Humor as a Process of Communication
All humor involves communication between two parties whom I will call the Teller and the Audience.
The Teller initiates the process by telling a joke, or acting out a humorous situation, or drawing a cartoon, or writing an amusing story, or photographing or filming something funny, etc.
The Audience perceives, sees, hears, reads, etc. what the Teller has done -- and reacts to it.
Humor arises out of the unique characteristics of this process which distinguish it from other similar human interactions.
They are --
(1) The purpose humor serves.
(2) The content the Teller communicates.
(3) The format of communication the Teller uses.
(4) How the Audience processes the information.
(5) How the Audience reacts emotionally.
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