The Distasteful Communication of Insulting and Humor in Daily Life

There is no end to the ways that insults and humor are constantly at work in daily life. They are a large part of the fabric that makes up human socialization and communication. When these two effects are mingled, the result can either be very entertaining or very distasteful. This leads one to wonder what elements need to be mixed together to tip the scales in one direction or the other. It is really the combination of delivery, environment, personalities, and audience that make insult humor funny. There are multiple nuances and avenues that go into the overall big picture of either making insult humor that delivers a laughable message or one in bad taste. But in an ordered and civilized society such as the one we exist in, it must be investigated when insults cross the line from the side of humor to the offensive and inappropriate. There is no doubt that society has been entertained by the art of the insult over time through mediums such as written word, live performances and everyday banter.

In his book, Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why, Scott Weems refers to humor as the exercise of keeping the brain engaged. We laugh because the brain likes to jump the gun and we are always guessing where things are going. Laughter is produced when we get it wrong and are surprised. Perhaps this is why some people are so good at making people laugh at insult humor. They are experts at the surprising. There are numerous studies that have illustrated the benefits of humor ranging from being more creative after listening to a comedy album, to being better at solving brain teasers. It was even discovered by Arnold Cann at the University of North Carolina that pain tolerance became higher after watching 10 minutes of the comedian, Bill Co...

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...in an indicator that there seems to be great fun to be found in the act of insulting another fellow human being. If there can be an avenue that leads to a excuse to insult, people will go down it.

Whether it is thought that there are just some areas that are off limits when it comes to interactions or people should be able to say what they want when they want and to whom they want, will be an ongoing debate well into the future of mankind. While it is quite easy to become adversely affected as a result of someone’s insults, it is clear that this is a mode of communication that is here to stay. It is certainly clear that we would not have been treated to the works of some high quality talent if there were areas that were areas of insult that were rendered totally off limits. Perhaps it is best for people with sensitivities to work on letting things upset them less.