by D. Victor

Created on: April 25, 2009   Last Updated: May 09, 2010

A manifestation of humor is not always perceived as funny or comical. Humor - characterised as being comical or amusing - relies on an amalgam of factors that affect our perception of it. The difference between a joke or action being funny or perceived as having "bombed" atomically relies on your sense of humor, which is, in turn, influenced by a host of factors.

It may be stated that a person either has or does not have a good sense of humor'. This "sense of humor" determines whether a particular individual perceives something as funny or not. While humor is necessarily subjective, it is a social fact that some persons are considered to have a better sense of humor than others. If humour' is perceived by individuals who generally are not considered to have a good sense of humour, it is unlikely to be funny.

The social context also determines how humor is perceived and received. There are certain sensitive topics that we are socialised not to use for humor. Someone's illness or disability is not considered to be good comic fodder for instance. This would not be perceived as funny to the extent that it would be classified as malice or an ill-conceived joke. The social context also determines whether an unusual or inappropriate behaviour is deemed to be funny or not. For instance, wearing plaid pants and doing the funky chicken' will be perceived as funny in specific contexts and disturbing' in others.

The perceived intention of humor is also critical in its classification. Jokes that are perceived as intending to cause hurt, humiliation or unjustified ridicule don't often find favour with many persons. Even if well-intended humor is perceived as insinuating or connoting something negative about something or someone, that humor may typically evoke a response other than laughter or genuine amusement.

A negative emotional state can also reduce your ability to perceive humor. Humor relies on us drawing on our memory and neural connections. When you are in a bad mood, your access to pleasant memories and connections are restricted. Even a person who normally has a good sense of humor can be susceptible to a reduced ability to perceive humor when their mind is in such a state.

There are many different levels of humor and the appreciation of these levels can differ according to maturity, education and intelligence. Some forms of humor are basic- even childish. Others - like satire - rely on the perceiver having a bit more intelligence, knowledge or awareness to really appreciate and understand that it is really humor' in the first place. When some persons don't find a form of humor to be funny, there is the chance that they really don't get it'.

There is a fine line between humor' being classified as good humor, bad humor or something worse. The absence of just one of many factors of humor can make a joke fail terribly. A simple joke can become a barb or personal attack just because of different psychological and social references relating to the joke. Humor is a complex interplay among the minds of individuals, their cultural context and the immediate context of a manifestation of humor'. Ultimately, when humor is not funny', it can be the fault of the receiver, originator or the context (or all of these).

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