Editing Humour (section)

==Sociological factors==

As with any art form, the acceptance of a particular style or incidence of humour depends on [[sociology|sociological]] factors and varies from person to person. Throughout history, comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of [[wit]] and [[sarcasm]]. Eighteenth-century German author [[Georg Lichtenberg]] said that "the more you know humour, the more you become demanding in fineness."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-way-of-the-comedian/|title=The Way of the Comedian|last1=Force|first1=Nichole|last2=Read|first2=M. A.|date=17 May 2016|website=psychcentral.com|language=en-US|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>

===Ancient Greece===
Western humour theory begins with [[Plato]], who attributed to [[Socrates]] (as a semi-historical dialogue character) in the ''[[Philebus]]'' (p.&nbsp;49b) the view that the essence of the [[ridiculous]] is an ignorance in the weak, who are thus unable to retaliate when ridiculed. Later, in Greek philosophy, [[Aristotle]], in the ''[[Poetics (Aristotle)|Poetics]]'' (1449a, pp.&nbsp;34–35), suggested that an ugliness that does not disgust is fundamental to humour.

===India===
In ancient [[Sanskrit drama]], [[Bharata Muni]]'s ''[[Natya Shastra]]'' defined humour (''[[hāsya]]m'') as one of the nine ''[[nava rasas]]'', or principle ''[[Rasa (aesthetics)|rasas]]'' (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the audience by ''[[bhava]]s'', the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each ''rasa'' was associated with a specific ''[[bhava]]s'' portrayed on stage.

===In Arabic and Persian culture===
[[File:Hadith imam baqir.svg|thumb|Muhammad al-Baqir's [[Hadith]] about humour: "Indeed Allah loves those who are playful among people without obscenity."]]
The terms comedy and satire became synonymous after Aristotle's ''Poetics'' was translated into Arabic in the [[Islamic Golden Age|medieval Islamic world]], where it was elaborated upon by [[Arabic literature|Arabic writers]] and [[Early Islamic philosophy|Islamic philosophers]] such as [[Abu Bishr Matta ibn Yunus|Abu Bischr]], his pupil [[Al-Farabi]], Persian [[Avicenna]], and [[Averroes]]. Due to cultural differences, they disassociated comedy from [[Greek drama]]tic representation, and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms, such as ''[[hija]]'' (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply the "art of reprehension" and made no reference to light and cheerful events or troublesome beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the [[Latin translations of the 12th century]], the term ''comedy'' thus gained a new meaning in [[Medieval literature]].<ref>{{citation|title=Comedy as Satire in Hispano-Arabic Spain|first=Edwin J.|last=Webber|journal=Hispanic Review|volume=26|issue=1|date=January 1958|pages=1–11|doi=10.2307/470561|jstor=470561}}</ref>

===Caribbean===
[[Mento]] star [[Lord Flea]], stated in a 1957 interview that he thought that: "[[West Indians]] have the best sense of humour in the world. Even in the most solemn song, like ''Las Kean Fine'' ["Lost and Can Not Be Found"], which tells of a boiler explosion on a sugar plantation that killed several of the workers, their natural wit and humour shine though."<ref>{{cite web|author=Michael Garnice|date=11 March 2012|access-date=14 April 2013|url=http://www.mentomusic.com/flea.htm|title=Mento Music Lord Flea}}</ref>

===China===
[[Confucianism|Confucianist]] & Neo-Confucian orthodoxy, with its emphasis on ritual and propriety, have traditionally looked down upon humour as [[subversive]] or unseemly. Humour was perceived as [[irony]] and sarcasm.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Xiao|first=Dong Yue|title=Exploration of Chinese humor: Historical review, empirical findings, and critical reflections |journal=Humor|volume=23|issue=3|doi=10.1515/HUMR.2010.018|year=2010|s2cid=201056950 }}</ref> The Confucian ''[[Analects]]'' itself, however, depicts the Master as fond of humorous self-deprecation, once comparing his wanderings to the existence of a homeless dog.<ref>C. Harbsmeier, "Confucius-Ridens, Humor in the Analects." Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 50. 1: 131–61.</ref> Early [[Daoism|Daoist]] philosophical texts such as ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]'' pointedly make fun of Confucian seriousness and make Confucius himself a slow-witted figure of fun.<ref>Jocelyn Chey and Jessica Milner Davis, eds. "Humour in Chinese Life and Letters: Classical and Traditional Approaches" (HKUP, 2011)</ref> Joke books containing a mix of wordplay, puns, situational humour, and play with taboo subjects like sex and scatology, remained popular over the centuries. Local performing arts, storytelling, vernacular fiction, and poetry offer a wide variety of humorous styles and sensibilities.

Famous Chinese humourists include the ancient jesters [[Chunyu Kun]] and [[Dongfang Shuo]]; writers of the Ming and Qing dynasties such as [[Feng Menglong]], Li Yu,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=978-0674332270|title=The Invention of Li Yu – Patrick Hanan – Harvard University Press|website=www.hup.harvard.edu|access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref> and [[Wu Jingzi]]; and modern comic writers such as [[Lu Xun]], [[Lin Yutang]], [[Lao She]], [[Qian Zhongshu]], [[Wang Xiaobo]], and [[Wang Shuo]], and performers such as [[Ge You]], [[Guo Degang]], and [[Zhou Libo (comedian)|Zhou Libo]].

Modern Chinese humour has been heavily influenced not only by indigenous traditions, but also by foreign humour, circulated via [[print media|print]] culture, cinema, television, and the internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://u.osu.edu/mclc/files/2014/09/intro20.2-158jzq5.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026075533/http://u.osu.edu/mclc/files/2014/09/intro20.2-158jzq5.pdf |archive-date=26 October 2015 |url-status=live |title=Comic Visions of Modern China|website=u.osu.edu}}</ref> During the 1930s, [[Lin Yutang]]'s [[phono-semantic matching|phono-semantic transliteration]] ''yōumò'' ({{lang|zh|[[wikt:|幽默]]}}; humour) caught on as a new term for humour, sparking a fad for humour literature, as well as impassioned debate about what type of humorous sensibility best suited China, a poor, weak country under partial foreign occupation.<ref>Christopher Rea, "[http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520283848 The Age of Irreverence]: A New History of Laughter in China" (University of California Press, 2015)</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/195282 |title=Humour in Chinese Life and Letters: Classical and Traditional Approaches|chapter = Discovering Humour in Modern China: The Launching of the Analects Fortnightly Journal and the 'Year of Humour' (1933)|first = Qian |last = Suoqiao|editor1-last = Chey|editor1-first= J.|editor2-last= Milner Davis|editor2-first= J.|year = 2011|pages = 191–218, 251–254|publisher = Hong Kong University Press|isbn = 978-9888083527 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/research/publication/195315 |title=Research - School of Modern Languages – Newcastle University |access-date=30 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002100338/http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/research/publication/195315 |archive-date=2 October 2016 }}</ref> While some types of comedy were officially sanctioned during the rule of Mao Zedong, the Party-state's approach towards humour was generally repressive.<ref>{{cite web|author=David Moser|title=Stifled Laughter|url=http://www.danwei.org/tv/stifled_laughter_how_the_commu.php|website=www.danwei.org}}</ref> Social liberalisation in the 1980s, commercialisation of the cultural market in the 1990s, and the advent of the internet have each—despite an invasive state-sponsored censorship apparatus—enabled new forms of humour to flourish in China in recent decades.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Jessica Milner Davis |author2= Jocelyn Chey<!-- , eds. --> |title=Humour in Chinese Life and Culture: Resistance and Control in Modern Times|website= www.hkupress.org|year= 2013|url= http://www.hkupress.org/Common/Reader/Products/ShowProduct.jsp?Pid=1&Version=0&Cid=16&Charset=iso-8859-1&page=-1&key=9789888139248}}</ref>

=== Social transformation model ===
The social transformation model of humour predicts that specific characteristics, such as physical attractiveness, interact with humour.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title = Heterosexual romantic preferences: The importance of humor and physical attractiveness for different types of relationships|author = Lundy, Tan, Cunningham|date = 1998|journal = Personal Relationships|doi = 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1998.tb00174.x|volume=5 |issue = 3|pages=311–325}}</ref> This model involves linkages between the [[humorist]], an audience, and the subject matter of the humour.<ref name=":0" /> The two transformations associated with this particular model involves the subject matter of the humour, and the change in the audience's perception of the humorous person, therefore establishing a relationship between the humorous speaker and the audience.<ref name=":0" /> The social transformation model views humour as adaptive because it communicates the present desire to be humorous as well as future intentions of being humorous.<ref name=":0" /> This model is used with deliberate [[self-deprecating humour]] where one is communicating with desires to be accepted into someone else's specific social group.<ref name=":0" /> Although self-deprecating humour communicates weakness and fallibility in the bid to gain another's affection, it can be concluded from the model that this type of humour can increase romantic attraction towards the humorist when other variables are also favourable.<ref name=":0" />

=== Physical attractiveness ===
Humour is considered attractive for males in Western cultures. In the mid-20th century, a majority of American college students reported that having a sense of humour is a crucial characteristic looked for in a romantic partner.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Student perceptions of traits desired in themselves as dating and marriage partners|last = Hewitt|first = L.|date = 1958|journal = Marriage and Family Living|doi = 10.2307/348256|volume=20|issue = 4|pages=344–349|jstor = 348256}}</ref> In the late-20th century, British college students reported humour and honesty as the two most important attributes in a significant other.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Sex differences among partner preferences: Are the sexes really very similar?|last = Goodwin|first = R.|date = 1990|journal = Sex Roles|doi = 10.1007/bf00289765|volume=23|issue = 9–10|pages=501–513|s2cid = 145748159}}</ref> Humour becomes more evident and significantly more important as the level of commitment in a romantic relationship increases.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Evolution, traits, and the stages of the parental investment model|author = Kenrick, Sadalla, Groth, Trost|date = 1990|journal = Journal of Personality|doi = 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1990.tb00909.x|pmid = 23750377|volume=58 |issue = 1|pages=97–116}}</ref> Recent research suggests expressions of humour in relation to [[physical attractiveness]] are two major factors in the desire for future interaction.<ref name=":0" /> [[Self-deprecating humour]] has been found to increase one's desirability and physical attractiveness to others for committed relationships.<ref name=":0" /> Women regard physical attractiveness less highly compared to men when it came to dating, a serious relationship, and sexual intercourse.<ref name=":0" /> However, women rate humorous men more desirable than nonhumorous individuals for a serious relationship or marriage, but only when these men were physically attractive.<ref name=":0" /> 

While humorous people may be considered attractive, humorous people are also perceived by others to be less intellectual than nonhumorous people. When women were given the forced-choice design in the study, they chose funny men as potential relationship partners even though they rated them as being less honest and intelligent.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last=Bressler, Balshine |date=2006 |title=The influence of humour on desirability |journal=Evolution and Human Behavior |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=29–39 |bibcode=2006EHumB..27...29B |doi=10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2005.06.002 |s2cid=44859626}}</ref> Post-Hoc analysis showed no relationship between humour quality and favourable judgments.<ref name=":1" />

For females, the results of a study conducted by [[McMaster University]] suggest humour can positively affect one's desirability for a specific relationship partner, but this effect is only most likely to occur when men use humour and are evaluated by women.<ref name=":1" /> There is inconsistent evidence whether men prefer women with a sense of humour as partners, or women preferring other women with a sense of humour as potential partners.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Hatfield |first1=Elaine |last2=Sprecher |first2=Susan |date=1995-11-01 |title=Men's and Women's Preferences in Marital Partners in the United States, Russia, and Japan |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002202219502600613 |journal=Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology |language=en |volume=26 |issue=6 |pages=728–750 |doi=10.1177/002202219502600613 |issn=0022-0221|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> 

Outside of Western cultures, however, humour is not always valued as much in mate selection. Studies conducted in East Asia find humour ranked lower among other traits than in western cultures, especially by men evaluating women.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lu |first=Yunhang |date=2023-02-01 |title=The criteria of Chinese and South Koreans' mate selection: A comparative study of long-term and short-term mate selection preferences in the cross-cultural perspective |journal=Heliyon |language=English |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=e13329 |doi=10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13329 |doi-access=free |pmid=36816318 |pmc=9932458 |bibcode=2023Heliy...913329L |issn=2405-8440}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> In some studies of mate selection criteria, humour does not even make the list.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Hong |last2=Teng |first2=Fei |last3=Chan |first3=Darius K.-S. |last4=Zhang |first4=Denghao |date=2014-01-01 |title=Physical Attractiveness, Attitudes toward Career, and Mate Preferences among Young Chinese Women |journal=Evolutionary Psychology |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=97–114 |doi=10.1177/147470491401200107 |issn=1474-7049 |pmc=10480862 |pmid=24525338}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=政大機構典藏-National Chengchi University Institutional Repository(NCCUR):Item 140.119/49980 |url=https://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/ir/handle/140.119/49980 |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw}}</ref>