The Social Function of Humor in Interpersonal Relationships

The social function of humor may be considered to have two aspects. The first is that of the relationships within a group and the social system within which personal acquaintance and interaction between and among group members exist. The second is that of society as a whole or of social phenomena. Here, humor’s role being to reform certain aspects of social life. Bergson’s theory deals mainly with this “corrective” characteristic of humor. In this article, both of these aspects are discussed.