The Lowest of the Low

Now that we've spent some time on one end of the spectrum, shall we explore the social pheonomenon known as toilet humor? Not familiar? Take a look:



Arguably the most common type of humor in popular culture today, jokes about bodily functions abound in contemporary movies. What do YOU think?

High-brow Humor: New Yorker Cartoons

The pinnacle of high-brow comedy, these cartoons have been a mainstay of the educated, wealthy readership of the New Yorker since they originated 85 years ago. On nearly every editorial page in the weekly current events magazine, the subjects run the gamut from society to culture to animals to food. It's interesting to point out that humor transcends all social classes - even the serious-minded crowd that reads this publication

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Readers now have the opportunity to interact with these humorous gems through the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest, started in 2005. Go check out this week's cartoon and submit your own!

What Makes Homo Sapiens Laugh?

Hello! I am the Humorist, and I'd like to welcome all of you (::crickets::) to my blog about all the things that tickle our collective funny bone. I thought it might be beneficial to start by taking a look at the biological rationale for laughter.

E.B. White once said, "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. The procedure kills the essence of both the frog and the funny -- and then what's the point?" I see his point. But laugher is such an oddity and I'm always looking for the 'why' behind the 'what.'

According to recent research from Stanford (and sourced from The San Francisco Chronicle) the analysis showed positive correlation between extroversion and oxygenation level-dependent signal in discrete regions of the right orbital frontal cortex." So what the heck does that mean, anyway? Basically, outgoing people tend to laugh more and increase oxygen levels throughout their nervous system, an evolutionary advantage.

But a few more fun facts from the article included:

• Social scientists and surveyors have long documented that people who are perceived as witty, clever and funny are destined for popularity and greater success in work and relationships. 
• A sense of humor may indeed be the most necessary ingredient to transform a romantic attraction into a flourishing long-term relationship
• 91 percent of top executives surveyed consider humor important to career advancement. 
• There is an International Society for Humor Studies - who knew?

I like forward to some great laughs with all of you!