User:Sophy Laughing

Sophy M. Laughing, Ph.D.,  is a philosophical humorist (hobbyist) best known for her blog "Happy Thoughts Travel Fast" (HTTF). HTTF was created on Sunday, September 17, 2011, under the original title: Sophy "softly" Laughing", i.e., Sophly Laughing) at http://sophlylaughing.blogspot.com/.

Laughing is noted for her surreal use of experimental humor methods that rely relatively little on complex humor theories. Despite the apparent simplicity of her approach, namely, "experimenting with humor", Laughing has generated many new ideas about the role of humor as a powerful force that most possess and can harness.

The tag line for HTTF is:

''Humor is infectious. It lightens burdens, inspires hope, connects us to others, increases our insight, keeps us grounded, focused, alert, and happy. Laughter is a universal language that stimulates both sides of the brain. It allows us to get messages quicker and remember them longer. We all learn more when we're having fun. ''

THEORY OF HUMOR


In 2011, inspired by René Thom's Catastrophe Theory, which mathematically describes the topological structures of curves or vector fields in dynamical systems, Laughing's Punchline Theory of Humor describes how the rise and fall of a joke can be measured topologically, with the punchline representing the apex of the joke.

According to Laughing, dynamical systems have a state given by a set of real numbers (a vector) that can be represented by a point in a geometrical topological space (on a small enough scale it looks like a Euclidean space of a specific dimension), whereby a line and a circle (the structures that make up a Stick Figure) represent a one-dimensional manifold, and so on into high-dimensional space.

Similar in theory to John Morreall (humorous amusement takes place between simultaneous juxtapositions), Robert Latta (humor arises as a result of a cognitive shift created by the sudden solution to a problem), and Brian Boyd's (humor arises from the "shift" from seriousness to play) theories of humor, the sudden and abrupt one-two punch type of joke (as well as all other types of jokes) can be depicted topographically.

Laughing claims that measuring jokes for their discontinuities (jumps, switches, reversals) "allows us to visually map the structure presented in the joke." Future work, according to Laughing, might include depicting data and information in topological lines of "intentional movement". Laughing humorously points out that "revealing a joke's topographical pattern is akin to premature punchlineation, whereby a punchline is given before the setup of the joke has occurred."

"Whether or not you visualize words as topological models ," says Laughing, "you probably feel the 'sting' of these patterns in the presence of a negatively targeted or crude joke (example: 'premature punchlineation' above).

E.C. Zeeman related the catastrophe model to aggressive behavior in animals (dogs) as depending largely upon two factors: fear and rage. These models, when superimposed onto jokes, reveal the "energetic flow" that comes from the intent of a joke. While the catastrophe theory is highly complex, when plotted out on a three-dimensional scale, it is more easily visualized in terms of the joke path.

John Allen Paulos stated that "most simple jokes fit reasonably well into the model." (Mathematics & Humor: A Study of the Logic of Humor. University Of Chicago. 1980. ISBN 978-0-226-65024-1.). Continuing along the assumption that the rise and fall of a joke could easily be measured topologically, we can see how a joke can be plotted on a three-dimensional (3D) scale, with small changes in intent causing "permutations" to appear or disappear, accordingly. In theory, you can visualize the "intent" of a joke by its shape.

For example, a classic pun: One day at the bar there was a blackout.Good thing I had a light beer. In this joke, the pun rises softly to a neutral energetic zone, then softly falls into the punchline. The apex (differentiating point between two distinct aspects) of the joke occurs in the middle. For example, a self-deprecating or self-effacing joke:

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

or

87.5% of all statistics are made up.

The apex of the joke occurs toward the beginning of the joke. For example, an offensive joke:

Think of how intellectually sluggish the average person is, and then realize half of them are slower than that. (George Carlin)

The apex of George Carlin's joke peaks towards the end of the joke, where the so-called "zinger" takes place.

With respect to passive-aggressive jokes, the joke starts out similar to the self-deprecating pattern, softens slightly, then returns in full force (the "zinger"). Like everything in the material universe, jokes exist in a 3-D space. They jump, switch, and reverse mirroring physical intentions (conscious or unconscious). Essentially, according to Laughing, this means that jokes can be visually plotted on three-dimensional scales making them transparent, instantly revealing which humor theory under which they can be categorized (be that incongruity, release, pattern recognition, superiority, misattribution, etc.).

The Punchline Theory of Humor describes how the rise and fall of a joke can be measured topologically. This promotes visual transparency with respect to the joke's structure (humor device or theory utilized, setup, and punchline), something Laughing describes as essential in politically and socially responsible joking.