British scientist Alastair Clarke has developed an equation to identify the level of human response to humor.
Humans are continually exposed to "the threats of error and deception," which can reduce our chances of survival and success. To compensate, the researcher maintains, we have humor, which rewards us by recognizing misinformation that has been on the verge of deceiving us. Its formula is h = mxs, and establishes that the pleasure we obtain (h) in this way is calculated by multiplying the degree of perceived misinformation (m) by the possibility that existed that the individual took that information seriously (s) . Therefore, humor exists to encourage us to reject unsound information and arguments that can negatively affect us. Every time we laugh, it means that we have succeeded.
"I'm not saying that every time we find something funny we use an algebraic equation," Clarke points out. "But this schematic description reflects well our instantaneous reaction to potentially dangerous misinformation."
