Quantum Theory as an Explanation of Humor

Eliza Mahoney
Mr. Gray
Honors Physics Per. G
19 March 2017
Blog Post #5

Until now, researchers have not been able to find a model to accurately represent humor, its complexity and why humans find jokes funny. But, a recent research article published in Frontiers in Physics suggests that quantum theory could be the answer.

Researchers hope that a quantum inspired model of humor may create a more nuanced modeling of the cognition of humor than previous attempts. They also are hopeful that it will lead to the development of a full, formal quantum theory model of humor.

The model was initially tested in a study in which people rated the funniness of a verbal pun, then variants of the same pun (just the punchline, just the set-up). The results indicated that besides the delivery of the information, something else is happening on a cognitive level that makes the joke funny but its deconstructed parts not funny. This is what makes a quantum approach a good way to study this phenomenon.

Previously, researchers believed that the reason a joke is funny could be explained by a word's ability to hold two different meanings, bisociation, and the existence of multiple, contrasting interpretations of a situation, incongruity. The shift of understanding in our minds was believed to come when the punch line is delivered, and this was why it was funny. 

But now, the researchers believe that it is not the shift in understanding but our ability to understand two meanings at once that makes a joke funny. This is precisely where quantum theory comes in to account for this complexity in a way that earlier models could not. 

"Quantum formalisms are highly useful for describing cognitive states that entail this form of ambiguity. Funniness is not a pre-existing 'element of reality' that can be measured; it emerges from an interaction between the underlying nature of the joke, the cognitive state of the listener, and other social and environmental factors. This makes the quantum formalism an excellent candidate for modeling humor." 

-Dr. Liane Gabora from the University of British Columbia, corresponding author of the paper

Although much work remains, this first step and first set of results are exciting and suggest a more comprehensive theory of humor to come in the future.

https://phys.org/news/2017-03-quantum-theory-funny.html