At last, the resution of eternal puzzle: WHY PEOPLE LAUGH.

Igor Krichtafovitch discovered a formula of laughter. As it turned out, humor is a weapon.

Humor is a bloodless verbal fight aiming to raise your status and strengthen your position. Even a friendly banter is a sort of intellectual clash, a kind of training before serious battles. In fact, we try to figure out who's the boss in the family when we poke fun at our loved ones.

"If laughter is akin to aggression, why women have a liking for jesters?"

"A sense of humor is a strong male quality. It is a sign of good intellect. Evolution stakes precisely on the intellect since a smart fellow has more chances of survival. That is why a sense of humor can be a much bigger sign of masculinity than the pumped-up muscles".

I don't believe the guy who wrote this book has any sense of humor at all and if I ever have to get that in depth in the study of humor...someone please just kill me.

Why can't I put no stars?

I was looking for a book that would present an organized and convincing categorization of the social functions of humor, the sorts of humor, and some practical ideas on how to use humor to accomplish social goals. This book has none of these. Instead, it gives a summary of philosophical thoughts on humor, an ill-supported coarse-grained categorization of humor (there is a major category reserved for "military humor"-?), and a handful of mathematical formulas that are supposed to predict the humor in jokes. The author fails to observe that self-contained short jokes written on paper (including his examples) are generally not funny at all in comparison with off-the-cuff humor in a social context or the routines of a comedian. Where is the formula that explains that?

Humor is a fascinating subject, and oddly one that is seldom analyzed or discussed, which is part if what makes this book so interesting. It was excellent in and of itself, and it sparked my cuiosity to learn more.

Troy Parfitt, author

Increased confidence, reduced stress, and family connection are direct derivatives of the inclusion of real theory of humor in the daily life. This is the theme of Igor Krichtafovitch's book; he artfully illustrates with humor theory and practical tools for implemtation. "Humor Theory" should be a nearby reference for all those who want to succeed.