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If you're anything like me, you laugh at some weird stuff.
如果你和我一樣，就會(huì)取笑一些奇怪的東西。
Like, there's just something hilarious about cats doing basically anything and really good chemistry puns.
比如，貓做得一些基本動(dòng)作和有趣的化學(xué)雙關(guān)語(yǔ)很搞笑。
But not everyone laughs at the same things.
但不是每個(gè)人都笑同樣的事情。
People have been trying to figure out what makes something funny for thousands of years,
人們幾千年來(lái)一直想弄明白是什么讓東西滑稽可笑，
and we might finally be able to explain it.
我們也許最終能夠解釋原因。
Over the centuries, there have been plenty of hypotheses about why stuff makes us laugh,
在過(guò)去幾個(gè)世紀(jì)里，有很多關(guān)于為什么東西讓我們發(fā)笑的假設(shè)，
and they all explain at least part of the picture.
它們都至少解釋了部分情況。
There's one idea called superiority theory,
有一個(gè)概念叫做優(yōu)勢(shì)理論，
which says we laugh at misfortunes and shortcomings that make us feel better than other people.
說(shuō)得是我們會(huì)嘲笑他人的不幸和缺點(diǎn)，感覺(jué)比他們優(yōu)越。
It dates all the way back to Aristotle and Plato,
它能追溯到亞里士多德和柏拉圖時(shí)代，
and it covers some kinds of humor, like if your rival football team blows the championship,
它包含了一些幽默，比如你的足球隊(duì)對(duì)手沒(méi)能贏得冠軍，
but it definitely doesn't explain them all.
但這并不能解釋所有的問(wèn)題。
So in the 1700s, a new idea called relief theory was introduced.
所以在18世紀(jì)，一種叫做釋放理論的新想法被引入了。
It was originally about how humor supposedly relieved tension caused by fluids in your body,
它最初是講幽默如何緩解由體內(nèi)液體引起的緊張。
but it's more well-known because of what Freud added to it.
但它更廣為人知是因?yàn)楦ヂ逡恋卵a(bǔ)充的內(nèi)容
Two hundred years later, he basically said that humor is a way to let out pent-up energy
兩百年后，他的主要想法是幽默是一種釋放被壓抑能量的方式，
that's often used to repress emotions or sexual and violent desires.
這種能量通常被用來(lái)壓抑情感、性和暴力的欲望。
Because it's Freud, so why not?
因?yàn)樗歉ヂ逡恋拢螛?lè)而不為？
Sure, that would explain dirty jokes, but it still wouldn't explain why we laugh at innocent puns.
當(dāng)然，這一理論可以解釋一些下流的笑話，但仍不能解釋我們?yōu)槭裁磿?huì)笑無(wú)辜的雙關(guān)語(yǔ)。
Another idea that started around the 1700s, and that makes a lot more sense, is incongruity theory,
另一個(gè)想法是在18世紀(jì)出現(xiàn)的，它更能說(shuō)的通，叫做失諧理論，
which says something is funny when it surprises us.
它說(shuō)得是某些東西讓我們驚訝時(shí)會(huì)有趣。
The setup leads us to expect one thing,
包袱讓我們期待一件事，
but the punchline gives us something completely different.
但是笑點(diǎn)給了我們一些完全不同的東西。
It seems reasonable, but studies have shown that surprise alone isn't enough to make us laugh.
它似乎很合理，但研究表明，僅僅是驚訝還不足以讓我們發(fā)笑。
In one study from 1974, jokes that were predictable were actually rated as funnier than jokes that weren't.
1974年的一項(xiàng)研究表明，那些可以預(yù)測(cè)的笑話被認(rèn)為實(shí)際比那些不可預(yù)測(cè)的更有趣。
In 2010, a study finally proposed an idea with some promise: the benign violation theory.
2010年，一項(xiàng)研究最終提出了一個(gè)有希望的想法：良性違反理論。
It says that something must be both in violation of an accepted social norm and relatively harmless to make us laugh.
它說(shuō)的是，事物在違反公認(rèn)社會(huì)規(guī)范的同時(shí)能相對(duì)無(wú)害地讓我們發(fā)笑。
So, inappropriate, but not that terrible.
也就是笑話不合適，但沒(méi)那么可怕。
The researchers did a number of studies as they were developing this.
研究人員在發(fā)展這一理論時(shí)做了大量的研究。
In one of them, about 70 people were asked to consider pairs of scenarios,
其中一個(gè)要求大約70人考慮成對(duì)的場(chǎng)景，
one that violated a norm and one that didn't.
一組違反規(guī)范，另一組不違反。
One example involved the mother of the bride at a wedding.
其中一個(gè)例子是婚禮上新娘的母親。
In one scenario, she gave the bartenders extra tips, like good moms do.
在一個(gè)場(chǎng)景中，她給了調(diào)酒師額外的小費(fèi)，就像好媽媽一樣。
And in the other, she stole all the cash and pocketed the tips herself.
在另一個(gè)場(chǎng)景中，她偷了所有的錢，把小費(fèi)都裝進(jìn)了口袋。
Some people didn't laugh at either option, but the scenario that violated the norm,
有些人對(duì)這兩種選擇都沒(méi)有笑，但是這種場(chǎng)景違反了規(guī)范，
in this case, the mom stealing money at her daughter's wedding, was rated as way funnier than the one that didn't.
在這個(gè)例子中，媽媽在女兒的婚禮上偷錢被認(rèn)為比沒(méi)有偷錢有趣。
What's cool about this idea is that it can also explain why things aren't funny.
但它很酷的地方在于，它也可以解釋事情為什么不好笑。
Basically, if something is too harmless, it's boring,
基本上，如果事情太無(wú)害就會(huì)無(wú)聊，
but if it's too big of a violation, it's offensive.
但是如果違反得太多，就會(huì)變得冒犯。
And whether or not a joke crosses that line often depends on
一個(gè)笑話是否跨越了這條界限常常取決于
how much the subject hits close to home, or how much it means to you.
話題對(duì)家里的影響有多大，或它對(duì)你有多大意義。
In a 2012 study by the same team,
2012年同一團(tuán)隊(duì)進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)研究中，
90 participants read two scenarios about a woman who accidentally donated money to a cause.
90名參與者閱讀了兩種情景，即一名婦女不小心把錢捐給了一項(xiàng)事業(yè)。
She texted a hotline number but didn't realize that the donations would end up on her cell phone bill at the end of the month.
她給一個(gè)熱線電話發(fā)了短信，但沒(méi)有意識(shí)到捐款將會(huì)在月底以她的手機(jī)賬單結(jié)束。
In one scenario, she accidentally spent 50 dollars.
在一個(gè)場(chǎng)景中，她不小心花了50美元。
In another, she spent 2000 dollars.
在另一個(gè)場(chǎng)景中，她花了2000美元。
The participants were asked to imagine that the woman was either a close friend or a stranger.
參與者被要求想象這個(gè)女人是自己的一個(gè)親密朋友或是一個(gè)陌生人。
When they imagined her as a friend, the 50 dollars mishap was funny.
當(dāng)他們把她想象成朋友的時(shí)候，50美元的損失很有趣。
But the 2000 dollars mistake was too serious to laugh at.
但是2000美元的錯(cuò)誤太嚴(yán)重了，不能嘲笑。
Meanwhile, when the woman was a stranger, the results were reversed:
與此同時(shí)，當(dāng)那個(gè)女人是陌生人時(shí)，結(jié)果相反：
2000 dollars was funny, and 50 dollars was too boring.
2000美元的錯(cuò)誤很有趣，50美元太無(wú)聊了。
Imagining the woman as someone who wasn't close to them
把那個(gè)女人想象成一個(gè)與他們不親近的人，
meant that the violation could be a lot worse and the situation would still be hilarious,
意味著盡管違規(guī)可能會(huì)更糟，但情況仍然很滑稽，
because the participants weren't invested in it.
因?yàn)閰⑴c者沒(méi)有投入進(jìn)去。
It's also why, when someone makes a joke about something you really care about,
這也是為什么當(dāng)有人拿你真正關(guān)心的事情開(kāi)玩笑時(shí)，
like doing well on a test, you're more likely to find it insensitive instead of funny.
比如考試優(yōu)秀，你對(duì)它更有可能沒(méi)感覺(jué)而不是感到好笑。
And the same idea applies when someone makes a joke about a crisis.
當(dāng)有人拿危機(jī)開(kāi)玩笑時(shí)，同樣的道理也適用。
If the crisis is happening right now, the joke might be in bad taste.
如果現(xiàn)在正在發(fā)生危機(jī)，這個(gè)笑話可能不禮貌。
But years from now when the situation passes and there's been some distance, it could be funnier.
但是幾年后，當(dāng)這種情況過(guò)去了，有了一些距離，它可能會(huì)更有趣。
The benign violation theory can also explain why laughter makes us feel better.
良性違反理論也可以解釋為什么笑會(huì)讓我們感覺(jué)更好。
Humor can be a healthy way to react to hypothetical and distant threats,
幽默可以是一種應(yīng)對(duì)假想和遙遠(yuǎn)威脅的健康方式，
and it can also be a social cue that tells people that we're okay with bending the rules when it comes to a norm.
它也可以是一種社會(huì)暗示，告訴人們我們?cè)谶`反規(guī)范時(shí)是可以接受的。
Of course, not everyone agrees with this idea.
當(dāng)然，并不是每個(gè)人都同意這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)。
Critics argue that it works so well because it's way too broad.
批評(píng)人士認(rèn)為，這種做法很有效，因?yàn)樗珜挿毫恕?/div>
After all, "a violation" that isn't too much of a violation" could apply to almost anything.
畢竟，“一種不太違反規(guī)則的行為”幾乎可以適用于任何事情。
But even if it has limitations, it's the best idea we have right now,
即便它有局限性，卻是我們現(xiàn)在最好的理論，
and if you're trying to pick that perfect joke for your next icebreaker, maybe it'll help you out.
如果你想成為下一個(gè)打破僵局的人，開(kāi)一個(gè)完美的玩笑也許會(huì)對(duì)你有幫助。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psych,
感謝您收看本期的心理科學(xué)秀，
and especially to our patrons on Patreon for making it possible.
特別感謝Patreon的大力支持，
If you'd like to help us keep exploring how your mind works,
如果你愿意幫助我們繼續(xù)探索大腦是如何工作的，
you can support the show at patreon.com/scishow.
可以在patreon.com/scishow上支持這個(gè)節(jié)目。
