Henri Bergson’s Idea of the “Laughter” Essay

The debate on what can be regarded as funny has been ongoing since time immemorial. Many people however believe that comic is an art rather than a science and therefore tend to be more subjective with no distinct rules. In the essay, “ Laughter”, Henri Bergson argues that comedy is the involuntary element which lacks of elasticity, through absentmindedness and a kind of physical obstinacy, as a result, in fact, of rigidity or of momentum. [1] Therefore, I agree with Bergon’s idea that comedy is anything that can make people to laugh and is generally achieved through a number of elements that includes the inelasticity of bodies and minds, appeal to the intellect of the emotions, must be correlated to humanity and finally the fun object should be regarded by the audience as harmless to the participants in the situation.

One of the important elements of Bergson’s concept of laughter is the notion that comedy is based in the inelasticity of ours bodies, minds and personalities. We often laugh at the individual who has tripped and simply burst out laughing at the inelasticity of the other bodies or the non adaptive behavior of the individual. For instance, When I recall my memory whether there are any funny things happened in my life so far, I remember that there is an anecdote that still made me giggle when I recall it.

Back to last year, 2011, in the Annual Chorale Concert, one of our classmates, who weights about 280 pounds, was told to pick up a box of music folders. The hilarious part started at when he came upstairs and was breathless because of holding a nearly forty pounds folder case. His weight prevented him doing such heavy burden task but it seemed that he did not notice and care about that. In few seconds, I was shocked by a sudden sound which hit the floor so hard. I turned my head and saw he tripped with not noticing the steps by a box of music folders blocking his sight. His face literally hit the floor so hard and I burst out laughing.

I assume that the laughing can be imply to the idea of Bergson who claims that laughing usually detects to some human attitude or expression. Moreover, we usually laugh at people because their behavior is so involuntary. Thus, it means, that unexpected and sudden change of attitude does not provoke any laughter as such; it is rather clumsiness that caused this particular change, [2] Additionally it is also believed that people laugh subconsciously at the lack of elasticity and rigidity of other people because it is funny to see them making error. Laughter is however corrective because it humiliates the victim and make them change their adaptive behaviors.

Many experts concur that the inelasticity and rigidness of our lives is the major course of laughter and comic situations. This is particularly because the society is always suspicious and sensitive to all potential cases of inelasticity and laughter is often a reaction towards the inelasticity of a particular situation. Bergson (p.66) argues that the major object of laughter in comic situations is the human mechanical inelasticity as well as the rigidity of personalities and beliefs.

Another element of Bergson’s concepts regarding what is funny is primarily linked to human’s absentmindedness which is “surely contiguous to a certain stream of facts and fancies which flows straight from the fountain-head. It is situated, so to say, on one of the great natural watershed of laughter”. [3] Bergson argued that making people laugh demands some absence of feeling on the side of the audience.

For example, for something to be considered as funny, it should be able to make people forget their feelings of sorrow, pity at once and in this way retrieve from the situation that is surely to cause laughter. For instance, the Bergson particularly termed such a situation as a “momentary anesthesia of the audience heart” to meant that comics often make the hearts of the audience to be numb in order to make them laugh. This is particularly because emotions may sometimes hinder people from laughing particularly if such emotions are correlated to the comic situation.

Moreover, Bergson argues laughter is the notion that comedy has an important social function. “ Laughter must be something of this kind, a sort of social gesture. By the fear which it inspires, it restrains eccentricity, a certain rigidity of body, mind, and character that society would still like to get ride of in order to obtain from its members the greatest possible degree of elasticity and sociability”. [4]

Instead of focusing on the physiological perspective of what can be considered funny, Bergson regarded laughter as a norm of social gesture that is designed to bring a feeling of making improvement. By laughing at something, in reality the audience want to correct what is being presented in the comic situation and thus make the society better.

For instance, there is a video clip which is called Epic fail compilation which combines all of those epic failed short clips. This video includes models tripped from walking on the runways, groups of people decided to drive jeep over a giant rock, and etc. It made me laugh while I was watching it over and over because those hilarious moments were based in the inelasticity of their bodies, minds, and behaviors. Laughter is however corrective because it humiliates the victim and make them change their adaptive behaviors.

Additionally, the theory of laughter argues that it is really a “kind of automatism that makes us laugh — an automatism can be defined as closely akin to mere absentmindedness”. [5] However, we need to intellect rather than to the emotions and absent feelings of the viewers and listeners that make comics to be humorous. For example racial jokes may often appeal to everyone except to the members of the group that is being victimized and made fun of.

This is because the jokes may potentially affect their emotions and consequently seem to be rude and insulting rather than rude. Such people often respond to the jokes by getting emotional such as being angry. As Bergson states that the comic person is unconscious; however, he becomes invisible to himself while remaining visible to all the world. [6] On the other hand, the other people who do not have a personal interest in the particular jokes may not take them as an insult. In this regard the joke may be seen as objective and stimulating to the intellect of the audience.

In conclusion, Bergson’s concept of “inelasticity of other bodies” is based on the fact that comic elements are often made up of mechanical inelastic happenings which occur where one would naturally expect flexibility and adaptability. We often laugh at the absentminded people due to their weird and not common for us behavior. This clearly indicates the inelasticity of other bodies because people tend to laugh if something is not correlated with humanity.

Works Cited

Bergson, Henri. Laughter. What’s Funny: II 3. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. Print.

Bergson, Henri. Laughter. What’s Funny: II 3. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. Print.

Bergson, Henri. Laughter. What’s Funny: II 4. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. Print.

Bergson, Henri. Laughter. What’s Funny: II 5. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. Print.

Bergson, Henri. Laughter. What’s Funny: II 5. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. Print.

Bergson, Henri. Laughter. What’s Funny: II 6. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. Print.