I guess there are cultural limits to what you can and cannot do, and sometimes the thing that is most effective from the teaching perspective might be beyond those limits.
“Joking reduces authority” is a common intuition. I guess, people typically use humor to reduce tension, which is often what the weaker person would want to do. Humor can also be used by the stronger person, as a signal that they have no hostile intentions. But frequent joking is probably associated with weakness rather than strength (think: the class clown). Too bad, but that’s how our instincts work. So as a military instructor, you probably have to care about not losing the respect of your audience, which probably consists of strong competitive guys (which is a different audience compared to e.g. teaching at an elementary school). I have no military experience (I used to teach kids 10-18 years old), so I have no idea where are the lines, and how far could you push them with a carefully balanced approach.
(I am just guessing here, but I would think that you can afford to be more funny if people watch the videos individually, compared to the class setting. The guy who laughs at your joke doesn’t have to worry about the reaction of his peers. But this is just a guess. Also, most people pay better attention at class than individually at video; this is why educational videos are less successful than people hoped originally.)
You make a very good point—there are different ways to create contrasts in information that are quickly recognized, and that’s how I’ve come to understand humor. The faster the brain recognizes the information, the higher the chance it triggers a sense of pleasure, or perhaps falls somewhere along a spectrum of pleasure tied to recognizing patterns or resolving contrasts.
I also agree that many jokes can reduce authority. They signal that someone is not a threat, that they lower themselves to gain acceptance, which is often done by people who aren’t strong or authoritative and who use humor as a way to find their space. On the other hand, humor can also be used by authoritative figures to reinforce their power—when others laugh, it confirms that they don’t perceive the person as a threat. Some studies even suggest that chimpanzee laughter might be linked to this dynamic.
In my case, I would describe myself as someone who, in many ways, felt “weak” and used humor to create space for myself. I wasn’t in a position to demand authority outright. I had to teach skills like first aid in a very short amount of time, and I found that humor as positive reinforcement was much more effective than relying on negative reinforcement.
It’s a complex topic, isn’t it? There are so many variables in humor, but this is the perspective I’ve been able to develop so far: humor as something that operates on a spectrum of pleasure derived from the rapid recognition of information.
Additionally, I plan to share some stories about how humor has helped me stay attentive and better use what a class or learning environment offers in a more constructive way.
I guess there are cultural limits to what you can and cannot do, and sometimes the thing that is most effective from the teaching perspective might be beyond those limits.
“Joking reduces authority” is a common intuition. I guess, people typically use humor to reduce tension, which is often what the weaker person would want to do. Humor can also be used by the stronger person, as a signal that they have no hostile intentions. But frequent joking is probably associated with weakness rather than strength (think: the class clown). Too bad, but that’s how our instincts work. So as a military instructor, you probably have to care about not losing the respect of your audience, which probably consists of strong competitive guys (which is a different audience compared to e.g. teaching at an elementary school). I have no military experience (I used to teach kids 10-18 years old), so I have no idea where are the lines, and how far could you push them with a carefully balanced approach.
(I am just guessing here, but I would think that you can afford to be more funny if people watch the videos individually, compared to the class setting. The guy who laughs at your joke doesn’t have to worry about the reaction of his peers. But this is just a guess. Also, most people pay better attention at class than individually at video; this is why educational videos are less successful than people hoped originally.)
You make a very good point—there are different ways to create contrasts in information that are quickly recognized, and that’s how I’ve come to understand humor. The faster the brain recognizes the information, the higher the chance it triggers a sense of pleasure, or perhaps falls somewhere along a spectrum of pleasure tied to recognizing patterns or resolving contrasts.
I also agree that many jokes can reduce authority. They signal that someone is not a threat, that they lower themselves to gain acceptance, which is often done by people who aren’t strong or authoritative and who use humor as a way to find their space. On the other hand, humor can also be used by authoritative figures to reinforce their power—when others laugh, it confirms that they don’t perceive the person as a threat. Some studies even suggest that chimpanzee laughter might be linked to this dynamic.
In my case, I would describe myself as someone who, in many ways, felt “weak” and used humor to create space for myself. I wasn’t in a position to demand authority outright. I had to teach skills like first aid in a very short amount of time, and I found that humor as positive reinforcement was much more effective than relying on negative reinforcement.
It’s a complex topic, isn’t it? There are so many variables in humor, but this is the perspective I’ve been able to develop so far: humor as something that operates on a spectrum of pleasure derived from the rapid recognition of information.
Additionally, I plan to share some stories about how humor has helped me stay attentive and better use what a class or learning environment offers in a more constructive way.