Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Is it just me or are things more funny when bad things happen? Is there a psychological reason for this or something? Like I get a bigger laugh when something bad happens than when I hear how successful or well someone is doing. Does Dakka have an answer for why this happens?

Humour does come from the misery of others, even down to childrens television. whether it is a misunderstand or something big. Right now im watching all seasons of "Two and a half men" and most comedy comes from someones misfortune, now when it is bad you know.
Let me give an example, they tie the father to a pole and leave him there, now he is miserable, but he isnt in danger so it is funny.

I'm more amazed that you actually find Two and a Half men to be funny.

I have a very black sense of humour. If something is remotely ironic i can often be in stitches. All it take is a newsreader to say the "right" thing and i can be laughing at a car crash , in company that don't know me it can be rather disconcerting (for them).It's more laughing at what the newsreader said though than laughing at the actual craqsh.

Just look at the premise of shows like Funniest home videos, Rediculousness and Jackass. All revolve around humour at someone elses pain or misfortune. True funniest home videos is just complete gak most of the times and it is about "funny" videos and not necessarily at the pain of others. But then look at Rediculousness. That show is based on making light of other peoples cock ups.

Camaraderie is found usually in shared misery, or at observations of misfortune, while people may delight at peoples achievements and triumphs , seldom are they funny..there is a reason many comedians are tortured and miserable people, and the three stooges humor consists of a lot of what in reality would be lethal hijinks.

Pain and embarrassment is funny.

 Cheesecat wrote:
Is it just me or are things more funny when bad things happen? Is there a psychological reason for this or something? Like I get a bigger laugh when something bad happens than when I hear how successful or well someone is doing. Does Dakka have an answer for why this happens?

Not ''more'' funny, but differently funny, yes. The german term 'schadenfreude' (Pain-Joy) is increasingly being used because the english language didn't have much of an equivalent, but the idea has been with us since the Antiquity. According to a teacher of mine (so take it with a pinch of salt) Persians used to throw kittens in drums suspended over a fire to rejoice and laugh at the poor beast screaming and burning.

From a cognitive science standpoint, schadenfreude is correlated with the perception of pain on an object of envy (usually another person). The stronger the envy trigger is activated before the painfull event befalls the victim, the stronger the schadenfreude will be felt.

 Fafnir wrote:
I'm more amazed that you actually find Two and a Half men to be funny.

Why does everyone say that?
I like big bang theory and How i met your mother aswell, people wonder why i like that too.

People wonder why you like those shows because all of them are awful.

And yet they have made it too 10+ seasons in some cases.

 Fafnir wrote:
People wonder why you like those shows because all of them are awful.

I wouldn't call them awful just that they go for the most obvious jokes (low brow) and aren't very clever they're more mediocre than anything.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 Fafnir wrote:
I'm more amazed that you actually find Two and a Half men to be funny.

Why does everyone say that?
I like big bang theory and How i met your mother aswell, people wonder why i like that too.

Some people like them and others don't because of differing tastes.

People bash them because they are popular. No point in slagging off a show that no one watches.

And yet Arrested Development, one of the best sitcoms ever made, was cancelled after 3. Your point? Popularity does not imply quality.

This article sums up my opinion on BBT quite well:
http://butmyopinionisright.tumblr.com/post/31079561065/the-problem-with-the-big-bang-theory

If it's too long to read, essentially, aside from the fact that the show doesn't actually have jokes (random references to nerd-culture/science/etc with a laugh track is not a joke), the fact that it makes fun of the autistic and people with 'nerdy' interests does little to make for an interesting comedy.

Two and a Half Men's humour largely amounts to little more than the equivalent of a drawn out fart joke.

HIMYM is better than those two, but not by much. Its constant need to force its characters to make the moral decision of the day ends up making it about as repetitive and predictable as Full House.

feeder wrote:
People bash them because they are popular..

Not necessarily I don't think The Big Bang is ever going to be considered a comedy classic like The Monty Python Group, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Police Academy, Arrested Development, The Office, This is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski, Woody Allen movies, etc, etc.

 Fafnir wrote:
People wonder why you like those shows because all of them are awful.

Big bang is awful? I've always thought it was pretty funny, if only because the main characters on the show remind me of the ones I see at my FLGS. They nailed that part of the show to a T. I realize the social awkardness hits too close to home for some people, but I will say that there are people just like the main characters in real life, I've met them in person and on forums as well. Big bang making fun of socially awkard "nerds" isn't really all that different from Spinal Tap making fun at the rock culture, or reno 911 making fun of cops. Everybody gets ribbed over something silly, welcome to life. My brother is practically a clone of Sheldon for example. I remind him of this whenever I want to get a rise out of him. Just like he'll quote spinal tap when making fun of me for working as a stagehand and listening to 70's rock music.

Branching back into the main topic, I think it's mainly a feeling of "relief" ("haha glad that's not me") and not caring because it doesn't involve you. For example, you have things like the "Darwin Awards" where it talks about people who died in horribly stupid ways. I find the books hilarious, but you see letters written to the author all the time when a death hit too close to home, and the person knew the subject of that story personally. But as long as we don't know the guy, know it's a fantasy, or it's something that has happened to us, all but the nicest and innocent people seem to find injury and misfortune funny. This is also why people who are autistic might not find Big Bang theory funny, or why a cop might not like Reno 911, because it "hits too close to home". For example, I might not find a guy getting kicked in the balls funny because I got kicked so hard once I sounded like Alvin the chipmunk for a week.

 Cheesecat wrote:
Is it just me or are things more funny when bad things happen? Is there a psychological reason for this or something? Like I get a bigger laugh when something bad happens than when I hear how successful or well someone is doing. Does Dakka have an answer for why this happens?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuoFX8aAIrY

Classic.

 Fafnir wrote:
a drawn out fart joke.

 Ahtman wrote:

 Fafnir wrote:
a drawn out fart joke.

And probably funnier than any of the shows that have been held up as high quality in this thread.

Seriously, no type of humor is 'bad' humor. Lots of stuff can be funny. Toilet humor is funny often because it makes us uncomfortable on some level. Other people's embarassment, pain, or danger can also be funny. Humor can also stem from a failure to make a logical connection. (Hence the trend of elephant jokes.) It's perfectly okay to dislike something without it necessarily having to be 'bad.' I think that the genuine popularity of shows like How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men speaks to at least some level of quality, even if that only amounts to accessibility, and even if I don't care for them myself.

It's also perfectly acceptable to like things other people dislike. I love 'The Nanny,' even if no one else does. (Although I still think Daniel Davis and Lauren Lane had one of the best antagonistic comedic relationships ever.) I also liked 'Super Mario Bros,' even if it IS an atrocious movie. (And it is. An ATROCIOUS movie...)

There's no reason to put down each other's likes or dislikes in any serious capacity.

As far as the OT is concerned, I personally am not a huge fan of schadenfreude. I prefer logical-disconnect humor more, or humor stemming from mundane things exaggerated to comedic proportions. Usually when I see humor based on humiliation, pain, or discomfort I just kind of wince. I'm not saying that it isn't a legitimate aspect of the comedic medium, it just isn't my cup of tea.

 Jimsolo wrote:
There's no reason to put down each other's likes or dislikes in any serious capacity.

The only thing that would be left on the internet is porn.

Humor ( like many things) is prett subjective
like myself , if i couldnt find something to laugh about every day this world would of driven me over quite a while ago

on the shows mention
love big bang as it echoes alot of my life and social interactions in the character tones
How i met your mother still funny
2 and half lost its charm fairly quickly

DarkNero

 Cheesecat wrote:

feeder wrote:
People bash them because they are popular..

Not necessarily I don't think The Big Bang is ever going to be considered a comedy classic like The Monty Python Group, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Police Academy, Arrested Development, The Office, This is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski, Woody Allen movies, etc, etc.

I was forced to watch a few shows of The Big Bang. I thought it was one of the stupidest shows ever made and want to throttle the one jerk.

Modern Family however is required viewing. We caught it late so now are ordering the earlier episodes. For the moment its family tradition to settle in with some rum on Friday night and a passel of dogs and watch one or two episodes.

 Ahtman wrote:

 Jimsolo wrote:
There's no reason to put down each other's likes or dislikes in any serious capacity.

The only thing that would be left on the internet is porn.

I thought we were over halfway there already?

50% porn/40% Arguments/10%Pictures of cats.

And on topic - I laugh at most things. Including grim/macabre stuff - Like in switzerland there was a guy who went for a 200ft bungie jump from a cable car. With a 300ft rope.
Sometimes other people don't get my sense of humour. Like when I was younger a girl at college had 3 lads trying to speak to her - she came out with the immortal line 'God, you're like gak flies'
I started cracking up, cos what does that make her when you think about it?
Couldn't really explain it at the time without causing offence, couldn't stop laughing either...

The only thing I don't find funny is Ricky Gervais.

Why?

Comedy is when YOU fall over.

Tragedy is when it happens to me.

Comedy is dead.
http://www.yakov.com/schedule/

 reiner wrote:
Comedy is dead.
http://www.yakov.com/schedule/

That's...weird. I haven't seen that guy in ages.

"What a country!"

 kronk wrote:

 reiner wrote:
Comedy is dead.
http://www.yakov.com/schedule/

That's...weird. I haven't seen that guy in ages.

"What a country!"

In America, you are the bane of moderates
In DakkaDakka, mods bane you!

amidoinitrite?

No, because you're supposed to swap the subject of the sentence with the direct object in Soviet Russia jokes.

In Soviet Russia, man mauls bear.

Example

 kronk wrote:
No, because you're supposed to swap the subject of the sentence with the direct object in Soviet Russia jokes.

In Soviet Russia, man mauls bear.

Example

Russian Humor is bad humor...

On topic I think it's mainly a coping mechanism. Black humour can make light of some pretty grim situations

PredaKhaine wrote:
The only thing I don't find funny is Ricky Gervais.

Really? I thought Extras, The Office, his podcasts with Karl Pilkington and Idiot Abroad were brilliant then again he does a lot of cringe comedy which is trying to find humour out of embarrassing and/or awkward situations and insult comedy so it might (more so with Karl) so it might not be

your cup of tea.