TO THE PROBLEM OF THE ORIGIN AND PERCEPTION OF THE RIDICULOUS

A large number of studies are devoted to clarifying the role of humor and laughter in mental and physical health, applications of humor in psychotherapy, education, and in many areas of life. However, in our opinion, not enough attention is paid to clarifying the nature of the ridiculous and the mechanisms of the origin of the ridiculous. Why does a particular verbal construct cause a laughter reaction? How the creation of such a verbal construction is caused by the peculiarities of the personality's thinking? We believe that the reaction of personality to the ridiculous is similar to the reaction to external influences, which is provided by the senses. Information received by the human brain from the senses forms the human's perception of the surrounding world. In the case of a ridiculous situation the information goes directly to the brain and causes a characteristic reaction (often) in the form of laughter. Considering funny (humorous) statements, we see that in almost all cases the authors manifest lateral thinking. The idea of humorous content, as a rule, is born quickly (in conversation, in discussion). This thought should be chosen in a short time from as many “lateral trajectories” as possible. This means that thinking should be characterized by fast processing of information. The choice is made of the best (most ridiculous) of a large number of “lateral trajectories” of thinking. We introduce a notion of "humorous thought construct" (HTC), keeping in mind a statement that is perceived as ridiculous. As for the perception of a particular ridiculous thought, then, of course, it depends on the cultural environment, the intellectual level of the recipient and other conditions. However, we propose an approach for determining the optimal emotional response to a ridiculous situation. Methods: Analysis of current concepts in the problem of humor and laughter and discussion on this basis of new possible approaches. Objectives: Mechanisms of the origin and perception of the ridiculous. Abbreviations: Humorous thought construct (HTC).