joke

A joke is a short form of humorous discourse designed to provoke laughter. It can be spoken, written, or acted, and it often relies on a setup that provides context and leads to a punchline, a wordplay twist, or a surprising reversal.

Most jokes follow a basic structure: a setup that establishes expectations and a payoff that overturns them. Styles vary widely, including one-liners, pun-driven lines, observational humor, shaggy-dog stories, and anti-jokes that subvert conventional expectations.

Delivery and audience shape a joke’s effect. Timing, rhythm, tone, facial expressions, and the performer’s credibility influence whether the punchline lands. Cultural background, language, and personal experience determine what is considered funny, making jokes highly contextual and sometimes controversial.

Humor theories describe why jokes work. Incongruity theory emphasizes a mismatch between expectation and outcome; relief theory frames laughter as tension release; superiority theory views amusement as arising from feeling smarter or better than others. These theories help explain common patterns across cultures and generations.

Jokes function socially as rites of inclusion, tools for critique, or means of coping with difficulties. They can reinforce norms or challenge them, and they may offend as well as entertain. Because humor is culturally embedded, jokes are continually adapted to reflect changing sensibilities and contexts.