Why Did The Chasid Refuse To Enter The Muslim Restaurant?

Because he didn't want to cause a Halal HaShem!

Now that I got that out of my system, let's get to the matter at hand:
It seems that the BBC has revealed the secret of humor:

Humour 'comes from testosterone'

Men are naturally more comedic than women because of the male hormone testosterone, an expert claims.

Men make more gags than women and their jokes tend to be more aggressive, Professor Sam Shuster, of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, says.

...Research suggests men are more likely to use humour aggressively by making others the butt of the joke.

And aggression - generally considered to be a more masculine trait - has been linked by some to testosterone exposure in the womb.

Professor Shuster believes humour develops from aggression caused by male hormones.

You should know that Professor Shuster enjoys riding a unicycle and is basing his findings in part on the reactions he gets to his 'hobby'--which may explain why he seems to concentrate just on put downs. I think Professor Shuster needs to take a more universal, and dare I say nuanced, approach.

I recall that Lawrence Peter, the author of The Peter Principle, edited Peter's Quotations which had an anonymous quote on humor:

Incongruity is the springboard of laughter.

And if there is anyone who appreciates and comments on life's incongruities--it's Jews. Over the centuries, we have observed and been exposed to a variety of inequalities, and have learned that they are an inevitable part of the world we live in, which may explain in part the self-deprecating aspect which is often associated with Jewish humor.

Testosterone may explain many things about men, their behavior and even their sense of humor, but when it comes to Jews, we tend to not be quite so easy to categorize.

Perhaps it's chicken soup--and not testosterone--running through our veins.

Technorati Tag: Jews and Humor.