Taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others

Hi Laura,

just watched your piece on laughter TV3. I was impressed by Marc's explanation, as many psychologists explain this form of laughter in terms of the superiority theory of humour.

I have an essay online concerned with laughter and humor, in which I put forward the same ideas:

In the 1987 edition of The Oxford Companion To The Mind, empathy is discussed without any reference to human relationships at all and emphasizes our ability to associate ourselves with the inanimate. By comparing ourselves with, and to, everything we encounter, empathy aids us in measuring our strengths and weaknesses and determining appropriate physical and mental responses to specific situations. Empathy is particularly important in human interactions as we cannot have sympathy without empathy, although it should be noted that sympathy is not an automatic result of an empathetic state of mind.

Empathy is important in the processing of laughter evoking situations as it is instrumental in the production of a changing complex of emotive responses as the event proceeds. When we observe another human being in certain extreme circumstances, or indulging in certain extreme behaviors, there is an empathetic induction of an emotive state that is not personally nor appropriately actionable. This empathetic appreciation of a situation is particularly essential in non-verbal humorous events such as clowning and slapstick. When we see a man slip on a banana skin our mirror and spindle neurons, which mediate our ability to empathize,(Schulte-Rüther 2007) evoke an emotive state that is neither truly our own nor appropriately actionable. However, empathy may immediately give way to sympathy, which can give rise to appropriate action, such as helping the man to his feet and asking if he is hurt. Most people would not laugh if the fall was accompanied by a sickening thud as the man’s head hit the ground, as this would immediately induce a sympathetic state of mind. Laughter, for all but the sadistic, will only occur if the fall was perceived to have caused no serious harm.

A common explanation for laughter evoked by the sight of someone falling down is that we laugh because it has not happened to us. This is correct, but for the wrong reasons, as it is not a matter of being pleased that we have escaped an embarrassing or painful experience. The fact that the slipping on a banana skin has not happened to us means the empathetically simulated emotive states of startle, fear and pain, are at odds with the reality of our position in the situation, and when not overridden by sympathy, this emotive activity is inhibited as a result of the disinhibition of laughter.

https://sites.google.com/site/basilhughhall/anewtheoryoflaughterandhumor