Since I started contributing to Psychology Today three years ago, I’ve been periodically exploring how laughter and humor are related to other terms often associated with them. They include concepts such as amusement (a.k.a. mirth), ridicule, comical, nonsense, farce, foolish, absurd, wit, sarcasm and satire, and a score of others, including the topic of today’s post: irony.
The word irony has various connotations, so I referenced several online dictionaries to get a sense of how irony and ironic are typically understood today. According to Britannica, “the word irony comes from the Latin ironia, meaning ‘feigned ignorance,’ and previously from the Greek eironeia. Eiron, a Greek comic, was an intelligent underdog who used his wit to triumph over the egotistical character Alazon.”
Today, the word is employed in a few ways. It refers to a literary or rhetorical tool in which the author or a character uses words that are in opposition to their implied meaning or pretends to hold a view that one does not. In this sense, it is similar, if not the same as being sarcastic or using sarcasm. “When I said that yours was a brilliant idea, I didn’t mean that literally… I was being ironic”—presumably for comedic effect or simply to draw attention to, in this case, some cognitive failing.
Another use of irony is as a means of describing a situation that stands in stark opposition to what is expected. From the online version of the Oxford Languages Dictionary, we have: “A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.” And from the online Merriam-Webster dictionary: “Incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.” Examples given included a policeman being pulled over for speeding and a fire station burning down. A Coast Guard cutter needing a rescue might also qualify.
One could go further than simply unexpected outcomes. When I think of irony, I envision consequences substantially counter to those being actively pursued. Using a stain remover on clothing that leaves its own indelible mark. The "shortcut" that ends up adding an hour to one's drive. Asking a friend to do home repairs to save money with the resulting damage costing twice as much as if it had been done professionally. These sorts of self-inflicted wounds are undeniably ironic.
The question for those interested in laughter and humor is this: What is it about ironic statements and situations that often make them amusing?
If one subscribes, as I do, to the Mutual Vulnerability Theory (Simon, 2020), the answer is obvious. It understands laughter as being a vocal affirmation of mutual vulnerability, a response to shifts in our status relationship with others due to some trait or action, be it physical, emotional, cognitive, or social in nature. Laughter reminds others—whether their status rises or falls relative to ours, or ours does relative to theirs—that “we both have certain shortcomings, so let's just ignore this little aberration.” So, what do we observe in the case of irony?
In the original “classical” sense of the word, as well as today’s sarcastic digs, we have someone feigning ignorance or stupidity to highlight those precise qualities in a rival. They are, in effect, satirically concurring with a rival who is exhibiting cognitive, emotional, or social failings.
This would be amusing if the “audience” recognizes the humorist’s insincerity and they concur that the individual being mocked is, in fact, displaying some shortcoming. If these two conditions are satisfied (and other considerations allow for a level of amusement above a certain emotional threshold) they would have the desire to express their feelings with a smile or laugh.
As for outcomes that appear contrary to expectations, again, this can only result from one’s own cognitive vulnerability. One either attempted to achieve a result and failed, or faced some unforeseen consequence that one could have, or even should have, anticipated or prepared for.
When it comes to the irony that flows as a consequence markedly counter to that which was actively pursued, any shortcoming or defect would solicit an even greater sense of amusement. The strategy itself would represent a cognitive failure in and of itself, and the aftermath would almost certainly have negative physical, emotional, and/or social repercussions. Then, too, one must consider the prospect of developing yet another plan—from an even more disadvantaged position—by those who had already botched the first attempt.
What could possibly go wrong?
© John Charles Simon
References
Among the masters of comedic irony were the writers of "Seinfeld." Here’s a link to one of their better examples.
Simon, J. C. (2020). Laughter Redefined. The Israeli Journal of Humor Research 9 (1) 72-83.
Why Ironic Situations Can Be So Amusing
38
0
29.04.2024
Since I started contributing to Psychology Today three years ago, I’ve been periodically exploring how laughter and humor are related to other terms often associated with them. They include concepts such as amusement (a.k.a. mirth), ridicule, comical, nonsense, farce, foolish, absurd, wit, sarcasm and satire, and a score of others, including the topic of today’s post: irony.
The word irony has various connotations, so I referenced several online dictionaries to get a sense of how irony and ironic are typically understood today. According to Britannica, “the word irony comes from the Latin ironia, meaning ‘feigned ignorance,’ and previously from the Greek eironeia. Eiron, a Greek comic, was an intelligent underdog who used his wit to triumph over the egotistical character Alazon.”
Today, the word is employed in a few ways. It refers to a literary or rhetorical tool in which the author or a character uses words that are in opposition to their implied meaning or pretends to hold a view that one does not. In this sense, it is similar, if not the same as being sarcastic or using sarcasm. “When I........
© Psychology Today
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Mort Laitner
Donald Low
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
