Home Playful Transgression Theory of Humor and Laughter
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Playful Transgression Theory of Humor and Laughter

  • Leland Masek EMAIL logo and Beer Prakken
Published/Copyright: May 20, 2025
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Abstract

The role of playfulness in humor theory has often been neglected. Humor theorists often connect a certain implicit playfulness, but most do not employ the rich theoretical tradition of the play discipline. If play is discussed, it is usually used to call humor innocuous or detached from normal life. The assumption that play is always safe or disconnected from larger life is not well-founded in play studies. In this way, humor theorists can make inaccurate or even dangerous conclusions about playful humor. Simultaneously, play theorists often view humor as an enactment of playfulness, while not robustly defining it. We provide new perspectives on the experience of playful humor, based on Masek and Stenros’s (2021) and Masek’s (2024) theory of playfulness as “engagement prioritizing.”

In this interdisciplinary approach, we argue that humor is a form of transgressive playfulness. We define comedy as a subset in which rules are set up in such a way that transgression is systematic. The theory is described and compared to major humor theories, most notably Incongruity and Benign Violation Theory. This approach offers a closer collaboration between theories of humor and play and reframes several important humor questions.

References

Apter, Michael J. 2012. Dangerous Edge: The Psychology of Excitement. New York: Free Press.Search in Google Scholar

Attardo, Salvatore. 2015. “Humor and Laughter.” The Handbook of Discourse Analysis, edited by Deborah Tanner, Heidi E. Hamilton, and Deborah Schiffrin, 168–88. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.Search in Google Scholar

Attardo, Salvatore. 2023. Humor 2.0: How the Internet Changed Humor. London: Anthem.Search in Google Scholar

Attardo, Salvatore, Christian F. Hempelmann, and Sara Di Maio. 2002. “Script Oppositions and Logical Mechanisms: Modeling Incongruities and Their Resolutions.” Humor: International Journal of Humor Research 15: 3–46.10.1515/humr.2002.004Search in Google Scholar

Barabadi, Elyas, Majid Elahi Shirvan, Mojdeh Shahnama, and René T. Proyer. 2022. “Perceived Functions of Playfulness in Adult English as a Foreign Language Learners: An Exploratory Study.” Frontiers in Psychology 12: Art. 823123.10.3389/fpsyg.2021.823123Search in Google Scholar

Baruchello, Giorgio, and Ársæl Már Arnarsson. 2022. Humour and Cruelty, vol. 1: A Philosophical Exploration of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Boston: De Gruyter.10.1515/9783110759839Search in Google Scholar

Brayton, Sean. 2007. “MTV’s Jackass: Transgression, Abjection and the Economy of White Masculinity.” Journal of Gender Studies 16(1): 57 – 72.10.1080/09589230601116190Search in Google Scholar

Boyd, Brian. 2004. “Laughter and Literature: A Play Theory of Humor.” Philosophy and Literature 28(1): 1–22.10.1353/phl.2004.0002Search in Google Scholar

Bundy, Anita C., Lori Nelson, Margaret Metzger, and Kathleen Bingaman. 2001. “Validity and Reliability of a Test of Playfulness.” Otjr 21(4): 276 – 92.10.1177/153944920102100405Search in Google Scholar

Burghardt, Gordon M. 2005. The Genesis of Animal Play: Testing the Limits. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.10.7551/mitpress/3229.001.0001Search in Google Scholar

Carroll, Noël. 2014. Humour: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/actrade/9780199552221.001.0001Search in Google Scholar

Chambers, Faye. 2023. “Unifying the Humour Theories: A Stylistic Approach.” In Humour Theory and Stylistic Enquiry, ed. Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju, 39–62. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1007/978-3-031-40387-3_2Search in Google Scholar

Chick, Garry. 2001. “What Is Play For? Sexual Selection and the Evolution of Play.” Play and Culture Studies 3: 3–26.Search in Google Scholar

Condren, Conal. 2023. Between Laughter and Satire: Aspects of the Historical Study of Humour. New York: Springer International.10.1007/978-3-031-21739-5Search in Google Scholar

Cornwell, T. Bettina, Ravi Pappu, and Eric Setten. 2023. “Sport Consumers: Perceiving and Enjoying Danger in American Football.” International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship 24(5): 853 – 70.10.1108/IJSMS-11-2022-0195Search in Google Scholar

Cox, Stephen. 1997. The Abbott and Costello Story: Sixty Years of “Who’s on First?” Nashville, TN: Cumberland.Search in Google Scholar

Cundall, Michael K. 2007. “Humor and the Limits of Incongruity.” Creativity Research Journal 19(2–3): 203–11.10.1080/10400410701397263Search in Google Scholar

Davies, Christie, ed. 2002. The Mirth of Nations. 1st edition. New York: Routledge. Search in Google Scholar

de Moraes, Yago Luksevicius, Marco Antonio Correa Varella, Caio Santos Alves da Silva, and Jaroslava Varella Valentova. 2021. “Adult Playful Individuals Have More Long- and Short-Term Relationships.” Evolutionary Human Sciences 3: 1–19.10.1017/ehs.2021.19Search in Google Scholar

Dormann, Claire, and Robert Biddle. 2009. “A Review of Humor for Computer Games: Play, Laugh and More.” Simulation and Gaming 40(6): 802–24.10.1177/1046878109341390Search in Google Scholar

Gervais, Matthew, and David Sloan Wilson. 2005. “The Evolution and Functions of Laughter and Humor: A Synthetic Approach.” The Quarterly Review of Biology 80(4): 395–430.10.1086/498281Search in Google Scholar

Gimbel, Steven. 2018. Isn’t That Clever: A Philosophical Account of Humor and Comedy. New York: Routledge.10.4324/9781315112633Search in Google Scholar

Gonçales, Cynara, Giuliano Pimentel, and Beatriz Pereira. 2014 “Derision of Bodies, Cyberbullying and the Corruption of Playfulness.” Movimento 20(3): 965–86.10.22456/1982-8918.40735Search in Google Scholar

Gordon, Gwen. 2014. “Well Played: The Origins and Future of Playfulness.” American Journal of Play 6(2): 234–66.Search in Google Scholar

Gračanin, Asmir, Lauren M. Bylsma, and Ad J. J. M. Vingerhoets. 2014. “Is Crying a Self-Soothing Behavior?” Frontiers in Psychology 5: 1–15.10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00502Search in Google Scholar

Greenberg, Edward. 2020. “Humor as a Threat-Coding Mechanism.” The European Journal of Humour Research 8: 14–28.10.7592/EJHR2020.8.1.greenbergSearch in Google Scholar

Guitard, Paulette, Francine Ferland, and Élisabeth Dutil. 2005. “Toward a Better Understanding of Playfulness in Adults.” OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health 25: 9–22.10.1177/153944920502500103Search in Google Scholar

Hamblen, Jessica. 2009. “What is PTSD?” A handout from the National Center for PTSD. Washington, DC: National Center for PTSD, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/handouts-pdf/handout_What_is_PTSD.pdfSearch in Google Scholar

Harmon-Jones, Eddie, Cindy Harmon-Jones, and Tom F. Price. 2013. “What is approach motivation?” Emotion Review 5(3): 291–95.10.1177/1754073913477509Search in Google Scholar

Henderson, Schuyler W. 2005. “Disregarding the Suffering of Others: Narrative, Comedy, and Torture.” Literature and Medicine 24(2): 181 – 208.10.1353/lm.2006.0007Search in Google Scholar

Hinds-Aldrich, Matt. 2011. “Defining the Firefighter Arson Problem: A Research Note.” Fire and Safety Studies Blog. http://fireandsafetystudies.wordpress.com/research-areas/firefighter-arson/Search in Google Scholar

Jackson, Caroline, David Roger Vaughan, and Lorraine Brown. 2018. “Discovering Lived Experiences through Descriptive Phenomenology.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 30(11): 3309–25.10.1108/IJCHM-10-2017-0707Search in Google Scholar

Keillor, Garrison, et al. 2011. Pretty Good Joke Book. 5th Edition. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin.Search in Google Scholar

Kim, Sun Wook. 2015. “Reading the Ehud Story (Jdg 3: 12-30) in the Light of Linguistic Playfulness.” 성경원문연구 37: 193–214.10.28977/jbtr.2015.10.37.193Search in Google Scholar

Kuipers, Giselinde. 2009. “Humor Styles and Symbolic Boundaries.” Journal of Literary Theory 3(2): 219–39. 10.1515/JLT.2009.013Search in Google Scholar

Kulka, Tomáš. 2007. “The Incongruity of Incongruity Theories of Humor.” Organon F 14(3): 320–33.Search in Google Scholar

Lester, Stuart. 2019. Everyday Play: A New Approach to Children’s Play and Adult Responses. Edited by Wendy Russell and Jeremy Lester. London: Jessica Kingsley.Search in Google Scholar

Lockett, McKenzie. 2023. “Investigating the Role of Affective Incongruity in Trauma Analogue Memory Intrusions. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.Search in Google Scholar

Lucero, Andrés, and Juha Arrasvuori. 2010. “PLEX Cards: A Source of Inspiration when Designing for Playfulness.” Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Fun and Games, 28–37.10.1145/1823818.1823821Search in Google Scholar

Macagno, Fabrizio, and Michael K. Cundall. 2022. “The Argumentative ‘Logic’ of Humor.” Philosophy and Rhetoric 55(3): 223–51.10.5325/philrhet.55.3.0223Search in Google Scholar

Marra, Jennifer. 2019. “Humor, Power and Culture: A New Theory on the Experience and Ethics of Humor.” Ph.D. dissertation. Marquette University.Search in Google Scholar

Masek, Leland. 2023. “Criticizing Caillois: Examining How Players Perceive Rules in Play and Games.” Conference Proceedings of DiGRA 2023 Conference: Limits and Margins of Games Settings. https://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/view/191510.26503/dl.v2023i1.1915Search in Google Scholar

Masek, Leland. 2024. “Identifying Playfulness: An Empirical Study on How Adults Recognize and Define Playfulness Across Culture.” Games and Culture, 15554120231226262.10.1177/15554120231226262Search in Google Scholar

Masek, Leland, and Jaakko Stenros. 2021. “The Meaning of Playfulness: A Review of the Contemporary Definitions of the Concept Across Disciplines.” Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture 12: 13 – 37.10.7557/23.6361Search in Google Scholar

McGhee, Paul E. 2018. “Play, Incongruity, and Humor.” In Child’s Play, edited by Thomas D. Yawkey and Anthony D. Pellegrini, 219–36. New York: Routledge.10.4324/9781315099071-12Search in Google Scholar

McGraw, A. Peter, and Caleb Warren. 2010. “Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny.” Psychological Science 21(8): 1141–49.10.1177/0956797610376073Search in Google Scholar

Merziger, Patrick. 2007. “Humour in Nazi Germany: Resistance and Propaganda? The Popular Desire for an All-Embracing Laughter.” International Review of Social History 52(S15): 275–90.10.1017/S0020859007003240Search in Google Scholar

Moon, Ji-Won, and Young-Gul Kim. 2001. “Extending the TAM for a World-Wide-Web Context.” Information and Management 38(4): 217–30.10.1016/S0378-7206(00)00061-6Search in Google Scholar

Morreall, John, ed. 1987. The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.Search in Google Scholar

Morreall, John. 2009. “Humor as Cognitive Play.” Journal of Literary Theory 3(2): 241–60.10.1515/JLT.2009.014Search in Google Scholar

Morreall, John.  2020. “The Good, the Bad and the Funny.” Southern Journal of Philosophy 58(4): 632 – 47.10.1111/sjp.12390Search in Google Scholar

Morreall, John. 2024. “Philosophy of Humor.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/humor/Search in Google Scholar

Mortensen, Torill Elvira, Jonas Linderoth, and Ashley ML Brown, eds. 2015. The Dark Side of Game Play: Controversial Issues in Playful Environments. New York: Routledge.10.4324/9781315738680Search in Google Scholar

Olin, Lauren. 2016. “Questions for a Theory of Humor.” Philosophy Compass 11(6): 338 – 50.10.1111/phc3.12320Search in Google Scholar

Palagi, Elisabetta, Fausto Caruana, and Frans. B. M. de Waal. 2022. “The Naturalistic Approach to Laughter in Humans and Other Animals: Towards a Unified Theory.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 377(1863): 20210175. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.017510.1098/rstb.2021.0175Search in Google Scholar

Proyer, René T. 2012. “A Psycho-Linguistic Study on Adult Playfulness: Its Hierarchical Structure and Theoretical Considerations.” Journal of Adult Development 12: 141–49.10.1007/s10804-012-9141-7Search in Google Scholar

Proyer, René T. 2017. “A New Structural Model for the Study of Adult Playfulness: Assessment and Exploration of an Understudied Individual Differences Variable.” Personality and Individual Differences 108: 113–22.10.1016/j.paid.2016.12.011Search in Google Scholar

Proyer, René T. 2018. “Playfulness and Humor in Psychology: An Overview and Update.” Humor 31(2): 259 – 71.10.1515/humor-2016-0080Search in Google Scholar

Roberts, Alan. 2019. A Philosophy of Humour. New York: Springer International.10.1007/978-3-030-14382-4Search in Google Scholar

Raskin, Victor. 1979. “Semantics Mechanisms of Humor.” In Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, edited by Christine Chiarello, 325–35. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.10.3765/bls.v5i0.2164Search in Google Scholar

Salura, Merily. 2017. “Countering Destruction with Spontaneity, Redescription, and Playfulness: A Philosophical Reading of Kross.” Ph.D. dissertation. Tartu Ülikool.Search in Google Scholar

Schechner, Richard. 2014. “Playing.” In The Improvisation Studies Reader, edited by Rebecca Caines and Ajay Heble, 386–97. New York: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar

Schechner, Richard. 2017. Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York: Routledge.10.4324/9780203125168Search in Google Scholar

Simon, John Charles. 2020. “Laughter Redefined.” Israeli Journal of Humor Research 9: 72–90.Search in Google Scholar

Stone, Sophia. 2021. “Why You’re Not Worthy: The Superiority Theory of Humor.” In It’s Funny Cause It’s True: The Lighthearted Philosophers’ Society’s Introduction to Philosophy through Humor, edited by Jennifer Marra Henrigillis and Steven Gimbel, 34–41. Lighthearted Philosophers’ Society.Search in Google Scholar

Straus, Ian Jaeger. 2014. “Incongruity Theory and the Explanatory Limits of Reason.” Honors thesis. University of Vermont.Search in Google Scholar

Strick, Madelijn, Rob W. Holland, Rick Van Baaren, and Ad van Knippenberg. 2009. “The Puzzle of Joking: Disentangling the Cognitive and Affective Components of Humorous Distraction.” European Journal of Social Psychology 40: 43–51.10.1002/ejsp.720Search in Google Scholar

Sutton-Smith, Brian. 2001. The Ambiguity of Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Trevlas, Efthimios, Vasilios Grammatikopoulos, Nikolaos Tsigilis, and Evridiki Zachopoulou. 2003. “Evaluating Playfulness: Construct Validity of the Children’s Playfulness Scale.” Early Childhood Education Journal 31: 33–39.10.1023/A:1025132701759Search in Google Scholar

Tully, Melissa, and Brian Ekdale. 2014. “Sites of Playful Engagement: Twitter Hashtags as Spaces of Leisure and Development in Kenya.” Information Technologies and International Development 10(3): 67–82.Search in Google Scholar

Tekinbas, Katie Salen, and Eric Zimmerman. 2003. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Search in Google Scholar

Voss, Vanessa. 2021. “Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Misery Go Down: The Relief Theory of Humor.” In It’s Funny Cause It’s True: The Lighthearted Philosophers’ Society’s Introduction to Philosophy through Humor, edited by Jennifer Marra Henrigillis and Steven Gimbel, 42–49. Lighthearted Philosophers’ Society.Search in Google Scholar

Wagenseller, Nicholas H. 2017. “The Serious Trauma of Seriousness: The Role of Humor in Working Through Trauma.” M.A. thesis. Pacifica Graduate Institute.Search in Google Scholar

Walker, Zoe. 2023. “Just Kidding? Two Roles for the Concept of Joking in Political Speech.” Philosophical Quarterly 74(4): 1338–57.10.1093/pq/pqad121Search in Google Scholar

Weeks, Mark. 2020. “Affect Philosophy Meets Incongruity: About Transformative Potentials in Comic Laughter.” The European Journal of Humour Research 8: 1–13.10.7592/EJHR2020.8.1.weeksSearch in Google Scholar

Willmann, J. M. 1940. “An Analysis of Humor and Laughter.” The American Journal of Psychology 53(1): 70–85.10.2307/1415961Search in Google Scholar

Wilkins, Julia, and Amy Janel Eisenbraun. 2009. “Humor Theories and the Physiological Benefits of Laughter.” Holistic Nursing Practice 23(6): 349–54.10.1097/HNP.0b013e3181bf37adSearch in Google Scholar

Yagil, Dana. 1998. If Anything Can Go Wrong It Will: Occupational Stress among Inexperienced Teachers.” International Journal of Stress Management 5: 179–88.10.1023/A:1022993015970Search in Google Scholar

Yu, Ping, Jing Jyi Wu, I Heng Chen, and Ying-Tzu Lin. 2007. “Is Playfulness a Benefit to Work?: Empirical Evidence of Professionals in Taiwan.” International Journal of Technology Management 39(3–4): 412–29.10.1504/IJTM.2007.013503Search in Google Scholar

Zekavat, Massih. 2019. “Reflexive Humor and Satire: A Critical Review.” The European Journal of Humour Research 7(4): 125–36.10.7592/EJHR2019.7.4.zekavatSearch in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2025-05-20
Published in Print: 2025-05-20

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Titlepages
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Articles
  5. Playful Transgression Theory of Humor and Laughter
  6. The Joke-Coop: Pragmatic Issues of Jokes and Joking
  7. Crying and Laughing Together: Georges Bataille, Friendship, and Deep Emotions
  8. Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part Two: Chan Buddhism, Han Confucianism, Legalism, the School of Names, and the Annals of Lü Buwei
  9. The Concept of Humorous Irony: Jorge Portilla, Carlos Alberto Sánchez, Richard Rorty, Jonathan Lear, and Socrates, with Minimal Reference to Kierkegaard
  10. In Memoriam: Daniel C. Dennett
  11. In Memoriam: Daniel C. Dennett   Edited by Lydia Amir  
  12. “Much Too Hard!”: Daniel C. Dennett on Humor
  13. Daniel C. Dennett: An Intellectual in a World of Technicians
  14. Daniel C. Dennett: A Wellspring of Inspiration
  15. Discussion: Article for Further Debate
  16. Discussion: Article for Further Debate   Edited by John Marmysz  
  17. Self-Referential Humor as Feminist Protest
  18. Too Much Burden on Humor?
  19. The Challenge of Self-Acceptance: Embracing Imperfection in a Perfectionist World
  20. “… And You Can Use a Little Improvement”
  21. The Sardonic Philosophy of Emil Cioran: Enter Crying, Exit Grinning
  22. Philosophic Satire and Comedy Study
  23. Philosophic Satire and Comedy Study   Edited by Steven Gimbel  
  24. Nicki Minaj and the Double Entendre: When Explaining a Joke Doesn’t Kill It
  25. Tractatus Ludico-Philosophicus (expurgated version)
  26. Humor in Philosophy Education
  27. Humor in Philosophy Education   Edited by Christine A. James
  28. Professorial Academic Identity Defined through Humor
  29. Symposium
  30. Symposium   Edited by Lydia Amir Giorgio Baruchello and Arsæll Már Arnarsson, Humour and Cruelty, Vols. 1 – 3 (parts 1 and 2) Berlin: de Gruyter, 2022 – 2024. De Gruyter Series in Philosophy of Humor, edited by Lydia Amir   Critics
  31. The Humorously Cruel Experience of Reading Humour and Cruelty
  32. Do Humor and Cruelty Go Together?
  33. An Insightful Tour de Force in Comprehensive Metaphysics of Humor
  34. Cruel Humor and Funny Cruelty
  35. Author’s Response
  36. Author’s Response
  37. Humoring Our Critics’ Ostensibly Good-Humored Cruelties and Ársæll Már Arnarsson
  38. Book Reviews
  39. Book Reviews   Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)  
  40. The Philosophical Stage: Drama and Dialectic in Classical Athens. Joshua Billings. Princeton University Press, 2021. pp. X + 269
  41. Philosophy of Humour: New Perspectives, edited by Viktoras Bachmetjevas and Daniel O’Shiel. Brill, 2023. pp. ix + 186
  42. Philosophical Self-Knowledge: Two Studies. Donald Phillip Verene. Ibidem-Verlag, 2023. pp. 120
  43. Three Answers to the Question “What Is Philosophy?”: A Comedy in Three Acts. Stuart Dalton. Cascade Books, 2024. pp. xxiv + 328
  44. Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
  45. Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
  46. Call for Papers
Downloaded on 31.10.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/phhumyb-2025-0001/html?lang=en&srsltid=AfmBOootvcS149nmNz0xhIWYYfEz0OuO1NHT2oXOokDIwzEGbiX6PrlX
Scroll to top button