Since LAUGH is part of Live Love Laugh, we set out to explore this curious phenomenon of human nature. Whether you tell jokes professionally, or you're just interested, see if this doesn't explain a little about humor.

Though you might find it subtle at first, the following theory helps explain our giggles, snickers, and belly laughs.

First, would you agree that two solid objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time? For example, if you place a baseball on the floor, you cannot also place an apple in the exact same spot at the same time. At least not in this reality, right?

Well, the mind seems have a similar principle that operates with thoughts and images similar to the way the physical world operates with solid objects. In other words, the mind does not allow two completely different perceptions of reality to occupy the same space at the same time.

Laughter occurs when the mind suddenly becomes aware that two different realities are present at the same time.

Two words are very important here--"reality" and "time." We often hear that "timing is everything" in telling a good joke. The reason timing is so important is that the mind temporarily doesn't know what to do with two different realities present AT THE SAME TIME, so this apparently triggers the brain's funny bone. So when a joke sets up one reality, the other reality must be superimposed in such a timely manner that hardly a hint of it's existence is exposed prematurely.

This is the reason that it hardly ever helps to explain a joke if someone doesn't get it right away. If you try and explain it, the two realities will become apparent V...E...R...Y slowly and the mind will not be suddenly surprised with both realities at the same time.

This also explains why a good comedian can tell a joke and get lots of laughs. Either consciously, or intuitively, the comedian delivers the words and mental images in such a way that the audience finds a reality set firmly in their mind and without notice-- bam-- a second reality is suddenly revealed. However, they do it so smoothly, the audience is hardly aware of what happened. If the audience is aware of the realities approaching each other, the funny will probably not be funny... and that's where the talent comes in.