what do you want me to say?

 

[BardSeed]

Then humor is what makes you laugh. I know you said not to, but what do you want me to say?

I wasn't sure what to expect.

Perhaps humour is that which causes you to lose control of your facial muscles/vocal chords and produces a positive feeling. Humor can be communicated through both physical and vocal means, ones thoughts can also be humorous.

That's the best description that I can come up with.