"Humor researchers argue that something is funny when it's both a "violation" and clearly benign-a safe breach of expectation (e.g., the stapler that's been Jell-O-molded but unharmed, the Zoom background that turns your colleague's office into a moon base). This benign-violation account helps distinguish playful pranks from hurtful ones and explains why the same gag lands in one relationship and flops in another (McGraw & Warren, 2010)."
"Power and psychological distance matter, too: humor works best when there isn't a power imbalance and when the "violation" feels safely distant from core identities or risks (Kant et al., 2019). In short, the ground rule for practical jokes is radical safety. Laughter isn't just pleasant; it's bonding. In a study of romantic partners recalling their "how we met" story, shared laughter (not just total laughter) strongly indexed relationship quality and felt closeness (Kurtz & Algoe, 2015)."
Something is funny when it combines a violation with clear benignity—a safe breach of expectation that leaves no lasting harm. Power balance and psychological distance shape whether a gag lands, with humor working best when no power imbalance exists and core identities are left untouched. Shared laughter builds closeness, raises pain thresholds, and triggers endogenous opioid release in reward and bonding brain regions. Harmless practical jokes can engineer surprise-plus-shared-amusement moments that strengthen relationships. Planning gentle pranks boosts savoring and the joker's mood. Practical rules include avoiding punching down, keeping pranks reversible, inclusive, and brief.
Read at Psychology Today
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