One theory about comedy is that the stand-up comedian is always engaged in a quest for “respectability.” As the center of attention, the comedian has a unique opportunity to share specific truths with authority, but at the same time, the comedian engages in self-deprecation and being an occasional butt of their own joke. In Elmer Blistein’s classic book Comedy in Action (1964), he relates a story about Danny Kaye. When Kaye’sfive-year-old daughter saw him perform in a nightclub, he noticed her crying and asked her what was wrong. She replied, “I don’t like people to laugh at my Daddy” (Blistein 1964: 17). Kaye’s daughter was struggling with the difference between “laughing at” and “laughing with.” The comedian constantly negotiates being the butt of the joke who is the object of laughter, and being the expert who is in control of the performance and laughing with the audience. In either case, neurobiological analysis of laughter shows striking differences in types of laughter and the active locations of the brain in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. One research team has documented a “laughter neural network” showing that joyous and taunting laughter each produced different connectivity patterns in parts of the brain involved in sound association, thinking and visual imagery. The fact that laughter occurs in a social context where roles and statuses between individuals are interpreted and reinterpreted is very important. Complex social laughter is used in a conscious and goal-directed manner to influence and modify the attitudes and behaviors of those around us. “Polite laughter” as a way to acknowledge things that members of a group all find funny can reinforce social communication and cooperation. Researchers have documented this behavior among great apes and chimpanzees. Phenomenologically, the frequency and pitch of laughter produced in different social settings can vary widely in accordance with the emotional state of the laughter, with the difference in pitch between joyous laughter and taunting “schadenfreude” laughter at another’s misfortune showing distinct differences. The social context of laughter and its neurobiological basis is central to the distinction between laughing at someone and laughing with someone.

James, Christine (2018). he Neurological Research on Laughter: Social Context, Joys, and Taunts. Israeli Journal for Humor Research. 1 electronic record (PDF).