Synopsis
This evolutionary and cognitive theory of humor seeks to reveal the complex science behind why we crack up.
“A sophisticated analysis . . . written with clarity, good cheer, and, of course, wit.” ―Steven Pinker, author of How The Mind Works
Some things are funny—jokes, puns, sitcoms, Charlie Chaplin, The Far Side, Malvolio with his yellow garters crossed—but why? Why does humor exist in the first place? Why do we spend so much of our time passing on amusing anecdotes, making wisecracks, watching The Simpsons?
In Inside Jokes, Matthew Hurley, Daniel Dennett, and Reginald Adams offer an evolutionary and cognitive perspective. Humor, they propose, evolved out of a computational problem that arose when our long-ago ancestors were furnished with open-ended thinking. Mother Nature—aka natural selection—cannot just order the brain to find and fix all our time-pressured misleaps and near-misses. She has to bribe the brain with pleasure. So we find them funny. This wired-in source of pleasure has been tickled relentlessly by humorists over the centuries, and we have become addicted to the endogenous mind candy that is humor.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Matthew M. Hurley is currently researching teleology and agency at the Center for Research on Concepts and Cognition at Indiana University.
Daniel C. Dennett is University Professor Codirector of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He is the author of Brainchildren: Essays on Designing Minds; Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness; Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting; Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness (all published by the MIT Press), From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Mind, and other books.
Reginald B. Adams, Jr., is Associate Professor of Psychology researching emotion and social perception at Penn State University.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Stock Image
Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition and has highlighting/writing on text. Used texts may not contain supplemental items such as CDs, info-trac etc. Seller Inventory # 00106469262
Stock Image
Inside Jokes : Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 17353500-6
Stock Image
Inside Jokes : Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 17353500-6
Buy Used
US$ 15.98
US$ 6.77 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Inside Jokes : Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers. Seller Inventory # 18982608-5
Stock Image
Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind (The MIT Press)
Seller: Textbooks_Source, Columbia, MO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. Illustrated. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust jacket. Has used sticker(s) and some writing or highlighting. UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes). Seller Inventory # 001518986U
Stock Image
Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: Russell Books, Victoria, BC, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # FORT930228
Buy Used
US$ 14.99
US$ 19.99 shipping
Ships from Canada to U.S.A.
Ships from Canada to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Seller Inventory # M00262518694-G
Buy Used
US$ 30.48
US$ 11.47 shipping
Ships from Germany to U.S.A.
Ships from Germany to U.S.A.
Quantity: 2 available
Seller Image
Inside Jokes : Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: GreatBookPricesUK, Woodford Green, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers. Seller Inventory # 18982608-5
Buy Used
US$ 35.50
US$ 20.31 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 5 available
Seller Image
Inside Jokes : Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition. Seller Inventory # 18982608
Seller Image
Inside Jokes : Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 18982608-n