A new study has revealed (not surprisingly) that different parts of the brain are involved in humor recognition and humor appreciation.
This is something we could have guessed from a number of things:
1. People often “get” a joke but don’t find it funny.
2. There are those stoic Hollywood types who hear a joke and respond with the monotone word “Funny,” not batting an eyelash or cracking a smile.
3. We often laugh more often and more heartily when in a group than we do when alone. When watching a comedy program or movie by ourselves, we often “get” and appreciate the humor, but don’t laugh as frquently or with as much gusto as when we see the same comedy in the presence of a group of people, whose laughter reinforces our own appreciation of the humor.
The study suggests that the humor-recognition module of the brain is located in the left hemisphere (connected more closely with rational thought), while the humor-appreciation module is located deeper in the brain (containing structures connected more closely with the emotions).
The study was done by showing people episodes of The Simpsons and Seinfeld and monitoring their brains for activity.
According to one of the researchers, “If some people don’t find The Simpsons funny, it’s premature to say that they have a defective frontal lobe.”
Must . . . resist . . . obvious . . . joke.
Totally makes sense