How Jerry Seinfeld’s Humor Works

Applying the Harmless Delusion Theory of Humor

Photo by Thomas Hawk

In my first article, How Humor Works, I introduced my new and unique humor theory, the Harmless Delusion Theory. Using examples from many forms of humor, I explained why I contend that my theory accurately and meaningfully identifies what causes us to find things funny. I also discussed its strengths in comparison to popular ideas like surprise, incongruity, truth, and superiority. In this article, I take a deep dive into the work of a single well-known comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, to further illustrate the effectiveness of my theory.

First, a quick recap of the theory:

I propose that the essence of humor is harmless delusion. To find something funny, we must perceive that a person has a delusional belief. This means we must perceive that 1) a person believes something is correct or true and 2) that it should be clear to this person that it’s incorrect or untrue. We must simultaneously perceive that the stimulus is harmless, meaning that it feels to at least some degree okay, acceptable, inoffensive, or safe to us personally. If either of these conditions is absent, we do not experience humor. The delusion we find funny can be any belief held despite clear conflicting evidence, even one very minor or mild. It can be someone else’s delusion or our own. It can be a delusion that we perceive a person actually has, one that we perceive a person pretends to have, or one that we perceive in our imagination that a person has. The person can be an animal or thing that we imagine is a person.

I suggest that there are ten distinct ways this delusion occurs. We experience something as funny only when we perceive that a person holds one or more of these beliefs and that it feels harmless to us:

1. Delusional Underreaction, Understatement, or Similar: A belief that something is a small amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much larger.
2. Delusional Overreaction, Overstatement, or Similar: A belief that something is a large amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much smaller.
3. Delusional Lack of Knowledge or Judgment: A belief that one’s knowledge or judgment is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
4. Delusional Lack of Awareness: A belief that one’s awareness of what is present or happening is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
5. Delusional Misunderstanding: A belief that something has a particular meaning, even though it clearly means something else.
6. Delusional Norm Violation: A belief that a behavior is appropriate or acceptable, even though it clearly isn’t.
7. Delusional Contradiction: 1) A belief that something both is the case and isn’t the case at the same time. 2) A belief that two things are compatible, even though they clearly aren’t.
8. Delusional Nonsense: A belief that something has meaning, even though it clearly doesn’t.
9. Delusional Impossibility or Improbability: A belief that something can be done or happen, even though it clearly can’t or very likely can’t.
10. Delusional Absurdity: Extreme cases of categories 1 to 7, and equivalent to categories 8 and 9.

Now on to the observational humor of Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up comedy. Stand-up is an artificial environment that creates a certain degree of safety and distance for the audience. This and the fact that Seinfeld largely sticks to innocuous topics make his comedy’s potential to feel harmless to us readily apparent. So, I will focus on pointing out the delusional beliefs that are the root cause of the humor. I’ve picked a variety of jokes from throughout his career and grouped them by the ten types of delusion they exhibit. I’ll conclude with a look at the key role delusion plays in one of his favorite techniques: sarcastic irony.

1. Delusional Underreaction, Understatement, or Similar

A belief that something is a small amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much larger.

On illusionists who appear to catch a bullet between their teeth: “How do you even know that you would be good at this? Do they throw it at you a few times first? Really hard. Put it in the gun and go, ‘Okay, Bill… this one’s going to be coming a little bit faster now.’ DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The shooter’s belief that the speed of the bullet is a little faster, even though it’s clearly a lot faster.

2. Delusional Overreaction, Overstatement, or Similar

A belief that something is a large amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much smaller.

“They’re always showing you how detergents get out bloodstains. Kind of a violent image, isn’t it? I think if you have a T-shirt with bloodstains all over it, maybe laundry isn’t your biggest problem right now.” Seinfeld creates an image of a person in a serious predicament, but stopping to do laundry. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The person’s belief that the importance of the laundry is large, even though it’s clearly much smaller.

“When I was a kid, and they invented the Pop-Tart, the back of my head blew right off. We couldn’t comprehend it. It was too advanced. When we saw the Pop-Tart in the supermarket, it was like an alien spaceship. And we were just chimps in the dirt playing with sticks.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: With the help of exaggeration, the kids’ belief the significance of the Pop-Tart is large, even though it’s clearly much smaller.

3. Delusional Lack of Knowledge or Judgment

A belief that one’s knowledge or judgment is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.

“You ever see a guy with a mattress on the roof of his car, driving down the highway? Without fail, he’s got his hand out the window, holding the mattress… This moron believes that if the wind catches this huge rectangle at 70 mph, ‘I got it. I got it… I am using MY ARM.’” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The driver’s belief that his knowledge or judgment is correct that he can hold the mattress to the car, even though it’s clearly incorrect.

“When you buy socks they always come on a tiny hanger. Does anybody have a tiny sock closet to hang them up? Tiny doors. Go through them to pick out what you’re wearing that day.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Seinfeld’s pretend belief that his knowledge is correct that the hangers for socks are meant to be used at home, even though it’s clearly incorrect. An example of humorous pretense, where a person creates humor to amuse others in their reality by overtly pretending to have a delusional belief.

4. Delusional Lack of Awareness

A belief that one’s awareness of what is present or happening is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.

On the elderly drivers in Florida: “I just can’t drive around there. Old people drive slow, they sit low…. And the left turn signal, on from when they left the house that morning. That’s a legal turn in Florida, by the way. It’s called an Eventual Left. You can signal this week, then turn any following year of your life.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: With the help of exaggeration, the drivers’ belief their awareness of the car and their ability to drive is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect. (Also the delusional lack of judgment in the fictional Florida law.)

“So apparently there was some sort of moose problem. And they had to move these moose by helicopter. They’d put one in a harness and then they moved him, hanging from cables underneath the helicopter. Here is an animal that’s been on the ground for thousands of years as a species. Suddenly he’s hundreds of feet in the air. And the look on his face was so funny. He was looking around like, ‘Well, I guess I can fly now… I must have eaten some kind of a weird berry or something.’” With anthropomorphism, we attribute humanlike qualities to nonhumans. In effect, we imagine them as people. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The humanlike moose’s belief their awareness of their ability to fly is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.

5. Delusional Misunderstanding

A belief that something has a particular meaning, even though it clearly means something else.

“I’m wearing contact lenses now but I wore glasses at the age of 10. I thought I had to get glasses because I couldn’t tell what my parents looked like. I’d ask my mother for money and she’d always say, ‘What do I look like, a bank?’ ‘Do I look like I’m made of money to you?’” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Child Jerry’s belief his mother’s words mean she thinks Jerry doesn’t know what she looks like, even though they clearly mean something else.

“If aliens are watching this through telescopes, they’re going to think the dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them takes a crap, and the other one’s carrying it for him… Who would you assume is in charge of that society?” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The imagined alien’s belief that our picking up after dogs means they are in charge, even though (to us) it clearly means something else. Because it’s clear to us, we feel it should be clear to anyone observing.

6. Delusional Norm Violation

A belief that a behavior is appropriate or acceptable, even though it clearly isn’t.

“That’s what happens when you’re a kid. There’s a level of boredom where you cannot support your body weight. My parents would take me to the bank and I would just liquefy. I’d walk in, ‘Oh, I can’t handle this…’ The legs just give out. They’d turn around from the teller’s window and I would be flat on my back in the middle of the floor.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The child’s belief that it’s appropriate to behave like that in a bank, even though it clearly isn’t. An example of how we can perceive a child as delusional when we think of an adult behaving like the child. In effect, we imagine the child as a delusional adult. (Also the delusional overreaction by the child.)

“I think if you jump out of a plane, and that chute doesn’t open, the helmet is now wearing you for protection. Later on, the helmet’s talking with the other helmets going, ‘It’s a good thing he was there or I would’ve hit the ground directly. You never jump out of a plane unless you have got a human being strapped underneath you. That’s basic safety.’” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The humanlike helmet’s belief it’s acceptable to wear a person and land on them, even though (for humans) it clearly isn’t. With anthropomorphism, we see the helmet as a delusional person.

7. Delusional Contradiction

A belief that something both is the case and isn’t the case at the same time.

On wearing a Superman Halloween costume as a child: “Plus my mother makes me wear my winter coat over the costume anyway. I don’t recall Superman wearing a jacket… ‘Boy, I’m Superman but it is a little chilly out today. I’m glad I’ve got this cheap little ten-year-old-kid’s jacket.’ Seinfeld gives us the image of a Superman who needs a jacket. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Superman’s belief he both is and isn’t extremely strong.

“Let’s get one thing straight about dry cleaning right now. It doesn’t exist. There’s no such thing as dry cleaning. My first question is, ‘What the hell is dry cleaning fluid?’ There’s no dry fluids.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The dry cleaner’s belief that their cleaning method both is and isn’t dry.

8. Delusional Nonsense

A belief that something has meaning, even though it clearly doesn’t.

“I’m sure some idiot said it to you today. You can’t get through a day without someone going, ‘Well… it is what it is…’ Why are you alive? To just say air words that fill the room with meaningless sounds? I’d rather someone just blew clear air in my face than said, ‘It is what it is,’ to me one more time. Just come up to me and go, ‘Pppppphhhhhhh. I get the same data from that.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: With the help of exaggeration, the person’s belief that what they’re saying has meaning, even though it clearly doesn’t.

9. Delusional Impossibility

A belief that something can be done or happen, even though it clearly can’t or very likely can’t.

“Old men can take tremendous amounts of heat. Steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, Jacuzzis. They love heat. I’m sure if they ever try to land a man on the sun, one of these old retired guys will be able to do it. No space suit. Just a terry-cloth jacket and a pair of flip-flops. He’ll sit there with a towel on his head going, ‘Close the door. In or out? Come on. You’re letting all the heat off the sun.’” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Through exaggeration, Seinfeld’s pretend belief that it’s possible for a person to sit on the sun, even though it’s clearly impossible.

10. Delusional Absurdity

This is a special category that includes extreme cases of categories 1 to 7 and is equivalent to categories 8 and 9.

In the previous example, the man sitting on the sun. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Extreme Underreaction. His belief that the severity of the conditions is small, even though it’s clearly very much larger.

On buying too much milk: “Now, it’s a race against the clock with the expiration date. You’re eating giant punch bowls of cereal. Three meals a day. You’re washing your face with milk. Bringing cats in from all over the neighborhood. ‘Hurry up and drink it! Come on, it’s almost time!’” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Extreme Overreaction. The milk owner’s belief that the problem with the milk’s expiration is large, even though it’s clearly very much smaller.

Sarcastic Verbal Irony

I maintain that all humor flows from the ten sources of delusion, including the humor found in verbal irony. Verbal irony occurs when a person overtly pretends to have a belief with the intention of implying their attitude about something or someone. Sarcastic verbal irony is when this attitude is a negative evaluation meant to criticize, insult, or ridicule someone. Like with humorous pretense, we find the pretend belief in verbal irony funny when we view it as delusional. Sarcasm can also point to and magnify delusion in the target’s real belief.

“We go to the beach, go in the water, put your wallet in the sneaker. Who’s going to know? What criminal mind could penetrate this Fortress of Security?” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Seinfeld’s pretend belief that his own knowledge about the effectiveness of the hiding technique is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect. Also, the wallet-hider’s similar real belief, which is alluded to and, through exaggeration, magnified by Seinfeld (Lack of Knowledge).

“I love the Lane Experts. Constantly revising and updating their lane choice. Always got the hand out the window. ‘Can I get in there? Can I get ahead of you? Can I be part of your lane? Ohh, you’re in such a great lane.’ ‘Yeah, come on in, pal… We’re zooming over here. This is the Secret Lane nobody knows about it. I’m letting you in, don’t tell any of the other cars.’” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Seinfeld’s pretend belief that his own knowledge and awareness about the specialness of the lane is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect. Also, the lane-switcher’s similar real belief, which is alluded to and, through exaggeration, magnified by Seinfeld (Lack of Knowledge and Awareness).

“And I’m sure this stupid Dual Zone thing totally works too. To keep different-temperature air molecules from co-mingling inside a three-foot-wide closed compartment of an automobile. Because when I go to my coffee place in the morning, I like to get my coffee black on the left side of the cup, cream and sugar on the right.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Seinfeld’s pretend belief that it’s possible to have coffee this way, even though it’s clearly impossible. Also, the Dual Zone inventor’s similar real belief, which Seinfeld alludes to through analogy (Impossibility).

Contact Gary at howhumorworks@gmail.com

References

Seinfeld, Jerry. Is This Anything? Simon & Schuster.

The “How Humor Works” series presenting the Harmless Delusion Theory

• Part 1: How Humor Works (foundational article)
• Part 2: This article
• Part 3: How Humor Works in ‘Airplane!’
• Part 4: How Humor Works in ‘Annie Hall’
• Part 5: Responding to Questions and Objections