October 4th Discussion: What makes us laugh and why?

We all laugh; we all find things funny. Whether it’s laughing at someone else’s error or finding an event so outrageous as to be hysterical, no one goes through life without finding some things amusing. But why is that? Why are certain things universally regarded as humorous (Donald Trump’s hair, or lack thereof) while other subjects are more divisive (race humor for example)? What makes certain types of humor (intense sarcasm or dry wit) less accessible than other types (stoner comedy)? Why is it that we each have different senses of humor? Find out the answers to all of those questions and more, on the next episode of “McKelvy House Discussion!”

P.S. These articles should help:

http://www.wired.com/2011/04/ff_humorcode/

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/a-quest-to-understand-what-makes-things-funny

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/05/13/5_leading_theories_for_why_we_laugh_and_the_jokes_that_prove_them_wrong.html

So those are the actual articles y’all should check out. For the lulz though, purely, enjoy the next three:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/what-kind-of-sense-of-humor-do-you-have#.wsDyk8RJp

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-people-mistakenly-think-are-automatically-hilarious/

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6964842/are-you-smart-enough-to-get-these-12-jokes