According to BVT, humor is a psychological response characterized by the appraisal that some- According to the Benign Violation Theory, formulated by Peter Mcgraw, a marketing professor at the University of Colorado who runs the Humor Research Lab, "humor only occurs when something seems wrong, unsettling or threatening (i.e., a violation), but simultaneously seems okay, acceptable, or safe (i.e., benign). Surprise likely facilitates humor in many situations by making it easier to simultaneously perceive something as both a violation and benign. "Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night." Dave Barry (1947-present) With one more benign violation theory joke thrown in for good measure! A violation occurs when a situation threatens the way that you . Researchers from the Humor Research Lab will tell you that it's okay to laugh at dark humor jokes. Simply put, something seems wrong but it's harmless so it's funny. "There's some sweet spot to comedy where you need the right degree of threat," says McGraw. [51] The BVT claims that humor occurs when three conditions are satisfied: 1) something threatens one's sense of how the world "ought to be", 2) the threatening situation seems benign, and 3) a person sees both interpretations . The interpretation of the first two points simultaneously, violation + benign = benign violation. The benign violation theory offers a plausible explanation for why seeming diverse stimuli, including puns, sarcasm, jokes, tickling, and slapstick all similarly elicit humor. For a violation to contain humor, it needs to be benign. A situation is a violation, 2). Benign violations theory: It's bad, but harmless Incongruity is also a fundamental part of the benign violations theory of humor (BVT) , one of the most recently developed explanations. Although Mark Twain said that humor is tragedy plus time, no one says humor is a mild misstep plus time. According to the Benign Violation Theory (BVT), something is perceived as humorous when it hits the "sweet spot," where there is not only a violation, but where the violation is also perceived as benign. This benign violation hypothesis states that three factors make humorous material distinct. There's some stigma associated with masturbation. Whether a joke is perceived as a benign violation will also depend on the relative distances between the joke-teller, joke, and joke-listener. People who have more psychological distance from a moral violation are more likely to be amused. the same jokes became more innocuous over time, and people found those jokes to be funny about a month after the crisis. (2) the situation is benign, and. Thankfully, stand-up comedians, over the years, have made sure to feed us a steady diet of dark humor. In other words, The Benign Violation Theory . A recent theory on humor - Benign Violation Theory (BVT) - suggests that humor occurs when something seems wrong (i.e., a violation) yet also okay (i.e., benign; Peter and Warren 2010; Peter et al. Critically, BVT does not suggest that all humor is rooted in benign violations (leaving room for other sources of humor), but rather argues that the broadest domain of humor is produced by leveraging benign violations. After reviewing hundreds of studies, we concluded that the best humor recipe is perceiving something to be a violation while also simultaneously perceiving it to be benign. When it seems real, it no longer seems funny, but when it seems unbelievable, the moral violation is benign and the joke is funnier. That makes joke telling risky because you can fail by being too benign or by creating too much of a violation. The benign violation theory contrasts with alternative approaches to humor — such as the "superiority theory" — and builds on a family of related approaches called incongruity theories.Other . Norm violations might be one way to make a benign situation funnier, but some benign situations might be funny even in the absence of a violation of norms. But they still contend that if you know your crowd, the benign violation formula will work. There is an element of dark humor where controversial jokes are funny at times, because of the feeling that I should not be laughing at it, which ironically makes the joke even funnier. In the benign-violation theory, a joke fails or succeeds depending on its unique blend of moral threat, emotional safety, and psychological distance. This entry was posted in Stand-up Comedy Tips and tagged Benign Violation Theory, comedy open mic, comedy routine, how to write stand up comedy jokes, joke writing formula, learn stand-up comedy, Peter McGraw, write stand-up comedy material, writing stand up comedy for beginners by Steve Roye. Second, the violation must be perceived to be benign. Benign violation theory suggests that jokes occur when there is a violation of "how the world should be," but the violation must be benign in order to be perceived to be humorous. People laugh and feel amused when they feel both threatened and safe or think that something is both wrong and acceptable. Pete McGraw is a leading researcher at the Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder. McGraw believes that jokes are funny because they violate your beliefs, but turn out to be something insignificant. McGraw's results make sense in light of the "benign violation theory" of humor: The benign violation theory explains why psychological distance helps humor up to a point but suggests that . Peter McGraw calls his benign . 2) The violation is benign. The Benign Violation Theory was proposed by Caleb Warren and Peter McGraw in 2010 (read their original article which proposed this theory).Caleb Warren is Professor in Consumer Behaviour at the University of Arizona.. Peter McGraw is Associate Professor of Marketing and Psychology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.. McGraw also directs the Humor Research Lab (affectionately nicknamed HuRL . The comedian Sarah Silverman transforms violations into benign violations by making racial and ethnic jokes in a cute, non-serious, non-threatening way. The Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder studies humor in-depth and came up with the benign violation theory to explain how we determine jokes to be funny. In their book The Humor Code , the behavioral scientist Peter McGraw and the writer Joel Warner describe a benign violation as one that "says things that are true but that people avoid saying (a violation), yet not so bad that people are uncomfortable (benign)." The benign violation theory builds on work by Tom Veatch and integrates existing humor theories to propose that humor occurs when and only when three conditions are satisfied: (1) a situation is violation, (2) the situation is benign, and (3) both perceptions occur simultaneously. Now there's the compelling "benign violation theory," which doesn't sound funny but is more inclusive. In other words, if something is framed as humor, people are more likely to process its meaning . You could even consider it a sort of test. It very clearly has the violation side down. According to the Benign Violation Theory, humor has its roots in potentially negative experiences (i.e., violations) that are made to seem okay in some way (i.e., benign). Cultures differ in what they consider humorous in large part because of they have different standards for what is wrong and what is okay. But not all violations would be made funnier by making them more distant. It states that a joke violates our sense of what the world should be like, to the point where it seems threatening. So how do you find that comedic sweet spot? The theory they lay out: "Laughter and amusement result from violations that are simultaneously seen as benign.". jokes. All in all, the benign violation theory is a practical tool that can be applied to explain most funny marketing campaign. news, why in general do people find masturbation jokes funny as it pertains to the benign violation theory? This newer theory by Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren is arguably the offspring of the Relief Theory and the Incongruity Theory. The idea of benign violation has limitations, however: it describes triggers of laughter but does not explain, for instance, the role humor has played in humanity's evolutionary success. University of Colorado psychology professor Peter McGraw, an expert in emotion and behavior decision theory believes that "humor occurs only when and only where three conditions are satisfied: 1). The Benign Violations Theory Lastly, this theory is apparently an attempt by recent researchers to try to find a "unifying theory" of humor. To be funny, a joke has to land in that sweet spot between the two extremes" (McGraw, "Humor Code 2" par. The benign violation theory builds on work by Tom Veatch and integrates existing humor theories to propose that humor occurs when and only when three conditions are satisfied: (1) a situation is violation, (2) the situation is benign, and (3) both perceptions occur simultaneously. Benign Violation Theory of Humor. Inside Jokes (MIT, 2011) Gabora . The Benign Violation Theory says that, "A joke can fail in one of two ways: it can be too benign, and therefore boring, or it can be too much of a violation, and therefore offensive. It is also a good reference for marketers if they want to make use of humor element in TV, social media or any type of platform. Is the narrative, the context, the character or the joke - fundamentally benign? Warren, C., Barsky, A., & McGraw, A. P. (2021 . Let's do an example of this theory using slapstick humor-Violation: Character A has walked outside and got hit on the head by a piano, they are injured (not funny). It seems as though the world needs to be unified by . You really have to work at finding secondary meanings of the word "violation" to explain the humor of kittens, or why an insult is better if it's cleverly rhymed and flowed in a rap battle. Benign violation theory The benign violation theory (BVT) is developed by researchers A. Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren. The benign violation theory highlights the role of psychological distance in comedy: Not enough distance, and the joke offends; too much, and it bores. Why? If you'd like to go a little more in depth on the topic of comedy and humour, it's interesting to look at the benign violation theory. 10). McGraw discusses his 'benign violation' theory of humor, when it's too soon to joke about tragedy, how and why humor varies by culture, and how we can apply lessons from comedy to become more innovative and creative thinkers in all areas of our life and work. Research in HuRL has highlighted three ways that a violation can seem benign: 1) Alternative norms (e.g., one meaning of a phrase in a pun doesn't make sense, but the other meaning does), 2) commitment to a violated norm (e.g., men find sexist jokes funnier than women do), and 3) psychological distance (e.g., "comedy is tragedy plus time"). Joke writers have to . harmless, inconsequential, good, normal, acceptable, correct, or logical) [5,29,30]. When contemplating how to interpret a joke, you may consider whether the joke is benign (harmless, inconsequential, not important) or a violation (a physical threat . However, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that when we decide that a violation is benign, we are . The Benign Violation Theory says that, "A joke can fail in one of two ways: it can be too benign, and therefore boring, or it can be too much of a violation, and therefore offensive. McGraw and Warren's own "benign-violation theory" suggests that to be funny, "a situation must be appraised as a violation" and also "as benign." . To be funny, a joke has to land in that sweet spot . So I did some research and decided that the benign violation theory in The Humor Code makes a lot of sense. In collaboration with Caleb Warren, McGraw has been developing and testing a general theory of humor called the benign violation theory. A joke can fail in one of two ways: It can be too benign, and therefore boring, or it can be too much of a violation, and therefore offensive. The benign violation theory, in turn, has to stretch for some cases. The theory suggests that humor occurs when a person simultaneously appraises a situation as wrong or threatening some way (i.e., a violation) and yet appraises the situation to be okay or acceptable in some way (i.e., benign). The violation is that he is crushing his young daughter in the game. the threatening situation seems benign; a person sees both interpretations at the same time; I like this viewpoint quite a bit. Given that humor requires a . In this talk he not only discusses what is funny, but w. 2015). The social distance between a joke-listener and joke-teller may moderate whether a joke is perceived as benign or not. Benign violation theory posits that humor is experienced when a circumstance is simultaneously perceived as a violation but also as being benign. 1) The situation is a violation of some accepted norm, which means the joke-teller challenges a belief about how the world should be. Whether they're talking about death . McGraw . According to their "Benign violation theory", a good joke, surprisingly, is a threat characterized by a wicked twist and good timing, which reveals itself to be empty. He isn't going to let her win. Seeking to integrate several humor theories and building on work from linguist Tom Veatch, the authors of the book The Humor Code, Caleb Warren and A. Peter McGraw, developed the Benign Violation Theory of Humor to explain why folks find things funny.This theory suggested that something is funny (humor occurs) when and only when three conditions are present — when the situation being . The Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder studies humor in-depth and came up with the benign violation theory to explain how we determine jokes to be funny. Researchers have proposed the "benign-violation theory , " in which they explain that people tend to be amused by jokes that violate our usual morals . If we continue to evaluate Heathcliff through the benign-violation hypothesis of humor, Heathcliff's violations of the norm, like bringing a pile of hams to a therapy session, are interesting because they key off of two psychological distancing effects; first, that Heathcliff is a cat, and cats do not go to therapy, but second, and perhaps more interesting, is that the suburbia that . This "benign violation" theory of humor is central to The Humor Code, which Warner and McGraw, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, researched by digging into comedy trends . First, there must be a violation of the norm. violation is a necessary condition for humor, only that it is sufficient, and then only when it is perceived as benign. Their paper, "Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny," cited scores of philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists (as well as Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett). The explanation may help the audience see both the violation and benign elements in the joke but fail to produce laughter and amusement. Finding the balance between a benign violation and an extreme violation can be tricky—even professional comedians routinely face criticism for overstepping—and it takes skill to get it right . The Funniest Joke (According to Science) The BVT specifies how psychological distance plays a central role in determining whether a certain event, joke, or other stimulus is perceived . Benign Violation explained why the unexpected sight of a friend falling down the stairs (a violation of expectations) was funny only if the friend was not seriously injured (a benign outcome). Essentially, there has to be something wrong for a joke to be funny, but if you go too far in one direction, the joke can become threatening. But the more I thought about how jokes are actually written and about what makes one version of a joke funnier than another, the more I realized that I had to tweak the theory to make it fit the short-form comedy found on late-night TV. The Benign Violation Theory postulates that humor occurs when something is simultaneously perceived as a violation (e.g. We should Outside the context of the Louis C.K. It's indelicate. For instance, a sexist joke about women, told to a woman by a man unknown to her . a physical threat, identity threat, something wrong, incorrect, or worse than expected) and also benign (e.g. It's kind of embarrassing. Last, both these perceptions must occur simultaneously. explaining a joke to someone who doesn't get it at first. HuRL feels it's found a flawless theory, one that fits every brand of comedy. (3) both perceptions occur simultaneously. A violation occurs when a situation threatens the way that you . The Benign Violation Theory of humor from HuRL. Humor tends to rely on benign violations—violating expectations in a safe, "as-if" context. One reason is because it identifies a simple reason that our humorous efforts can go awry. Even the jokes in popular sitcoms, such as Seinfeld, may seem too tame for some viewers (i.e., no violation) yet too risqué for others (i.e., not benign). "Humor fails in two ways: it can offend or it can bore. Most violations do not amuse, but a violation that . Benign Violation Theory of Humor. The Benign Violation Theory is a humor theory that was developed and popularized by researchers Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren in the Humor Research Lab (HuRL) at the University of Colorado. The " Benign Violation Theory " posits that for something to be funny, three conditions must be met. To be funny, a joke has to land in that sweet spot between the two… In effect, if something is both benign and a violation, it's inherently funny. The psychologist Peter McGraw has a name for the theory, which he called Benign Violation. This entry was posted in Stand-up Comedy Tips and tagged Benign Violation Theory, comedy open mic, comedy routine, how to write stand up comedy jokes, joke writing formula, learn stand-up comedy, Peter McGraw, write stand-up comedy material, writing stand up comedy for beginners by Steve Roye. The men behind Inside Jokes —Matthew M. Hurley, of Indiana University; Daniel C. Dennett, of Tufts . Developed by A. Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren, the benign violation theory predicts that people will find humour in situations that fall somewhere between being benign (harmless) and a violation (harmful, breaking a rule or social norm). The basic framework for all jokes is that there is an expectation, and then a violation of that expectation. The theory builds on work by a linguist, Tom Veatch, and integrates existing humour theories to propose that humour occurs when and only when three conditions are satisfied: (1) a situation is a violation. arises from benign violations of social norms. Take special note of the benign violation in the joke, which is probably why people find it funny. Warren and McGraw argue that the benign violation theory dominates these alternatives because it not only identifies conditions that are necessary for a joke or event to be humorous, but those . Presenting something as a joke may itself be enough for an audience to decide that it is benign. This is the kind of topic polite people don't talk about. As far as I am concerned, using humor in marketing is a clever move but it is also risky trying . The Benign Violation Theory. The benign violation theory argues that humor perception results from a violation appraisal, a benign appraisal, and both appraisals occurring simultaneously. The "benign violation theory" of humor (2010) provides the opportunity for people to police the realm of humor by claiming that comedy must be benign; comedy which is "dangerous" should not be funny and it should not be permitted. This idea makes up his Benign Violation theory, and it serves as the engine driving the book. The Benign Violation Theory The Humor Research Lab uses the Benign Violation Theory as its theoretical foundation. "A dirty joke trades on moral or social violations, but it's only going to get a laugh if the . Yet malign moral violations tended to elicit negative reactions. The theory they lay out: "Laughter and amusement result from violations that are simultaneously seen as benign.". They call it a benign violation when we try to find the comedy in tragedy or humor in calamities. When contemplating how to interpret a joke, you may consider whether the joke is benign (harmless, inconsequential, not important) or a violation (a physical threat . McGraw says even the act of tickling, which elicits laughter, is a benign violation because it violates our personal space without being hurtful. That is to say, humorous material challenges or violates a given notion of how the world ought to be, but does so in a manner that falls short of offensiveness. Their paper, "Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny," cited scores of philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists (as well as Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett). Armed with a Venn diagram and his "benign violation" theory, Colorado professor Peter McGraw insists he can explain every joke ever. Jokes about flatulence may be benign violation in its purest form—everyone does it, but it still causes a shock in a public setting. Save this story for later. The benign violation theory explains humorous responses to a broad range of situations. Another experiment tested whether benign appraisals of a moral violation made it funnier, and they found that it did. In a series of studies, HuRL found that its subjects often laughed at potentially benign moral violations.
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