humorin

Humorin is a term used in humor studies to denote a particular aspect of the experience of humor. It refers to the experiential quality that makes a joke or humorous event feel rewarding, uplifting, or socially connecting. The word is a blend of humor and the adjectival suffix -in, used in theoretical naming conventions, and is treated as a construct rather than a physical substance.

Etymology and scope: The term appears in scholarly writing from the late 20th century onward and is used to distinguish the felt amusement from features such as comedic style or rhetorical technique. Definition: Humorin encompasses cognitive appraisal of incongruity, affective response, and the social outcomes that follow laughter, such as bonding and relief from tension.

Mechanisms: Cognitive processes detect incongruity and resolve it in a context perceived as benign, triggering positive affect. Social cues, norms, and context modulate the intensity of humorin. Neural and behavioral correlates point to reward-related brain networks and social-emotional processing.

Applications: In psychology, education, and organizational studies, humorin is used as a framework to analyze how humor supports learning, resilience, and group cohesion. In marketing and media, strategies aim to maximize humorin to increase engagement and message retention.

Criticisms: The construct is broad and overlaps with existing concepts of humor experience; operational definitions vary, complicating cross-study comparisons. See also: Humor, Incongruity theory, Benign violation theory, Laughter, Social bonding. References: General humor theory and psycho-social literature provide foundational concepts; humorin-specific discussions vary by field.