Psychology of Laughter, Chapter 2

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LAUGHTER

Boris Sidis, Ph.D., M.D.

What changes does the play element undergo from the toys of the child to the jokes, jests, banterings, and comedy of the adult? In all of them we observe the artistic activity manifesting itself as free unrestrained energy. This, however, is too general a statement. We must go more into detail and find out what there is in the object of merriment that unloosens the pent-up energies resulting in the psychomotor activities of laughter. The spent energy, as in all artistic activities, should be felt by the person who exercises it as not tending to any useful aim. The energy must be spent for its own sake: for the love of it. The child in with its doll, the adult playing his games, must feel that they are not for a certain purpose; but the purpose, as in all art, must be the very activity itself. The painter in working on his picture, the sculptor in chiseling his statue, the novelist in working on his book, must feel the same love of the activity itself, irrespective of any ultimate gain. The activity itself must be its own purpose.

Even in the play instinct manifested as religion, the games, the songs, the hymns, the worship, the prayers, must be for some ultimate infinite aim outside the sordid cares of life; they must be for the love of the Infinite, for the love of God. "Love thy God with all thy heart" is the commandment of religion; in the highest form of religious worship it is love irrespective of all earthly gain. This statement appears irreverent, since it puts religions in the same category with play and games. In the course of our exposition we shall realize the full meaning of this principle of the play instinct underlying man's artistic activity which has its root in the animal play instinct. We shall find that the play instinct is probably the most fundamental instinct of animal life-it gives rise to the highest activities characteristic of human life. The play instinct is one of the broadest, the deepest of human interests that work in man, giving rise to the highest artistic, moral, and intellectual life of which the human mind is capable.

"Out of the mouths of babes we may learn wisdom," as the Bible puts it. Let us return to the little ones and attempt to scrutinize their simple play and games. We may find in them some of the elements which enter as constituents in the laughter, wit, and the comic of the fully developed adult life. When the little girl plays with her dolls, or the boy plays his games, what we observe most casually is the fact that there is a complete lack of consciousness of effort. The play is carried on with ease, with gracefulness. Even if there is any effort present it is only for the observer: the child that carries out the game has no consciousness of effort, there is not the least trace of irksomeness. This lack of consciousness of effort and lack of irksomeness are found in the games of the adult, although such games may to the external observer appear difficult. In this respect even severe games, like football or baseball, may be learned so as to have them executed with no consciousness of intense effort. This also holds true in the highly complex and difficult artistic works, such as music, painting, and sculpture. In fact, it may be said that this law holds true in the whole domain of play, with its joy and the consequent inner laughter. In the work of the mathematician when he solves a difficult problem, in the work of the inventor, in the play of chess, as well as in other games, the more difficulties are overcome, the more the joy elements are present, the more we see bubbles of laughter rising to the surface of mental life. The great poet Sophocles makes Electra say of her mother Clytemnestra that she is "triumphantly laughing at what she has done." Similarly the poet in Job says: "Wilt thou give strength to the horse? Wilt thou clothe his neck with thunder? He will not be dismayed and he will laugh at fear." We may then formulate the following law: If an act is carried out in a playful way, the more difficulties that playful act embodies, the more there is of inner joy; the more interesting and exciting the game, the more intense the psychomotor reactions, the more will the manifestations of merriment and laughter appear. This is the secret of the intense allurements of games which are accompanied with danger.

Nations in which the intellectual and artistic sides are undeveloped look for enjoyment, merriment, and laughter in gross and dangerous games. Witness the gladiatorial games of the ancient Romans, the bull fights of the Spaniards, and the football of the American populace. The whole fun of the game is danger overcome, made easy and playful.

Many hide this craving for games of danger, this ferocious element, under the guise of training. Such games, it is claimed, train the man. What such games really train is the brutal, animal play instinct. We may possibly formulate another related law: The more material civilization becomes developed, and the craving for play grows, the greater is the demand of having the difficult and the impossible enacted with ease. We demand more and more difficult feats of the clown, of the actor, of the prestidgitateur, of the racers, and of the prize fighters. The technique rises with civilization. What a country bumpkin regards with admiration and laughs at with great joy the city man regards with contempt. We demand of the circus man and the animals with which he plays at great danger of life more and more difficult feats executed and with greater ease and grace. We may, therefore, finally express the law: The lower the intellectual element in a given civilized community, the more will the dangerous elements predominate in their games.

This may possibly fall under the Weber-Fechner law that while the sensations grow in an arithmetical progression the stimuli grow in a geometrical progression. However, whether the last law be true or not of the whole emotional life, our law remains true; namely, that enjoyment and its psychomotor manifestations, laughter, grow with the difficulties embodied in the act that gives rise to merriment and laughter. The ease with which the difficult or dangerous feat is carried out arouses joy with its accompanying smiles and laughter.

In his dance, in his jump, in his gambol, it is the ease with which the motions are executed that gives the child such joy, over which he delights in peals of laughter. In his choice of the ball the young child specially delights and laughs of the skips of the light ball that rebounds with ease. The balloon that skips and floats about he greets with merry laughter. The child will not choose anything clumsy, heavy, unwieldy, or irksome to handle: there is no fun in it. He wants the laughter of enjoyment of triumph. This laughter of triumph runs though all the stages of life. When we triumph over some difficulty after a period of long hard work, we laugh. We laugh, when news is brought to us which we hardly believe could have happened. The actor or singer cannot help laughing after a successful play; the grave professor smiles when he solves his problem; the banker, speculator, and financier smile when their plans and schemes have been successfully carried out. The politician, the statesman has his grim smile after a successful campaign, and the general has his grin after a triumphant battle. This is the laughter of triumph.

And Miriam the prophetess took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath been thrown into the sea.