Could my work, "Beyond HaHa" benefit the LessWrong community?
post by P. João (gabriel-brito) · 2024-12-29T16:14:13.497Z · LW · GW · 6 commentsThis is a question post.
Contents
Beyond HaHa: Mapping the Causal Chain from Jokes to Knowledge Summary None 6 comments
I’m considering translating my work into English to share it with the LessWrong community, but I’d like to first ask if it aligns with the community's interests and could be valuable. Below is a summary of the work to help evaluate its relevance:
Beyond HaHa: Mapping the Causal Chain from Jokes to Knowledge
Summary
We explore the specific causal mechanisms linking humor recognition to learning outcomes, including the computational and neurological pathways involved.
This study began with a practical goal: to evaluate the use of humor as a pedagogical tool in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) courses through a randomized trial. However, the lack of clear criteria to define and operationalize "humor" in educational contexts led us to explore its conceptual foundations. Initially, we adopted Clarke's formula, which describes humor as "a pleasant reward for recognizing corrupted data," due to its apparent objectivity and connection to information theory. Testing this definition revealed that it failed to encompass aspects traditionally considered humorous.
However, this process resulted in a more precise conceptualization that aligned notably with neurocognitive findings, such as those by Amir and Biederman. These researchers demonstrate that humor activates reward circuits similar to those involved in cognitive insight ("aha moments"), though with distinct emotional and social impacts. Notably, our observations resonate with works like Ha Ha! Versus Aha!, which explore the relationship between pleasure, surprise, and understanding in both processes. These findings suggest that humor may be conceptualized as a cognitive reward linked to the pleasurable resolution of incongruities, though its pedagogical impact requires further probabilistic studies and we propose a formula a little more mathematic. This approach opens new avenues for connecting humor to information theory principles and exploring its applications in education.
Keywords: Humor, Comedy, Education, Teaching, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Neuropsychology, Epistemology, Pedagogy.
Answers
6 comments
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comment by Viliam · 2025-01-12T00:24:38.907Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
use of humor as a pedagogical tool in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) courses
I first understood that as resuscitating people by telling them jokes. Like, when you laugh hard enough, your heart starts beating again. :D
*
Yeah, I think it could be interesting. To me, this feels unsurprising -- memory is related to emotions, so you should use emotions while teaching. But negative emotions, such as fear, help people remember, but also discourage them from researching the topic on their own. They help memory, but hurt creativity. Positive emotions should be useful for both remembering and experimenting.
Now the question is which positive emotions. Also, how. I guess people will remember funny things, but can you produce jokes about every important thing you want your students to remember? (If you can, you should totally do an educational YouTube comedy channel.)
Replies from: gabriel-brito↑ comment by P. João (gabriel-brito) · 2025-01-13T23:56:05.044Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Hi! Thank you so much for your comment—it’s incredibly thoughtful and motivating. I couldn’t agree more that humor can be a powerful pedagogical tool, especially for topics like CPR, where emotions play a key role in memory retention. I also laughed at your line, “I first understood that as resuscitating people by telling them jokes. Like, when you laugh hard enough, your heart starts beating again.” 😂 Your humor actually helped me see the ambiguity in my explanation and understand where I might have made that part clearer.
In my case, as a former military firefighter in Brazil, I was often told that humor wasn’t appropriate for serious settings and that I had to maintain a strict demeanor. That left me conflicted because I knew that humor could help people learn and remember better. But I also needed a solid theoretical foundation to justify its use—and, of course, to avoid getting into trouble for making jokes inappropriately! 😅
One interesting finding from my thesis is how humor operates on different levels. The greater the contrast and the quicker the punchline, the higher the chances of eliciting pleasure and laughter. But it’s equally important to adapt humor to the context and the audience.
As for your idea of creating an educational comedy channel, I already have one! It’s called “Academia Engraçada de Comédia Humorística” (which would translate to something like "Funny Academy of Comedic Humor" in English). For now, we’re more active on Instagram, and we’ve even delivered humor-based problem-solving courses to all the prisons in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m not very strong on YouTube yet because the courses are generally paid—except for prisoners, who don’t have much money… or anywhere to run, haha!
Once again, thank you for your brilliant comment—it’s incredibly relevant and inspiring. 😊
Replies from: gwern, Viliam↑ comment by gwern · 2025-01-14T00:16:53.683Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
In my case, as a former military firefighter in Brazil
FWIW, I would be interested in any memoirs or lessons learned about that career, quite aside from any formal research. I don't think there are many firefighters, former, military, or otherwise, on LW, and I bet you saw some interesting things.
Replies from: gabriel-brito↑ comment by P. João (gabriel-brito) · 2025-01-15T19:52:15.415Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
Thank you for your interest! My first idea for a post on LessWrong was actually about that—my journey from being a firefighter to discovering rationality. However, I hesitated because it felt very personal, and some of the most interesting parts of my story would be hard to verify. To summarize, I found myself unable to adapt to the "ethics" of the role, which eventually led me to leave and seek rationality as a way to rebuild my life. At the time, it felt like I had nothing left, as I had dedicated my entire life to becoming a firefighter.
Interestingly, there are some parallels between my experiences and the Brazilian movies Tropa de Elite. That kind of intense, complex environment leaves you with stories that are hard to explain but deeply shape who you are.
Thanks to your comment, though, I’m reconsidering publishing my story. Perhaps I could frame it as partly real, partly exaggerated—after all, not everything has to be 100% factual, right? Haha.
↑ comment by Viliam · 2025-01-14T14:37:34.198Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
I guess there are cultural limits to what you can and cannot do, and sometimes the thing that is most effective from the teaching perspective might be beyond those limits.
"Joking reduces authority" is a common intuition. I guess, people typically use humor to reduce tension, which is often what the weaker person would want to do. Humor can also be used by the stronger person, as a signal that they have no hostile intentions. But frequent joking is probably associated with weakness rather than strength (think: the class clown). Too bad, but that's how our instincts work. So as a military instructor, you probably have to care about not losing the respect of your audience, which probably consists of strong competitive guys (which is a different audience compared to e.g. teaching at an elementary school). I have no military experience (I used to teach kids 10-18 years old), so I have no idea where are the lines, and how far could you push them with a carefully balanced approach.
(I am just guessing here, but I would think that you can afford to be more funny if people watch the videos individually, compared to the class setting. The guy who laughs at your joke doesn't have to worry about the reaction of his peers. But this is just a guess. Also, most people pay better attention at class than individually at video; this is why educational videos are less successful than people hoped originally.)
Replies from: gabriel-brito↑ comment by P. João (gabriel-brito) · 2025-01-15T20:10:03.138Z · LW(p) · GW(p)
You make a very good point—there are different ways to create contrasts in information that are quickly recognized, and that’s how I’ve come to understand humor. The faster the brain recognizes the information, the higher the chance it triggers a sense of pleasure, or perhaps falls somewhere along a spectrum of pleasure tied to recognizing patterns or resolving contrasts.
I also agree that many jokes can reduce authority. They signal that someone is not a threat, that they lower themselves to gain acceptance, which is often done by people who aren’t strong or authoritative and who use humor as a way to find their space. On the other hand, humor can also be used by authoritative figures to reinforce their power—when others laugh, it confirms that they don’t perceive the person as a threat. Some studies even suggest that chimpanzee laughter might be linked to this dynamic.
In my case, I would describe myself as someone who, in many ways, felt “weak” and used humor to create space for myself. I wasn’t in a position to demand authority outright. I had to teach skills like first aid in a very short amount of time, and I found that humor as positive reinforcement was much more effective than relying on negative reinforcement.
It’s a complex topic, isn’t it? There are so many variables in humor, but this is the perspective I’ve been able to develop so far: humor as something that operates on a spectrum of pleasure derived from the rapid recognition of information.
Additionally, I plan to share some stories about how humor has helped me stay attentive and better use what a class or learning environment offers in a more constructive way.