Comedy and the psycheComedy and the psyche
All In The Mind
Good comedians push us where few of us dare to go -- we find ourselves rolling in the aisles with shock and delight. Two top-of-the-bill acts at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival reflect on Freud, the comedic psyche and the power of the potty mouth. And, New Yorker columnist and science journalist Jim Holt unravels the rollicking history and philosophy of jokes.
29:57•25 Apr 2009
Comedy, Freud and Fart Jokes: What Laughter Reveals About the Mind
Episode Overview
- Freud’s relief theory suggests jokes briefly release the forbidden impulses people usually keep tightly repressed.
- Ancient joke collections show how themes like sex, bodily functions and status anxiety have amused people for centuries.
- Ventriloquism lets performers bypass their inner censor, using a puppet to voice thoughts they would never dare say themselves.
- Edgy comedy about race, gender and crime can help people face painful histories without denying how serious they are.
- Different humour theories (superiority, incongruity, relief) each capture part of why jokes feel good and socially important.
“"If you laugh at something that's horrible, it doesn't mean that you don't understand the gravity of it."”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, the focus shifts to why humans laugh, what jokes say about our hidden urges, and why taboo topics can make crowds howl. All In The Mind takes a very Radio National approach to comedy: it gets properly nerdy about Freud, philosophy and fart jokes, while still keeping things fun.
Science writer Jim Holt shares stories from his "rollicking history and philosophy of jokes", tracing humour from ancient gag books to Holocaust and philosophical jokes. He talks about laughter as a "weird behaviour" that even baffled Aristotle, and explains Freud’s idea that jokes give a “little holiday” from all the impulses we keep locked away. There’s a sharp look at dirty jokes too, including Gershon Legman’s claim that many of them hide aggression and “verbal rape”.
On stage, UK ventriloquist Nina Conti and her foul-mouthed puppet Monk bring repression to life. Nina jokes that she’s so well-behaved she needs a monkey “to say the things that I can't say”, slipping past the “gatekeeper of the mind” so forbidden thoughts get aired safely through comedy. US comedian Reginald D.
Hunter adds his take from the deep south of America, using edgy material about race, gender and even Josef Fritzl to ask how humour helps people face horrific realities. As he puts it, “If you laugh at something that's horrible, it doesn't mean that you don't understand the gravity of it.” For him, comedians can act like modern-day philosophers, smuggling big ideas into small-town venues through punchlines.
If you’ve ever wondered why dark jokes can feel strangely healing, or why a simple fart gag still works after thousands of years, this conversation might have you rethinking what laughter is really doing in your life.
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