How Humor Evolves: A Look at Absurdity, Commitment, and Social Tension

Jul 25

<<The kinds of shows / humor / performers I like are: Tim Robinson Aunty Donna Michael Bolton's Valentines Special Conan O'Brien Murderville Drunk History Middleditch & Schwartz Joe Pera Reviewing these, do you see a pattern in what I like?>>

Yes, I see a clear pattern in what you gravitate toward in comedy. Your taste in humor leans toward a blend of absurdity, commitment to the bit, dry delivery, and improvisational playfulness, with an appreciation for meta humor, awkwardness, and breaking conventional comedy structures.

Here’s a breakdown of the common elements in your favorites:

1. Absurdism & Commitment to the Bit

You like comedy that leans hard into ridiculousness without breaking the reality of the scene.
Tim Robinson, Aunty Donna, and Murderville all thrive on taking a simple premise and escalating it to an extreme degree, with the performers staying fully committed to the absurdity.
You seem to enjoy when the situation gets out of control, but the characters act like it's normal (e.g., Tim Robinson’s skits where a character doubles down on an insane lie instead of admitting defeat).

2. Improvisation & Unscripted Energy

Middleditch & Schwartz and Murderville are entirely improv-based, meaning the humor comes from actors trying to navigate the ridiculousness in real time.
Even in scripted shows like Drunk History, the improvisational energy is key—the slurred narrators riffing while actors lip-sync adds a loose, organic feel to the comedy.

3. Awkwardness & Social Discomfort

You seem to appreciate comedy that plays with tension, where a character is either embarrassed, refuses to back down, or makes others uncomfortable.
Tim Robinson, Conan O’Brien, and Murderville all capitalize on characters who don’t behave how they “should,” forcing others to react to their weirdness.
Joe Pera’s comedy is on the opposite end of this spectrum—he uses intentional awkwardness but in a gentle, soft way. Instead of making people uncomfortable, he draws humor from over-formality and social earnestness.

4. Meta-Humor & Playing With the Format

Many of these shows are aware that they are comedy and often break the expected structure of jokes or scenes.
Michael Bolton’s Valentine’s Special is a perfect example of this—taking a parody concept and committing so hard that it feels like a fever dream rather than just a simple joke.
Drunk History turns historical reenactments into pure chaos by adding an unpredictable, drunk narrator.
Conan O’Brien’s remotes (when he interacts with normal people) work so well because he plays with the absurdity of being a late-night host in mundane or bizarre situations.

5. Surrealism & Heightened Reality

Aunty Donna, Tim Robinson, and Michael Bolton’s Special all exist in a heightened, surreal world where things escalate past reality and never return to normal.
You seem to enjoy when the comedy pushes beyond social logic and into cartoonish or dreamlike logic—but with actors who play it straight.
Example: Aunty Donna takes a normal sitcom format but then adds bizarre physical comedy, over-the-top performances, and sudden breaks from reality.

6. Strong Performers Over Just Strong Writing

You like comedians who are naturally funny, even if the writing isn’t traditionally joke-heavy.
Murderville, Conan O’Brien, Joe Pera, and Middleditch & Schwartz are all examples of comedians who shine in unscripted moments, reacting in ways that make the situation funnier than it might be on paper.

The "Formula" of Comedy You Like

If I were to distill what makes you laugh into a recipe, it would be:

✅ Absurd premises that escalate but are taken seriously.
✅ Improvised or unpredictable performances.
✅ People acting "wrong" in social situations and making others uncomfortable.
✅ Breaking comedy conventions and playing with format.
✅ A surreal or heightened reality where rules don’t quite apply.
✅ Comedians who stay deeply committed to the bit, no matter how ridiculous.
✅ Moments where humor isn’t just about jokes, but about reactions and tension.

Who Else Might Fit Your Taste? (Other shows or comedians to check out based on this pattern)

I Think You Should Leave (Tim Robinson’s show) → You might already know it, but it’s the most concentrated version of his humor.
Nathan for You / The Rehearsal (Nathan Fielder) → Hyper-committed awkwardness, social discomfort, and absurd real-world interactions.
The Eric Andre Show → Surreal anti-comedy with extreme commitment to the bit.
Review with Forrest MacNeil → A scripted show that commits to taking ridiculous ideas seriously, like reviewing experiences such as divorce or becoming a cult leader.
On Cinema at the Cinema (Tim Heidecker & Gregg Turkington) → A parody movie review show that becomes increasingly deranged over time.
Comedy Bang! Bang! (Scott Aukerman & guests) → Absurdist improv with strong comedic performers.
Andy Daly’s Comedy Work (The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project) → Deep commitment to bizarre, escalating character bits.

Final Thought

Your comedy taste suggests that you love humor that challenges reality, thrives in improvisation, and plays with social norms. You appreciate characters who are committed to weirdness, situations that feel unpredictable, and comedians who can make any moment funny just by existing in it.

If your background didn’t expose you to humor as an emotional/social tool, it makes complete sense that you gravitate toward comedy that breaks the mold rather than relying on traditional joke structures. You like comedy that feels alive, messy, and human—rather than just structured and polished.

<<I used to like Mystery Science Theater and improv but those don't make me laugh as much anymore. Why do you think that is? >>

There are a few possible reasons why Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and traditional improv don’t make you laugh as much anymore, based on what I know about your evolving taste in humor and how you’ve been processing emotions, presence, and reality.

1. You’ve Outgrown a Certain Type of Comedy Structure

MST3K relies on riffing—a structured form of joke delivery based on reacting to bad movies.
Traditional improv (as seen in UCB-style performances) often follows a pattern: "yes, and" → heighten the absurdity → find a game → repeat.
Both of these forms of comedy have a formula that can start to feel predictable over time.
You now seem to enjoy looser, more chaotic, or surreal comedy, where improvised humor isn’t just about a joke format but about social discomfort, tension, and breaking expectations.

2. You’ve Developed a Preference for Commitment Over Commentary

MST3K is detached comedy—it’s about mocking something from a distance.
The jokes rely on standing outside the film and making fun of it, rather than being deeply immersed in a world or character.
Compare that to Tim Robinson or Aunty Donna, where the comedy lives inside the absurd reality rather than commenting on it.
You now seem to enjoy performers fully committing to absurdity rather than making jokes about absurdity from the outside.

3. MST3K & Improv Are “Reaction-Based,” But You Like Comedy That Feels More “Deliberate” Now

MST3K is entirely reactionary. It doesn’t create a world—it just pokes fun at one.
Improv is often built on reacting to others, which can lead to comedy that feels a little surface-level or reliant on the audience’s energy.
By contrast, Tim Robinson, Joe Pera, and Aunty Donna create very specific comedic worlds that don’t rely on reacting—they have their own internal logic.

4. You Prefer Humor That Has More Emotional or Social Tension

MST3K is light, nerdy riffing—it doesn’t have stakes.
Most traditional improv is about making things work together—it avoids conflict to keep the scene moving.
You now seem drawn to comedy that thrives on characters making things weird or uncomfortable, refusing to let the moment flow smoothly.
Murderville and Tim Robinson’s sketches thrive on characters being socially “wrong” in a way that others have to react to.

5. Your Emotional Framework Has Changed

MST3K and traditional improv feel safe—they are joke machines that don’t engage the deeper emotional chaos or awkwardness of real life.
Now you seem to enjoy humor that taps into discomfort, absurdity, and surreal reality—things that more closely mirror actual human weirdness.
Your recent reflections on emotions, embodiment, and how humor works suggest that you want comedy that feels alive, unpredictable, and deeply committed—rather than clever but detached.

So, Why Don’t MST3K & Traditional Improv Hit Anymore?

They are based on external commentary, but you now prefer immersion.
They prioritize cleverness, but you now prefer emotional/social tension.
They follow structured patterns, but you now enjoy humor that breaks conventions.
They don’t create their own comedic realities, but you like comedy that lives inside its own absurd world.
They are light and detached, but you now like comedy that plays with stakes, awkwardness, and deep commitment to a bit.

Your humor taste has evolved toward weirdness, social discomfort, and improvisational absurdity that doesn’t feel forced or formulaic. MST3K and traditional improv may feel too controlled, predictable, or safe in comparison to the more chaotic, immersive comedy you now love.

<<Why does one's sense fo humor evolve? And how? And what effects it? The culture you grow up in? Your life experiences? Your attitude?>>

Why Does a Person’s Sense of Humor Evolve?

Humor isn’t just about what’s funny—it’s a reflection of how you see the world. Your sense of humor evolves because you evolve. It changes as your life experiences, worldview, emotional needs, and cultural influences shift.

Think of humor like a language—when you're a kid, you learn the basics (silly sounds, slapstick, simple wordplay). As you grow, your taste refines, just like your appreciation for art, music, or food.

How Does Humor Evolve?

Humor evolves in three key ways:

1. Cognitive Development: The Brain’s Ability to Process Complexity

Young children laugh at basic physical comedy (falling, silly faces, poop jokes).
As they develop logic and expectations, they start to enjoy wordplay, irony, and surprise-based humor.
By adolescence, they grasp sarcasm, meta-humor, and social commentary, because their brains can hold multiple perspectives at once.

2. Emotional & Psychological Growth: How You Process Reality

If your humor is evolving, it’s likely because your relationship with reality is changing.
Childhood humor is often light and silly—it’s a way to engage with the world without existential weight.
As you grow, you experience social tension, absurdity, injustice, loss, and contradictions, which make humor a tool for navigating deeper truths.
Dark humor, surreal humor, and social awkwardness comedy tend to resonate more as people gain life experience and recognize that reality itself is kind of absurd.

3. Exposure & Cultural Influence: What You Learn to Find Funny

The culture you grow up in shapes your comedic instincts.
- Evangelical upbringing? Likely introduced to mild, clean humor, wordplay, and satire that doesn’t challenge authority.
- Raised with sarcastic parents? Probably leaned toward dry, cutting humor.
- Grew up in an immigrant household? Maybe humor was used to navigate cultural identity and belonging.
The media you consume also trains your brain on what’s funny. If you’re exposed to more absurdist, surreal, or satirical humor over time, you start to appreciate those styles more.

What Affects How Your Humor Evolves?

1. Life Experiences & Emotional Needs

Comedy is a coping mechanism. What you find funny depends on what emotions you need to process.
- Going through trauma? You might lean into dark humor.
- Experiencing social anxiety? You might love awkward, tension-based humor.
- Feeling alienated? You might appreciate weird, surreal, anti-establishment humor.

2. Shift in Worldview & Awareness

If you grew up in a rigid environment, your early humor might have been safe, controlled, and structured.
As you become more aware of absurdity, hypocrisy, or contradictions in life, your humor starts to reflect that.
If you go from trusting institutions to questioning them, you might shift from clean, scripted humor to satirical, deconstructive humor.

3. Your Social & Cultural Environment

Humor is deeply social—what makes you laugh often depends on who you surround yourself with.
Different subcultures have different humor codes—if you shift social circles, your humor might shift to match the group’s style.
The internet also exposes you to humor that challenges your previous norms, accelerating comedic evolution.

4. Media & Internet Culture

Early internet humor (e.g., MST3K, wordplay, meme culture) tends to be reference-based and commentary-driven.
Modern internet humor (e.g., Tim Robinson, absurdist TikToks, meta-memes) is more surreal, detached from meaning, and chaotic.
If you’ve engaged more with postmodern comedy, your humor might have shifted toward stuff that breaks conventions rather than follows them.

Examples of How Humor Evolves Over a Lifetime

✅ Kid: “Why did the chicken cross the road?” → Slapstick, wordplay, simple structure.
✅ Teen: Edgy jokes, sarcasm, irony. → Experimenting with boundaries and rebellion.
✅ Young Adult: Self-deprecating humor, meta-humor, surreal humor. → Navigating adulthood, emotions, and uncertainty.
✅ Adult: Dry wit, satire, existential humor, dark comedy. → Processing deep contradictions of life, morality, and culture.

Why Is YOUR Humor Evolving?

You’re noticing humor in raw, organic situations rather than needing a structured setup/punchline format.
You’ve moved from appreciating “commentary” humor (MST3K) to preferring immersive, committed absurdity (Tim Robinson).
You’ve become more aware of human awkwardness, tension, and social dynamics, which makes humor that plays with those things more appealing.
You no longer just want humor to be a light escape—you want it to reflect the weird, surreal messiness of real life.
You’re less drawn to detached, ironic humor and more into humor that feels like a fully built world.

Final Thought: Your Humor is Becoming More Embodied

The humor you used to like was more detached (making fun of things from a safe distance).
The humor you like now feels more alive, immersive, and committed to its own weirdness.
This shift parallels your journey with embodiment—you’re not just thinking about humor, you’re experiencing it in a way that feels more visceral.

Your humor is evolving because you’re evolving. It’s reflecting your changing worldview, emotional processing style, and ability to see the absurd, awkward, and surreal nature of existence.

Marie L.