Inside jokes that only appeal to a small group of people activate the brain's reward system
'Inside jokes' about mutual acquaintances or shared experiences may not be funny to others, but they are funny to the people involved. According to experts in the field of organizational behavior psychology, inside jokes can activate the brain's reward system, which can trigger a sense of social security and belonging.
Why We Like Inside Jokes | Psychology Today
Unlike comedy, which has a well-organized storytelling or a punch line, the humor of inside jokes is not logical and has a closed nature of being 'someone who understands will understand'. For this reason, some people may not like inside jokes that they cannot understand, or may want to avoid jokes that are only funny to insiders.
According to organizational behavior expert Lindsay Godwin, inside jokes psychologically function as a kind of 'cultural shorthand.' Cultural shorthand is a succinct way of conveying meanings, values, and stereotypes common to a culture. Communicating within the same framework can give people a sense of security, but different values can also cause misunderstandings and prejudices.
Inside jokes often involve funny events, failures, or memorable phrases that people have experienced together, which gives people a sense of security through sharing history, mutual trust, and being 'friends.' They're not just funny and funny, they also make people feel recognized in the community. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizona using evolutionary game theory , they argued that a major factor in the creation of high human civilization is 'empathy for others,' and Godwin said that inside jokes create an important sense of community empathy.
The argument that humans built advanced civilizations not through morality but through 'empathy for others' - GIGAZINE
Furthermore, according to a 1995 paper by social psychologists Baumaster Roy and Leary Mark, the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation, and inside jokes send a signal to the brain that you belong to a group. This signal activates the brain's reward system, creating a sense of social security.
In addition, humor researcher Rod Martin points out in his book The Psychology of Humor that 'inside jokes are not just passively entertaining, they actively reinforce identity.' In fact, professions commonly considered to be high-stress, such as nursing, teaching, and emergency services, tend to have a high use of inside jokes, such as silly nicknames and confidential gestures, which reinforce identity and increase a sense of belonging.
Inside jokes are common in close face-to-face interactions, but they also frequently occur in online communities. Each social networking site, message board, and specific online community has its own unique slang and memes, and conversations are often difficult to understand unless you are familiar with the community. Godwin says that online inside jokes are also important as a shared sense of security that allows people to connect with 'friends' in the overwhelmingly vast digital space.
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