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If you're anything like me, you laugh at some weird stuff.
如果你和我一样，就会取笑一些奇怪的东西。
Like, there's just something hilarious about cats doing basically anything and really good chemistry puns.
比如，猫做得一些基本动作和有趣的化学双关语很搞笑。
But not everyone laughs at the same things.
但不是每个人都笑同样的事情。
People have been trying to figure out what makes something funny for thousands of years,
人们几千年来一直想弄明白是什么让东西滑稽可笑，
and we might finally be able to explain it.
我们也许最终能够解释原因。
Over the centuries, there have been plenty of hypotheses about why stuff makes us laugh,
在过去几个世纪里，有很多关于为什么东西让我们发笑的假设，
and they all explain at least part of the picture.
它们都至少解释了部分情况。
There's one idea called superiority theory,
有一个概念叫做优势理论，
which says we laugh at misfortunes and shortcomings that make us feel better than other people.
说得是我们会嘲笑他人的不幸和缺点，感觉比他们优越。
It dates all the way back to Aristotle and Plato,
它能追溯到亚里士多德和柏拉图时代，
and it covers some kinds of humor, like if your rival football team blows the championship,
它包含了一些幽默，比如你的足球队对手没能赢得冠军，
but it definitely doesn't explain them all.
但这并不能解释所有的问题。
So in the 1700s, a new idea called relief theory was introduced.
所以在18世纪，一种叫做释放理论的新想法被引入了。
It was originally about how humor supposedly relieved tension caused by fluids in your body,
它最初是讲幽默如何缓解由体内液体引起的紧张。
but it's more well-known because of what Freud added to it.
但它更广为人知是因为弗洛伊德补充的内容
Two hundred years later, he basically said that humor is a way to let out pent-up energy
两百年后，他的主要想法是幽默是一种释放被压抑能量的方式，
that's often used to repress emotions or sexual and violent desires.
这种能量通常被用来压抑情感、性和暴力的欲望。
Because it's Freud, so why not?
因为它是弗洛伊德，何乐而不为？
Sure, that would explain dirty jokes, but it still wouldn't explain why we laugh at innocent puns.
当然，这一理论可以解释一些下流的笑话，但仍不能解释我们为什么会笑无辜的双关语。
Another idea that started around the 1700s, and that makes a lot more sense, is incongruity theory,
另一个想法是在18世纪出现的，它更能说的通，叫做失谐理论，
which says something is funny when it surprises us.
它说得是某些东西让我们惊讶时会有趣。
The setup leads us to expect one thing,
包袱让我们期待一件事，
but the punchline gives us something completely different.
但是笑点给了我们一些完全不同的东西。
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，仅仅是惊讶还不足以让我们发笑。
In one study from 1974, jokes that were predictable were actually rated as funnier than jokes that weren't.
1974年的一项研究表明，那些可以预测的笑话被认为实际比那些不可预测的更有趣。
In 2010, a study finally proposed an idea with some promise: the benign violation theory.
2010年，一项研究最终提出了一个有希望的想法：良性违反理论。
It says that something must be both in violation of an accepted social norm and relatively harmless to make us laugh.
它说的是，事物在违反公认社会规范的同时能相对无害地让我们发笑。
So, inappropriate, but not that terrible.
也就是笑话不合适，但没那么可怕。
The researchers did a number of studies as they were developing this.
研究人员在发展这一理论时做了大量的研究。
In one of them, about 70 people were asked to consider pairs of scenarios,
其中一个要求大约70人考虑成对的场景，
one that violated a norm and one that didn't.
一组违反规范，另一组不违反。
One example involved the mother of the bride at a wedding.
其中一个例子是婚礼上新娘的母亲。
In one scenario, she gave the bartenders extra tips, like good moms do.
在一个场景中，她给了调酒师额外的小费，就像好妈妈一样。
And in the other, she stole all the cash and pocketed the tips herself.
在另一个场景中，她偷了所有的钱，把小费都装进了口袋。
Some people didn't laugh at either option, but the scenario that violated the norm,
有些人对这两种选择都没有笑，但是这种场景违反了规范，
in this case, the mom stealing money at her daughter's wedding, was rated as way funnier than the one that didn't.
在这个例子中，妈妈在女儿的婚礼上偷钱被认为比没有偷钱有趣。
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，它也可以解释事情为什么不好笑。
Basically, if something is too harmless, it's boring,
基本上，如果事情太无害就会无聊，
but if it's too big of a violation, it's offensive.
但是如果违反得太多，就会变得冒犯。
And whether or not a joke crosses that line often depends on
一个笑话是否跨越了这条界限常常取决于
how much the subject hits close to home, or how much it means to you.
话题对家里的影响有多大，或它对你有多大意义。
In a 2012 study by the same team,
2012年同一团队进行的一项研究中，
90 participants read two scenarios about a woman who accidentally donated money to a cause.
90名参与者阅读了两种情景，即一名妇女不小心把钱捐给了一项事业。
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.
她给一个热线电话发了短信，但没有意识到捐款将会在月底以她的手机账单结束。
In one scenario, she accidentally spent 50 dollars.
在一个场景中，她不小心花了50美元。
In another, she spent 2000 dollars.
在另一个场景中，她花了2000美元。
The participants were asked to imagine that the woman was either a close friend or a stranger.
参与者被要求想象这个女人是自己的一个亲密朋友或是一个陌生人。
When they imagined her as a friend, the 50 dollars mishap was funny.
当他们把她想象成朋友的时候，50美元的损失很有趣。
But the 2000 dollars mistake was too serious to laugh at.
但是2000美元的错误太严重了，不能嘲笑。
Meanwhile, when the woman was a stranger, the results were reversed:
与此同时，当那个女人是陌生人时，结果相反：
2000 dollars was funny, and 50 dollars was too boring.
2000美元的错误很有趣，50美元太无聊了。
Imagining the woman as someone who wasn't close to them
把那个女人想象成一个与他们不亲近的人，
meant that the violation could be a lot worse and the situation would still be hilarious,
意味着尽管违规可能会更糟，但情况仍然很滑稽，
because the participants weren't invested in it.
因为参与者没有投入进去。
It's also why, when someone makes a joke about something you really care about,
这也是为什么当有人拿你真正关心的事情开玩笑时，
like doing well on a test, you're more likely to find it insensitive instead of funny.
比如考试优秀，你对它更有可能没感觉而不是感到好笑。
And the same idea applies when someone makes a joke about a crisis.
当有人拿危机开玩笑时，同样的道理也适用。
If the crisis is happening right now, the joke might be in bad taste.
如果现在正在发生危机，这个笑话可能不礼貌。
But years from now when the situation passes and there's been some distance, it could be funnier.
但是几年后，当这种情况过去了，有了一些距离，它可能会更有趣。
The benign violation theory can also explain why laughter makes us feel better.
良性违反理论也可以解释为什么笑会让我们感觉更好。
Humor can be a healthy way to react to hypothetical and distant threats,
幽默可以是一种应对假想和遥远威胁的健康方式，
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.
它也可以是一种社会暗示，告诉人们我们在违反规范时是可以接受的。
Of course, not everyone agrees with this idea.
当然，并不是每个人都同意这个观点。
Critics argue that it works so well because it's way too broad.
批评人士认为，这种做法很有效，因为它太宽泛了。
After all, "a violation" that isn't too much of a violation" could apply to almost anything.
毕竟，“一种不太违反规则的行为”几乎可以适用于任何事情。
But even if it has limitations, it's the best idea we have right now,
即便它有局限性，却是我们现在最好的理论，
and if you're trying to pick that perfect joke for your next icebreaker, maybe it'll help you out.
如果你想成为下一个打破僵局的人，开一个完美的玩笑也许会对你有帮助。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psych,
感谢您收看本期的心理科学秀，
and especially to our patrons on Patreon for making it possible.
特别感谢Patreon的大力支持，
If you'd like to help us keep exploring how your mind works,
如果你愿意帮助我们继续探索大脑是如何工作的，
you can support the show at patreon.com/scishow.
可以在patreon.com/scishow上支持这个节目。
