Cover illustration by Jean-Louis Chauvin Editor in chief: Contents of the preceding issues Bruno Friedman Annual subscription: Vol. XVHI (1968), No. 4 [A] S3.50; 21/- (stg.); 12.50 F Sex, science and technology Per copy: Technology, science and sex attitudes, by Jessie BERNARD. [A] $1.00; 61- (stg); 3.50 F The sexual revolution in Sweden, by Birgitta LINNÉR. Sex morality and sex education in the Soviet Union, by Edward Any of the National KOSTYASHKIN. Distributors listed at the end The implications of genetics for procreation and marriage, by Marco of this number will accept FRACCARO. Social effects on sexual function, by Alan S. PARKES. subscriptions; rates in currencies other than the above will Vol. XIX (1969), No. 1 be supplied on application Science in a changing Asia to the National Distributor Moving Asia forward, by Indira GANDHI. in the country concerned. Social factors affecting science and technology in Asia, by Jan When notifying change of DESSAU. address please enclose last Scientific research institutions in Asia, by Leon PERES. wrapper or envelope. The Netherlands: a mirror for developing countries, by Jacob HAMAKER. The articles appearing in Iran: science policy for development, by Majid RAHNEMA. Impact express the views Unemployment of engineers in India, by Malcolm S. ADISESHIAH. , of their authors, and not Harnessing science to development in Thailand, by Frank G. necessarily those of Unesco. NICHOLLS and Pradisth CHEOSAKUL. Education and research in Pakistan, by Mohammed Ali KHAN. Korea's strategy for science and technology, by Kee»Hyong K M. Vol. XIX (1969), No. 2 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Human-engineering the planet Organization, The ecosystem view of human society, by Frank FRASER DARLING Place de Fontenoy, and Raymond F. DASMANN. 75 Paris-7e (France) Space research and a better Earth, by Thomas O. PAINE. The world's water resources, present and future, by G. P. KALININ Printed in Fiance by and V. D. BYKOV. Imp. Polychrome, Paris Controlling the planet's climate, by J. O. FLETCHER. © Unesco 1969. SC.69/I.72/A The city (I): From the cave to the megalopolis, by José Candido de Melo CARVALHO. The city (II): Ecumenopolis, world-city of tomorrow, by Constan tinos A. DOXIADIS. The land (I): Its future-endangeiing pollutants, by David E. ELRICK. The land (II): Ecological farming, by Michael EVENARI. impact of science on society Vol. XIX, No. 3 July-September 1969 The science of humour, the humour of science The editor comments 223 Harry F. Harlow The anatomy of humour 225 James V. McConnell Confessions of a scientific humorist 241 Robert Escarpit Humorous attitude and scientific inventivity 253 Alexander Kohn The journal in which scientists laugh at science 259 Helmut Lindemann Humour in politics and society 269 László Feleki Keeping laughably up with science 279 David Victoroff New approaches to the psychology of humour 291 Notes on our contributors 299 AN INVITATION TO READERS Reasoned letters which comment, pro or con, on any of the articles printed in Impact or which present the writer's views on any subject discussed in Impact are welcomed. They should be addressed to the Editor, Impact of Science on Society, Unesco, Place de Fontenoy, 75 Paris-7e (France). Requests for permission to reproduce articles published in Impact should be addressed to the Editor. The editor comments Respect, not awe, not reverence As soon as the possibility of producing an issue of Impact on humour came under discussion the antagonistic reac tions began : 'Humour? Why waste your space on humour? Impact is supposed to be a serious magazine.' We expect that now that this issue is in print it will arouse similar negative reactions in many of our readers. So let us now validate the dedication: of an issue of a serious publication to a presumably unserious subject. Science has a major public relations job to do. It is remarkable to note how many laymen, even in this age of expanded education with an increased scientific component, have no true concept of science—of its pur poses, objectives, reach and limits, of the; differences between pure research, applied research and technology— or else fear it or are awed by it. For so many science is either an arcane mystery, a 'monster in a white lab. coat' (as we have heard it described), or a holy temple. Such attitudes are abetted by the attitudes of those scientists who feel that science is an Olympic activity, that they are its votaries and that it (and they) should not be sullied by contact with the profane masses or the mundane world. These attitudes towards science are manifested in the next number of Impact, which should be considered in close conjunction with the present one. Its theme is 'Non-scientists Dissect Science'and representatives of the world's general populace as well as a number of leading figures in non-scientific professions express their sometimes critical, sometimes laudatory views. In fact, we who have been trained in science and have worked in the laboratories know how far off public ideas of science and scientists are. We know that the organized 223 The editor comments and objective pursuit of knowledge which is science is a demanding and satisfying but, above all, humanistic activity, and that this activity is exercised by humans no less nor more flawed than the practitioners of other human activities. We know, also, that it partakes of much the same objective and analytic qualities of mind as scholar ship in any other field: history, literature, or whatever. We know, moreover, that scientists laugh. And we know, finally, that a classification of the individuals in the labo ratories will follow the classical Gaussian bell-shaped distribution curve which describes most human character istics and professions: a fraction of. 1 per cent of geniuses or nearégeniuses, perhaps 10 per cent of high compétents, 80 per cent of ordinary ability, 10 per cent inepts and a fraction of 1 per cent of absolute phonies, knaves and fools. Knowing all these facts, then, one realizes how vast is the lack of communication between science and the people; how great the difference between the reality of science and the image of it widely held. The objective pursuit of knowledge which is science is a magnificent human activity, one of the highest, perhaps the one which is the most truly human; for it demands the sharpening of reason—the one distinctively human feature —and the sloughing off of emotion-driven preconceptions and prejudices. It merits all human respect. It merits respect, not awe, not reverence. Where the latter two are present, so is ignorance. The public relations task of science is, then, to rejoin science to the mainstream of life, to humanize it, to keep it in perspective: And humour is probably the major humanizing instrument. More generally, humour has the task of restoring perspective on any human activity, institution! or being whose image becomes overblown or distorted—wherefore the other articles on humour in this number. Humour is, as our authors repeatedly affirm;.a most serious business, not only for coping with science, but for coping with life itself. Yet perhaps you do not agree with these views. Or perhaps you do. We should be happy to hear from both angry and applauding readers. Bruno FRIEDMAN 224 The anatomy of humour by Harry F. Harlów1 There is this shattering truth about humour: at its roots is the aim of preening the ego by causing or observing the degradation of others. The humour of chimpanzees clearly reveals this motivation. Yet from this low inspiration have evolved higher and higher forms of humour which reflect the high level of man's intelligence and his adaptation to coexistence with his fellows. Professor Harlow analyses the various forms of humour—from its lowest manifestation in brutality to its most intellectual expression—and shows the role it plays in releasing aggressions and relieving social tensions. HUMOUR AND THE EGO with the inferiority of others or our own former inferiority'. In a similar vein* Humour or the response to humour has Hobbes described humour as 'a degrada- been described and defined by social dation of some person or interest possess philosophers and scientists throughout ing a certain dignity'. Likewise, Kant recorded intellectual history. The diverse viewed laughter, which is the common approaches to the understanding of hu mour, reflect the interests and biases of the authors, but in the diversity there exists 1. The author expresses his thanks to Miss Carol Domek for assistance in the planning similarity and commonality. and preparation of this paper and to Mr. Theories of humour have been his Robert Dodsworth and Miss Randy torically reviewed by Landis.2 He writes Stodhart for the creation of the illustra tions. that Aristotle conceived, of humour as 2. C. Landis, 'Emotion. II: The expression of 'due to the sudden feeling of triumph emotion', Chapter 7 in C. Murchison (ed.)> A Handbook of General Experimental which comes with the sudden perception Psychology, Worchester, Mass., Clark of a superiority in us, by the comparison University Press, 1934. Impact of science on society, vol. XTX (1969), no. 3 225 Harry F. Harlow response to humour, as the 'sudden relief tory things about others than it is to raise of tension or expectation'. For Schopen one's own status; by some incredibly hauer humour consisted in 'the sudden brilliant bon mot, most humour lies in the perception of a discord between reality physical or social degradation of others. and our idea or representation of reality'. Actually even the ideal or playful humour The limitation of Schopenhauer's position often carries with it some direct or implied was that he did not relate the perception derogation. of discord to personal or social gain by the individual. As summarized by. Landis, Bergson's refinement of this discord THE RELIEF THEORY between reality and our representation of reality was that 'humour consists in the One theory of humour asserts that humour fact that, in place of an intelligent, and is often engendered as a relief reaction to well-adapted reaction,, some individual; tense, anxiety-producing situations. makes an unintelligent and poorly adapted Observational, anecdotal, and expe reaction to a situation'. rimental data support the position that All of these definitions stress the an anxiety-producing situation is perceived fact that humour often consists of the as humorous by the perturbed person perception of an inadequate or mala after and only after the anxiety has been propos and thereby demeaning response alleviated. Presumably every heroine who made by another in a social situation. was tied to the railroad tracks and saved Most forms of humour relate to at the last second saw the situation as social acts, and the primary function of humorous after, but not before, the sight humour is to maintain or elevate the self- of the engine receded over the terrain. image of the person initiating the humour. Actually this may be a very basic type A person's self-image or social status is, of humour in the sense that it is situa- by definition, relative and therefore may tionally induced and may not be dependent be improved either by social degradation on language in any form. of some other individual or social group Anxiety is a state involving enormous or by the elevation, real or imputed, of ego threat both in terms of individual the status of the individual or social helplessness and hopelessness, and the group to which the person initiating social degradation, involved; in; exhibiting the comic thrust belongs. Social elevation personal inadequacy. A university pro can be achieved through the mechanisms fessor mislaid a substantial: cheque and of the ideal comic described by Freud as was greatly relieved two hours later to 'abstract or harmless wit'. By the brilliant find that it had been recovered and was safé. aphorism, word play, or pun the person He then remarked: "That's the kind of elevates his status or the status of his absentmindedi mistake that characterizes a group through sheer verbalized; achieve full professor'. In this statement there are ment independent of the degradation of two examples of wit function. Humour was others. engendered by the; sudden relief of Since it is far simpler to say deroga anxiety and the ego was protected and 226 The anatomy of humour conceivably self-elevated through blatant ment to ascribe to an individual a 'good braggadocio. sense of humour' and an insult to charac In an experiment testing the relation terize an individual as being a person ship between relief from anxiety and 'with no sense of humour'.2 humour, the reports of the students who This article will largely be devoted were the experimental guinea pigs gave to an analysis of the forms and expressions a perfect positive correlation between the of humour—what might be called 'an level of anxiety a test situation engendered anatomy of humour'—but before pro and how humorous the situation struck ceeding to this, it would be interesting to them once it had; been relieved and the consider the question of the humour anxiety dissipated.1 This is completely centres in the brain. in keeping with our position concerning humor as an ego protecting and elevating device. THE NEUROANATOMY The mechanisms of this type of hu OF HUMOUR mour, differ and are probably more pri mitive than other verbally expressed forms Let me say at once that very little is known of humour. In most situations it is the about the neurological substrate of hu humour which dissipates the anxiety and mour. Clearly, it is impossible to make protects the ego; here it is the dissipation experiments onthe brains of humans, and of the anxiety which protects the ego and even the highest animals, such as chim releases the humour. panzees and other great apes,- are unsat One of the timeless and tactless isfactory for the study of what is, to a humorous anecdotes is that of the naked very large degree, a complex and. subtle castaway whose raft is washed up in front human manifestation. of the customs office. The customs official The great British neurologist, T. has always rushed up and queried: Graham Brown, working in the labora 'What do you have to declare?' This is tory of Sir Charles S. Sherrington, was so the classic humorous example of the ele intrigued by the characteristic chimpanzee vation of one's own ego at the expense of laugh and the situation that elicited it another individual or individuals. Even (described below) that he sought and though it has never before been mentioned, discovered the neurological, centre of the castaway himself could conceivably chimpanzee laughter, a centre located in have seen the situation as humorous the midbrain near the red nucleus.3 Of when he suddenly found himself freed 1. Arthur Shurcliff, 'Judged Humor, Arousal, from his predicament. and the Relief Theory', Journal of Persona Humour is difficult to define but lity and Social Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 4, Part 1, 1968, p. 360-63. easily understood. At a common-sense 2. C. Landis, op. cit. level, everyone comprehends the meaning 3. T. Graham Brown, 'Note on the Physiology of humour, and almost everyone uses it. of the Basal Ganglia and Midbrain of the Anthropoid Ape, especially in Reference to Indeed, humour is a common criterion of the Act of Laughter', Journal of Physiology, social acceptability. It is a high compli Vol. 49, 1914-15, p. 195-207. 227 Harry F. Harlow course this in no sense precludes the exis lowest neuroanatomical area to be asso tence of higher centres also, since higher ciated with humour itself in so far as we centres of voluntary control must exist. can determine. The diencephalon, a part The midbrain centre is probably the neuro of the forebrain, is, of course, a higher area logical site having control over the final than the midbrain. common paths to the multiple muscles Probably both because of the diffi mediating laughter. culties and the subtleties of the problems It has been reported, particularly in involved, the recent clinical literature has the early neurological literature, that few references to the effects of brain frontal lobe lesions in man were associated damage on humour. There are, however, with desperate efforts to produce wit quotations such as that by Roubicek: which frequently fell short of their goal. 'Silly joking and uncritical laughter—so- These attempts were described in¡ these called moria—is known to exist in some studies as 'Witzelsucht'. Unfortunately no of the organic brain lesions, such as new definitive study of the effects of brain growths, cranial trauma and so on. This injury on humour has ever been pub symptom is considered important in lished. localization in cases of injury to the There is every reason to believe that frontal lobes. An early and considerable a humour centre or centres would not moria is really one of the fairly reliable be anatomically identical with a laughter symptoms of frontal localization. A merely centre isolated in the midbrain. In keeping indicated or late moria is, however, of with this position is the report by Foerster little topical value.'2 and Gagel of the effects of mechanical stimulation of the floor of the third ventricle (in the diencephalon, which KINDS OF HUMOUR includes the thalamus and hypothalamus) during the course of an operation there for Humour may be classified in various ways. the removal of a cyst. Here the patient, Thus, wit is commonly described as completely conscious, 'suddenly burst out humour achieved through verbal means laughing, whistled, made jokes [which whereas the comic is determined to a we assume were not subtle] and uttered greater part by the accidental incongruities obscene remark'.1 within a situation. Actually such a differ- It is, of course, impossible to know the various cortical and subcortical centres 1. O. Foerster and O. Gagel, 'Ein. Fall von that may have been activated by this kind Ependymcyste des III Ventrikels. Ein Beitrag zur Frage der Beziehungen psy of crude stimulation, and it is not surpris chischer Störungen zum Hirnstamm', ing that convulsive laughter was prepotent Ztschr. Neurol, u. Psychiat., 1933, p. 149. Cited inj. Purdon Martin, 'Fits of Laughter over any form of wit. However, just as the (Sham Mirth) in Organic Cerebral Disease', midbrain is the lowest neuroanatomical Brain: A Journal, of Neurology, Vol:_73, centre to be associated with the motor Part IV, 1950, p. 453-64. 2. Jirf Roubicek, 'Laughter in Epilepsy, with expression of humour which is laughter, Some General Introductory Notes', Journal so apparently is the diencephalon the of Mental Science, Vol. 92, 1946, p. 734-55. 228 The anatomy of humour entiation is by no means hard and fast. mental difference between kinds of hu Freud differentiated between wit, the mour is the progressive degrees that comic and humour in terms of the number they ascend in going from the sadistic of individuals essentially involved. Wit in to the sanctified. volved the initiator, the target and the audience. The comic, of necessity, need not involve more than initiator and the target CLASSES OF HUMOUR or the observer and the observed. Humour could be achieved by the single indivi The hierarchial kinds of humour which we dual's perception of the world's absur will illustrate by means of conventional dities. anecdotes from the lowliest form of tend Freud also differentiated within the ency wit to the loftiest abstract humour, classification of wit in terms of the mecha are: brutality, physical degradation, verbal nisms involved and related this 'wit degradation, vulgar or sexual jokes, work' to his previous construct of 'dream social-group jokes, children's jokes, ab work' found in the analysis of dreams.1 stract wit and the ideal comic. For the He elucidated and described more than a most part vulgar or sexual jokes, social- dozen mechanisms with special emphasis group jokes, and children's jokes repre on condensation, displacement and substi sent variations of verbal degradation tution. Freud himself said—and most although they are expressed physically correctly—that no one else in the world on occasion. had ever considered this type of inter pretation involving the operation of mecha Brutality nisms related to repression in the analysis of wit and humour. The most primitive form of humour is that In the definitions cited in the begin of sheer^ brutality in which degradation ning of the paper all types of humour of the recipient, is achieved by his anxiety, involved degradation of others produced by anguish or agony. This is the kind of verbal onslaught or situational 'happen humour reputedly enjoyed by the Nazi stance'. Freud clearly recognized this as Gauleiter who ran the concentration the most common type of humour and camps in Second World War Germany, spoke of it as situational wit or humour. but it is doubtless a kind of humour Freud also recognized a form of humour enjoyed by all those who perpetrate which was socially reinforcing because of terror and torture. For most conscious the ego elevation which it provided and and conscionable people it is hard to described it as abstract or harmless. accept brutality as a form of humour. There is a temptation to contrast Freud's Sheer brutality which is allegedly humor- 'tendency wit', or debasing; wit, with his ego-elevating harmless: wit. However, we believe that the degradation of the other's 1. Sigmund Freud, Die Traumdeutung, Leipzig and Vienna, Franz Deuticke, 1900. Wit and^ ego and the elevation of one's own ego its Relation to the Unconscious, New York, represent a continuum, and that the funda Moffat, Yard & Co., 1917. 229