Incongruity Theory Of Humor In Seinfeld

Seinfeld was a comedy show that aired in the late eighties to late nineties. It follows the daily life of four single friends, Jerry, his neighbor Kramer, his friend George, and his ex-girlfriend Elaine around New York City. The show features what many consider “observational humor” which focuses on everyday situations. The show also has many elements of the superiority, incongruity, and relief theory of humor. I analyzed the first and second episode of season one of Seinfeld in order to describe the ways in which these theories manifest themselves in the show. Seinfeld uses the superiority theory of humor the most out of the three theories as it plays on the characters awkward life moments. The superiority theory of humor suggests that we laugh at others mishaps because it makes us feel superior to them. Seinfeld has the opportunity to play on this a lot as it follows the everyday lives of the four main characters. The show follows ordinary, everyday scenarios and adds a humorous edge on them by adding

The character George, who is very sarcastic, demonstrates this theory well because he is very good at saying rude things in a non-rude way, such as in a serious or happy tone. In this case, the tone and context are incongruent which creates the humor. This theory focuses on going against what is expected. For instance, the audience does not expect what George is saying given his tone of voice. An example from the series occurs when George accompanies Jerry to the Laundromat. George is seen staring at the clothes in the dryer, with a very dull monotone expression he says “this is the worst day of my life”. The audience finds this funny because the situation is incongruent, you would not expect George to say that in the tone he used which is what makes it