Humor, the body, and cognitive linguistics

This article argues that the relationship between humor and the body is far more complex, and less linear, than typically presumed in theories of humor. First, cognitive linguistic studies suggest that our folk concepts of humor are fundamentally embodied, as well as mostly metaphorical. Second, psychological research demonstrates that people produce and understand stimuli as being humorous via embodied simulation processes in which they imaginatively project themselves into language or some real world event. Finally, the pervasive influence that bodily thoughts and actions have on humorous experiences greatly complicates attempts to empirically study how humor works and to theoretically describe the behavioral antecedents and consequences of humor in everyday life. Proper recognition of the tight link between humor and the body opens up many empirical and theoretical possibilities for future studies in cognitive linguistics and cognitive science.