Isn’t it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humor? When you think about it, it’s weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it’s funny. Don’t you think it’s odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?” “I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at the things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.
Bill Watterson
I actually just posted something the other day on my psychology/therapy blog about how/why humor may have developed in humans for evolutionary purposes. Apparently, there’s a theory that “humor may have evolved as a way to indicate interest toward potential and existing relationships with romantic partners, friends, allies, family members, etc. That is, people initiate humor and gauge the reaction in order to test the social waters.”
