Chapter 8. Humor and mirth
-
Salvatore Attardo
Abstract
The chapter describes a virtuous circle (feedback loop) whereby sustained humor (i.e., humorous exchanges lasting more than three turns) may occur, despite the tendency of speakers to return to the unmarked, serious mode of communication. Since humor is often accompanied by cues of humorous intention/interpretation on the part of both speaker and hearer and given the tendency to mirror one’s interlocutor’s gestures, these cues may be reciprocated (e.g., smiling synchrony). However, due to the facial feedback hypothesis of embodied cognition, producing a facial gesture associated with an emotion leads the subject to experience that emotion. Hence, speakers who mimic the facial cues of humorous intention may end up experiencing the same emotion of mirth that the other speaker is experiencing and this in turn may lead them to have the intention of producing more humor, hence triggering a virtuous circle that may continue for extended periods of time.
Abstract
The chapter describes a virtuous circle (feedback loop) whereby sustained humor (i.e., humorous exchanges lasting more than three turns) may occur, despite the tendency of speakers to return to the unmarked, serious mode of communication. Since humor is often accompanied by cues of humorous intention/interpretation on the part of both speaker and hearer and given the tendency to mirror one’s interlocutor’s gestures, these cues may be reciprocated (e.g., smiling synchrony). However, due to the facial feedback hypothesis of embodied cognition, producing a facial gesture associated with an emotion leads the subject to experience that emotion. Hence, speakers who mimic the facial cues of humorous intention may end up experiencing the same emotion of mirth that the other speaker is experiencing and this in turn may lead them to have the intention of producing more humor, hence triggering a virtuous circle that may continue for extended periods of time.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements xi
-
Introduction
- Chapter 1. Emotion processes in discourse 3
-
Section I. Emotion, syntax and the lexicon
- Chapter 2. The multifunctionality of swear/taboo words in television series 29
- Chapter 3. The syntax of an emotional expletive in English 55
- Chapter 4. Interjections and emotions 87
- Chapter 5. Expressing emotions without emotional lexis 113
- Chapter 6. The value of left and right 139
-
Section II. Pragmatics and emotion
- Chapter 7. A cognitive pragmatics of the phatic Internet 161
- Chapter 8. Humor and mirth 189
- Chapter 9. My anger was justified surely? 213
-
Section III. Interdisciplinary studies
- Chapter 10. Emotion and language ‘at work’ 247
- Chapter 11. The effects of linguistic proficiency, Trait Emotional Intelligence and in-group advantage on emotion recognition by British and American English L1 users 279
- Chapter 12. Rethinking Martin & White’s affect taxonomy 301
-
Section IV. Emotion in different discourse types
- Chapter 13. Victims, heroes and villains in newsbites 335
- Chapter 14. Promoemotional science? 357
- Name index 387
- Subject index 395
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements xi
-
Introduction
- Chapter 1. Emotion processes in discourse 3
-
Section I. Emotion, syntax and the lexicon
- Chapter 2. The multifunctionality of swear/taboo words in television series 29
- Chapter 3. The syntax of an emotional expletive in English 55
- Chapter 4. Interjections and emotions 87
- Chapter 5. Expressing emotions without emotional lexis 113
- Chapter 6. The value of left and right 139
-
Section II. Pragmatics and emotion
- Chapter 7. A cognitive pragmatics of the phatic Internet 161
- Chapter 8. Humor and mirth 189
- Chapter 9. My anger was justified surely? 213
-
Section III. Interdisciplinary studies
- Chapter 10. Emotion and language ‘at work’ 247
- Chapter 11. The effects of linguistic proficiency, Trait Emotional Intelligence and in-group advantage on emotion recognition by British and American English L1 users 279
- Chapter 12. Rethinking Martin & White’s affect taxonomy 301
-
Section IV. Emotion in different discourse types
- Chapter 13. Victims, heroes and villains in newsbites 335
- Chapter 14. Promoemotional science? 357
- Name index 387
- Subject index 395
