Thread by @garwboy

How come we can listen to the same song again and again, for years, and still enjoy it, but a joke's never as funny if you've heard it before?

It's because, far as we know, our brains process humour and music differently

Here's another #BrainStuff thread for you

/1

Music affects us on multiple levels of the brain. From the most fundamental, to the incredibly complex. And a lot of it is tied up with instinct, emotion, memory, and so on.

nature.com/articles/nrn36…

/2

E.g. some argue that certain sounds trigger instinctive emotional reactions.
Discordant, high-pitched, chaotic noise sounds like the shriek of a predator, so we don't like them

Rhythmic noise means harmony and coordination, so we like that, and so on.

/3

At the higher levels of neurological functioning, there's the recognition of pattern, an appreciation of complexity combined with order, and so on.

Suffice to say, music ticks a lot of the brain's boxes. Hence it's so popular.

/4

There's also the fact that music triggers a lot of emotional responses, and memory and emotion are heavily intertwined. Ergo, the music that triggers the strongest emotional reactions will typically be the stuff you enjoy the most

/5

However, because of how neurological development works, our emotions are most potent and sensitive during our teenage years. Which is why, no matter how old they are, people often feel the music of their teens was 'the best', and keep listening to it

theverge.com/2018/2/12/1700…

/6

Overall, music affects our brains in multiple ways, and the stuff that we do like affects us on various levels, so we can keep listening to examples of it long term. It's often like a cherished memory; it's impact may fade, but we don't really tire of reliving it

/7

Humour and jokes don't really have that luxury though.

The actual neurological mechanisms of humour aren't thoroughly understood (because that would rely on scientists being able to make anyone and everyone laugh on cue), but some things we think we DO know...

/8

And one thing the neurological regions heavily implicated in humour processing seem to be particularly attuned to is *incongruity*. If there's no incongruity, there's not really much chance of humour being recognised/triggered/whatever.

I'm aware I need to translate this

/9

Basically, our brains seemingly run a constantly-updated model, or simulation, of how the world works, informed by all our memories, beliefs, experiences, predictions, understandings etc. We use this to navigate and interact with the wider world. Makes sense, right?

/10

However, we often encounter things which challenge or even violate our existing understanding of how things we work. We expect one thing to happen, but another thing does. Now we're into the arena of uncertainty, and our brains don't like that

sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

/11

Usually things which violate our understanding and expectations, which are *incongruous*, trigger negative emotions. But, what if the incongruity is resolved, quickly, efficiently, and safely, even in a way which enhances and updates our understanding?

That's GOOD, right?

/12

And that, the incongruity, the violation of expected norms *and its safe and rapid resolution* is, according to some research at least, the most fundamental component of humour, and our response to it (positive emotions, laughter etc.)

/13

At the most basic levels, this can be seen in wordplay, i.e. the humble pun. ONE word, with TWO meanings? That's not how words work!

But our brains spot that both meanings are valid and there is no challenge to our understanding of language, so it's fine. Ha ha. Very good.

/14

Incongruity can be physical, like slapstick. Someone doing a hugely elaborate fall isn't *meant* to happen, and if they hurt themselves it's not funny. But if they're uninjured, the incongruity is resolved safely, and it can be hilarious, so you laugh.

/15

Incongruity can also be cultural. The pantomime Dame is the personification of 'a MAN, in a DRESS? That's not how things work!'

'...ah, but it's a performance. A safe context where the rules are different, so it's allowed'. Incongruity resolved, and we can laugh (or not).

/16

Basically, for our brains, jokes and humour seemingly depend on expectations being violated and resolved, very quickly, in safe and informative ways. Our brains find this rewarding, so humour is pleasurable. We've even evolved to utilise it, for mating, communication etc.

/17

It also explains why sense of humour can vary so wildly between individuals. How quickly your brain resolves contradictions, combined with everyone having their own unique set of understandings and expectations, greatly influences what we laugh at.

/18

However, this does mean that jokes/expressions of humour fundamentally rely on expectations being violated. And if you've encountered the joke before, your brain knows what's coming, so expectations *won't* be violated. So, a humour response is far less likely to occur

/19

It's not that you can't laugh a joke again. It can happen. It may be memory of the strong emotional response from first hearing, the appreciation of the complexity of it, the recognition and familiarity of the subject matter, etc.

/20

But even so, a joke is rarely ever *as* enjoyable as the first time you encounter it. For your brain, it's like re-reading a mystery novel; still enjoyable, but as long as you can remember it, the resolution is never as impactful if you already know it's coming.

/21

So, music is more about the journey, humour is more about the destination, at least as far as our brains are concerned

And that's maybe why comedians have to keep coming up with new stuff, while musicians are regularly urged to play 'the classics'.

/22

I have a whole chapter about this in my second book The Happy Brain

amazon.co.uk/Happy-Brain-Sc…

hive.co.uk/Product/Dean-B…

Seems to have been a bit of a run on it lately, so seek it out where you can.

#BrainStuff #SciComm #Psych

/end

Addendum: this thread more applies to specific jokes. Many people have cited routines/sketches/performances that make them laugh repeatedly, but that involves a lot more complexity as a stimulus, so is arguably more akin to music

https://twitter.com/garwboy/status/1442864255892529158