Humour: A Very Short Introduction considers the relation of humour to emotion and cognition, explores the value of humour in its social functions, and examines the leading humour theories including The Superiority Theory and The Incongruity Theory. Humour, known in every human culture, can serve many functions; it can be used to relieve stress, to promote goodwill among strangers, to dissipate tension within a fractious group, and to display intelligence. This VSI argues that humour, and the comic amusement that follows it, has a crucial role to play in the construction of communities. It also demonstrates that the social aspect of humour raises questions such as ‘When is humour immoral?’.

Noel Carroll is Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Temple University. He is a renowned scholar in the fields of film theory, the philosophy of literature, the philosophy of the visual arts, and social and cultural theory. He is the author or editor of 15 books and hundreds of articles on a wide range of humanistic and cultural topics and he has already written broadly on the topic of comedy. He currently teaches courses in film and media theory, philosophy of art and philosophy of history.