On the origin and evolution of humor
The paper discusses various hypotheses that humor is an evolutionary adaptation. First, those research fields that may shed light on the origin and evolution of humor are presented. Second, the problem of dating the origin of humor and laughter is briefly addressed. Third, three groups of evolutionary explanations are considered, each of which is associated with one of the main theories of humor: psychoanalytical, cognitive-perceptual and social-behavioral theories. The data provide quite convincing evidence of cognitive and social benefits that may have facilitated the evolutionary development of humor. These data are consistent with core theses of the cognitive-perceptual theories of humor on the one hand and with some less prominent versions of the social-behavioral theories on the other hand.