[This post is based on a YouTube video I made.]

Even if you’re not a comedian, (or just pretend to be one) you sometimes play the role and others around the play the role as well. It plays an important function. First, it can act as a social lubricant. Think of a scenario where the atmosphere is palpably tense and awkward, and somebody cracks a joke and it immediately lightens the mood in the room. Comedy helps us bond and interact – it breaks the barrier of the strange “other.” According to one estimate, we are thirty times more likely to laugh with other people than when we are alone. (Provine, 2000, p. 45) Think of the laugh tracks on the Big Bang Theory. It’s not a funny show. Fight me.  Comedy can ease charged situations and relieve tension. More examples: announcing bad news, apologizing, complaining, warning, criticizing, commanding, evaluating…  Second, and related, it can establish trust. Being funny is an attractive quality, especially in a romantic partner. Laughing gives pleasure – and a lot of it! So ugly people, listen up. Moreover, the requisites to being funny – like being witty, relatable, and having a personality – shows intelligence, creativity, adaptability, and empathy. Not everybody can be funny, and not everybody can make you laugh – if they can, then there’s already a special bond formed.

More austere, comedy can be useful for education; specifically, philosophical education. Let’s take a closer look at the modern stand-up comedian. They both report a particular point of view and a set of experiences, and they note puzzling ones. Like the observational comic: “What’s the deal with airplane food?” They both try to find some common ground or shared experience, then they analyze this by stepping out and looking at it from a different perspective.  They’re both generally contrarian and don’t abide by accepted customs or traditions, but they critique and analyze it (ironically, satirically, etc.). Sometimes the quickest way of realizing something is wrong is through humor (e.g. south park). They both pay close attention to language. A good joke is economical and uses as few words as possible; moreover, a joke must use exactly the right words to express an idea clearly to an audience. They teach complex ideas and present them in plain English, sometimes through indirect communications – that is, the lesson and subtle and not in-your-face. They both seek to clarify confusing things and find new truths and insights. A comedian often looks at another good joke and thinks, “Why didn’t I think of that, that’s so obvious.” Creativity and cleverness are prized.  Other times, comedians aren’t so profound: sometimes jokes are just for the sake of getting a laugh and are absurd in the sense that they have no purpose. “This seems plainly absurd: but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities” (Russell, 1912, p. 31). Philosophy should be more for the people. It’s been removed to academics and so obfuscated that it has little relevance for the general public. Comedians try to break that boundary by making these general philosophical ideas more palatable and enjoyable to consume. This relationship between philosophy and comedy isn’t so far-fetched. Because I said so.

A unique feature of a good comedian is their comedic voice. Their stage persona – their je ne sais pas. It’s what makes a great actor, story, scene, song, or piece of art. It builds a certain relationship with the audience, and they connect strongly to the audience in a real way. In rhetoric they call it “ethos,” and it’s what makes a great speaker convincing and believable. 

Momentum also ties into this. Typically, comedians have to have a strong opening joke in order to build this relationship of trust with the audience. After we laugh at somebody’s joke, we feel something towards them. The comedian can use this to propel their other jokes on the momentum of their previous successful joke; however, if a joke is unsuccessful, they lose credibility and lose the momentum. They have to build the trust again and get the audience on their side.