There are three basic types of humor: verbal, visual and physical. Verbal humor involves the use of words and it can be found in such things as puns, jokes and witticisms. Visual humor involves the use of images as seen in cartoons and in the physical appearance of some comedians. Physical humor relates to the use of actions. Perhaps the best example of physical humor is "slapstick" comedy which includes such wild actions as pie fights or chase scenes. There are verbal, visual, and physical forms of humor; however, it is obvious that verbal, visual or physical things alone are not funny. There are other conditions added to the verbal, visual or physical stimuli which contribute to their being humorous. In order to determine what is involved in humor and why some things are funny and others are not, it is necessary to turn to the theories of humor which have been developed by psychologists and sociologists.
There are three basic theories in explaining humor. Some theorists believe that things are humorous when they make a person feel superior. Others believe that humor involves incongruity, or the juxtaposition of things that aren't normally associated with one another. The third theory is that humor occurs when there is a release of tension. These three theories help to explain various facets of humor; however, they are inadequate in and of themselves to explain the existence of humor.
The theory that humor relates to feelings of superiority has existed since ancient times. Plato, for example, believed that all humor could be explained in this way. This theory claims that people laugh whenever something or someone is degraded. Thus, people will think that something is funny when they feel that it is inferior to them and they are superior to it. Most often, the feelings of superiority and degradation work hand-in-hand. Thus, this type of humor consists of giving "yourself a sense of superiority by deriding lesse...