Theory 106/Laughter/Rate lens
Laughter Follows Surprise Rate
The claim
Laughter is elicited by the rate at which a situation is reframed rather than by the content of the joke, so pacing determines whether it lands.
01Mechanism
Humour requires a sudden shift in interpretation; the rate of that shift sets the response.
02Prediction
Laughter should track reframing rate.
03Refutation
Laughter tracking joke quality would remove pacing.