When Mr. Kim is asked to sign a paper, and is given a red pen, he hesitates. He explains that according to superstition, writing his own name in red pen means he is dead. He then says that superstitious people are "so stupid" for believing in it, and that he is not a superstitious person, but a Christian.
This is a self-defeating humor style because Mr. Kim is essentially calling himself stupid, since he himself is a superstitious person. The Benign Violation Theory (see the timeline on the History of Humor tab) applies here because he is insulting superstitious people, which is an 'unsafe' situation, but because he is a superstitious person himself, it makes it okay because this identity that he is insulting applies to himself as well. Therefore, according to the theory, it is a 'safe' joke to make.
Self-defeating humor is linked to increased stress levels. The hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical axis (HPA), which controls stress in humans, has been proven to have a strong activation during humor. While some studies show higher humorousness exhibits a greater release in cortisol, the stress hormone, others have shown lower cortisol releases. The answer is still unknown.10
‘Darker’ styles of humor have been associated with neuroticism and poor wellbeing.
Examples of dark humor:
- Irony: contradictions and incongruity between expectations and reality
- Satire: criticizing shortcomings and wrongdoings with moral intent to improve a situation
- Sarcasm: conveying contempt to criticize or ridicule others
- Cynicism: devaluing values, weaknesses, and concepts
Examples of Mental Health Implications
- Irony is a strong predictor of anxiety and stress. Irony contrasts expectations for situations, creating an emotional experience and then evoking an emotional response from an individual.
- Cynicism is the strongest indicator of depression, as the purpose of this humor style is to devalue things to highlight weaknesses in the world, or others. Such criticisms can be predictors of depression within an individual.9
David is attempting to make enchiladas according to a family recipe, and Moira is giving him directions. The specific direction of "folding in the cheese" creates disagreement between the two as Moira cannot figure out how to explain it to David, and David cannot understand the analogy of "folding" cheese.
This is an example of aggressive humor because David and Moira are 'attacking' each other. For example, Moira repeatedly tells David to "try to keep up", therefore insulting his capabilities. Additionally, when David is confused and Moira says that she "cannot show [him] everything", he sarcastically responds by asking if she can "show [him] one thing", mocking her for being unwilling to help him out.
Aggressive humor was found to be related to general and social anxiety. Additionally, since aggressive humor typically harms social relationships, it can lead to isolation.11
9. Alberto Dionigi, Mirko Duradoni, and Laura Vagnoli, "Understanding the Association Between Humor and Emotional Distress: The Role of Light and Dark Humor in Predicting Depression, Anxiety, and Stress," Europe's Journal of Psychology 19, no. 4 (2023): https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.10013.
10. Dionigi, Duradoni, and Vagnoli, "Understanding the Association,".
11. Amber van der Wal et al., "Just a Joke? Adolescents' Preferences for Humor in Media Entertainment and Real-Life Aggression," Media Psychology 25, no. 6 (2022): accessed July 8, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1080%2F15213269.2022.2080710.