The importance of comedy in society
It’s not just a joke – laughing is good for us in many ways,
and we’ve known that for millennia
By Bret Saveleski
Knightly News Reporter
bret.saveleski.mymail@centralpenn.edu
Comedy is a form of art that has existed throughout human history – from the first caveman who slipped and fell in the woods in front of his cave friends who thought it was funny, to tens of thousands of people paying to watch their favorite arena comedy act perform the comic’s newest hour of materials in 2024.
Comedy is an ever-evolving and necessary artform that should be preserved regardless of what might be happening in the world around us.
The term “comedy” has its roots in Ancient Greece. The earliest documentation of comedians come from Athenian democracy, where public opinion of voters was frequently influenced by political satire.
Performers would go in front of their fellow townspeople and do everything within their power to, in a sense, tear down the ideas of those hoping to achieve political power using satire.
While the act of comedy can be delivered through many mediums, such as theater, film, stand-up, television, radio and others, the goal is always the same: to provoke laughter.
And it is a unique form of art in the way that it works only when an audience is present.
As already mentioned, the goal of comedy is to get an audience to laugh. That seems obvious, but there is more to it than that. Scientists learned long ago, for example, that laughter increases the brain’s production of endorphins, which is the natural way the body relieves pain, reduces stress and boosts mood. This explains not only the joy that an audience feels during a performance, but also helps a person understand the lasting impression that people get from a high-quality comedy show.
In addition to health benefits through the production of endorphins in the brain through laughter, comedy can also provide an audience with a break from the cruel realities of life and remind us to not take ourselves so seriously.
According to The Ohio State University, the culture of the Dakota Tribes of the Great Plains of North America knew the importance of this. They had a figure known as the Heyoka (also spelled “Haokah” and “Heyokah”) who played a comic-adjacent role in this culture. Heyoka (hey-oh-kah) translates loosely to jester, contrarian or sacred clown. This figure frequently acted in a way that made no logical sense when looking at situations their tribes were under. If there was a heat wave, they bundled up. If there was a food shortage, they would sit on a rock rubbing their bellies and complain about how full they were. And if it was freezing, they would walk around naked. Some heyokas represented otherworldly concepts.
Heyokas provoked laughter in times of misery and fear in times of comfort. They were the great equalizers.
Comedy has also been the source of great controversy throughout history. One of the most famous examples came in the 1960s, when comedian Lenny Bruce was convicted of “word crimes” (obscenities he used during his standup acts).
Bruce got his start in the 1950s and immediately left an impression on audiences by his unfiltered routines about drugs, race and religion. Because of this, Bruce was banned from several cities and in 1964, an undercover police officer secretly recorded him performing in New York and arrested him on obscenity charges. Despite numerous testimonies on his behalf, a Manhattan court convicted him of “word crimes” and sentenced him to a workhouse. The conviction destroyed his career, and he died two years later from a morphine overdose.
Despite countless attempts to smear the artform and the recent social phenomena that some call “cancel culture,” comedy is bigger than ever. As the Digital Age trudges along, comedians can provide their audience with content that extends beyond the stage, through streaming services, podcasts, short-form videos and more.
Comedians today are signing multimillion-dollar podcast deals, performing year-long global tours and providing exclusive content through paid subscriptions on platforms such as Patreon.
Though every issue in today’s world seems to be hyperpolarized due to every person having his or her own platform through social media, comedy is very much alive and well. Due to this polarization, people more than ever feel a strong desire to escape from the drab realities of the world and remember not to take themselves too seriously.
This is not only important for everyone’s well-being but also a necessary aspect of society that has existed throughout human history, and for everyone’s sake and well-being, we shouldn’t consider it a joke.
Comment or story idea? Contact KnightlyEditors@CentralPenn.Edu.
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
