Research Paper on:
Humor Perceptions and Jokes

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
jokes the reasons they work and the way in which they work may also be seen as indicative of both the sender and the receiver. If we are going to  consider the role of jokes and the way that they are used and interpreted in different ways we first need to define what we mean by a joke. A  joke is undertaken with the primary target to create laughter, this is achieved by saying or doing something that is humorous, alternatively it may be by way of a prank,  or even evoking or pointing out a ridiculous situation. Furthermore it may have the appearance of not been something to be taken seriously. However, ion this later note we will  see that sometimes jokes may be used to introduce or reinforce stereotypes and ideas with a more sinister undertone, or even an educational undertone. The first type of joke  that we will consider may be seen as the harmless jokes. These are those where there is no victim, and it is the situation that is humorous or a play  on words. The word play is a feature of knock knock jokes, using similar sounding words. Children testing out their humour will often find these humorous. They are flexible and  can be changed to meet the users own development, with an ability to create jokes. These jokes do not offend, and the  humour is straightforward, often without any additional knowledge than is in the joke. The simple jokes have a strong place on society, from their use in crackers, to the role  they can play in bringing down social barriers. These jokes are universal, and although they may not have a long shelve life, they tend to circulate and re-emerge with each