AUTHOR=Gabora Liane , Kitto Kirsty 

TITLE=Toward a Quantum Theory of Humor

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2016

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2016.00053

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2016.00053

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=This paper proposes that cognitive humour can be modelled using the mathematical framework
of quantum theory, suggesting that a Quantum Theory of Humour (QTH) is a viable approach.
We begin with brief overviews of both research on humour, and the generalized quantum
framework. We show how the bisociation of incongruous frames or word meanings in jokes
can be modelled as a linear superposition of a set of basis states, or possible interpretations,
in a complex Hilbert space. The choice of possible interpretations depends on the context
provided by the set-up versus the punchline of a joke. We apply QTH first to a verbal pun,
and then consider how this might be extended to frame blending in cartoons. An initial study of
85 participant responses to 35 jokes (and a number of variants) suggests that there is reason to
believe that a quantum approach to the modelling of cognitive humour is a viable new avenue of
research for the field of quantum cognition.