I wonder if humor is universal?  If all languages have a form of humor.  I know some languages only have rudimentary term for quantity or numbers.  So, do they have humor?

Humor doesn’t seem like something that would need to be present in a language.  Programming languages certainly don’t.  However, you can’t have a conversation in a programming language that wouldn’t be funny.

So, I think that humor may be universal in humans.  Although what is funny in one language is probably not funny in another.  Although probably the experience of laughing is universally humanly possible.

At the end of page 43 of Humor: The Psychology of Living Buoyantly  they state that chimpanzees are even known to laugh, specifically when playing and general horsing around.  However, the book then proceeds to cite that humor developed in humans to relieve emotional trauma or stress.  Actually none of the references claim that humor developed out of joy (which I find rather humorous).  And then afterwords was used as a mechanism to relieve stress.

That book also notes studies on the brain that identified regions that are responsible for understanding and producing humor.  Which is very interesting.  We actually have a section of the brain dedicated to humor.  We were built to communicate in ways that bring joy and laughter to others.  Or as those at the end of page 43 would have you believe to reduce each others stress.  I’m not saying they are wrong that humor does have that effect, I’m just claiming its not the basis for humor’s development.

Well this post certainly was longer than I originally thought it was going to be.  It was just a random thought I had.  Turned out to be rather interesting.  I wonder what humor will look like between AIs.  If it was up to those at the end of 43 they probably wouldn’t have humor since they don’t experience stress/trauma :).