The Comedy of Error: why evolution made us laugh by Jonathan Silvertown

The Comedy of Error: why evolution made us laugh Reviews

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  8stitches 9lives

  We have all heard the old adage ”laughter is the best medicine” and there is certainly some truth to that. In Professor Jonathan Silvertown’s new book, The Comedy of Error: Why Evolution Made Us Laugh, he explores the scientific and evolutionary basis for humour in a unique and utterly compelling manner split over a succinct seven chapters. There is comedy in errors. Shakespeare showed us so, though the connection between error and humour has been recognised for millennia. It turns out that errors are much more than just a plot device for humorous tales – they are the very essence of what we find funny. Errors are processed, compared with expectation and those judged humorous ricochet around the brain, producing laughter. Suddenly, with this discovery, the two cultures of science and art have collided and like strangers meeting in a pub, we find them bonding over jokes.
  
  This book is witness to that unexpected and fruitful encounter. We probe the questions it throws up, catch the jokes that fly out and find deeper meaning in frivolity. Why are some errors funny and others not? Why is laughter involuntary and infectious? Laughter is hard-wired into the human psyche, which immediately conjures the question: what good is it? Answering that question is the ultimate purpose of this book. Why did evolution make us laugh? This is an accessible, amusing and thought-provoking read from beginning to end and is definitely a book both comedians and those who enjoy comedy will want to pick up. I learned a multitude of new and fascinating information as Silvertown takes us along with him on a deep dive as he attempts to shine a light on long-standing questions associated with humour and why it is so important in our daily lives. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Scribe for an ARC.
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  Steve Cann

  I received this book as a surprise Christmas present and, being a big fan of comedy and all its workings, wondered exactly what the author would uncover.
  
  Jonathan takes the reader on an engaging laugher trip, going right back into human evolution to postulate how and when humour might have become a human trait.
  These chapters were definitely the most interesting, and it was fascinating too how Jonathan examined the links between laughter and love - and how we bond with others and endear them to us by sharing a similar sense of humour.
  
  It’s a well-written and researched book, but I would have loved for it to go even deeper - looking perhaps at the use of irony, stand-up comedy and observational humour, which is what is most popular with today’s comedians.
  
  But, having said that, this book was an entertaining read - and is suitably peppered throughout was appropriately groan-inducing jokes.
  Definitely worth a look if you’re serious about laughter.
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  Judea

  this book attempted to explain why we laugh and now nothing is funny anymore 🥲🥲
  
  Anyway, the author mapped out different types of humour and dissected why they tickle — which I was really curious about!! But it struggled to hold my interest and I felt a little bored halfway through (maybe cause there were lotsa namedrops that I weren’t familiar with). Orrr maybe cause jokes are just better left unexplained haha.
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  Stephanie

  Jonathan Silvertown’s new book, The Comedy of Error, explores why humans laugh and what purpose it solves. This book is for the intellectually curious and for people who enjoy learning more about the biological and psychological reasons why we weird humans laugh and make jokes. The Comedy of Error is a quick read and will leave you with a new found appreciation of laughter. I will say it is highly academic and not your typical pop-psychology book. The only reason I gave it a three star review is that, at times, I felt like I was back in uni in a psychology 101 class.
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  Matthew Ogborn

  Two-and-a-half stars for this slight and occasionally amusing book that tries to dive deeper into why we laugh, smile and joke. It didn’t dive as deep into the subject of comedy as I had hoped, however the author’s choice of global jokes to underline his points were excellent whether Rodney Dangerfield, Dorothy Parker or the slew of Jewish gags that populate the last chapter.
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  Nick Kirk

  Enjoyable and fascinating study of the science behind why we laugh - written in an accessible and humorous way
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  Jinia

  Short and sweet, but informative. Easy to follow, with lots of interesting theories about the evolution and purpose of laughter. A great light read!
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  Scribe Publications

  Jonathan Silvertown has written a thoroughly entertaining and erudite extended skit on the evolution of humour.Fiona Capp, Sydney Morning Herald
  
  In The Comedy of Error, Professor Silvertown deploys many of the world’s oldest jokes, coupled with some of our latest science, to unravel the similarities and differences in humour across cultures … [A] clever piece of work.
  Ross Fitzgerald, Spectator Australia
  
  This book is funny … I think most people, male or female, will find this book amusing.
  The Sunday Times
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  Scribe Publications

  Jonathan Silvertown has written a thoroughly entertaining and erudite extended skit on the evolution of humour.Fiona Capp, Sydney Morning Herald
  
  In The Comedy of Error, Professor Silvertown deploys many of the world’s oldest jokes, coupled with some of our latest science, to unravel the similarities and differences in humour across cultures … [A] clever piece of work.
  Ross Fitzgerald, Spectator Australia
  
  This book is funny … I think most people, male or female, will find this book amusing.
  The Sunday Times
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  Molly

  An easy breezy read, The Comedy of Error was an entertaining book. Some interesting tidbits, though not super poignant or anything. It was a nice way to pass the time on my holiday!
  
  It gets 3/5 stars because I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything super special
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  Molly McKinstry

  An easy breezy read, The Comedy of Error was an entertaining book. Some interesting tidbits, though not super poignant or anything. It was a nice way to pass the time on my holiday!
  
  It gets 3/5 stars because I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything super special