Humour and Insight
De Bono describes humour and insight as sudden rearrangements of familiar information. In his account, humour briefly shifts an interpretation, while insight leaves a lasting new understanding.
THE IDEA
Humour and insight
There is often an alternative way of arranging available information. This means that there can be a switch over to another arrangement. Usually this switch over is sudden.* If the switch over is temporary it gives rise to humour. If the switch over is permanent it gives rise to insight. It is interesting that the reaction to an insight solution is often laughter even when there is nothing funny about the solution itself.
A man jumped off the top of a skyscraper. As he passed the third floor window he was heard to mutter: ‘So far so good.’
Mr Churchill sat down next to Lady Astor at dinner one day. She turned to him and said, ‘Mr Churchill, if I was married to you I should put poison in your coffee.’ Mr Churchill turned to her and said, ‘Madam, if I was married to you… I should drink the coffee.’
A policeman was seen walking along the main street pulling a piece of string. Do you know why he was pulling the piece of string?… Have you ever tried pushing a piece of string?
In each of these situations an expectation is generated by the way the information is put together. Then suddenly this expectation is thwarted but at once one sees that the unexpected development is another way of putting things together.
Humour and insight are characteristic of this type of information handling system. Both processes are difficult to bring about deliberately.
When to use it
In brainstorming sessions, use humour to loosen fixed thinking and allow new arrangements of ideas to emerge.
When stuck on a problem, deliberately try to find the 'punchline' – an unexpected reframing that resolves the tension.
As a teacher, use jokes or paradoxes to illustrate how assumptions can be challenged, leading to deeper understanding.
In communication, craft messages that set up an expectation and then surprise the audience to make a point memorable.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
The man jumping off a skyscraper
A man jumped off the top of a skyscraper. As he passed the third floor window he was heard to mutter: ‘So far so good.’ The setup creates an expectation of a grim outcome, but the punchline reinterprets the situation as a progress report, leading to humour.
Churchill and Lady Astor
Lady Astor said, ‘Mr Churchill, if I was married to you I should put poison in your coffee.’ Mr Churchill replied, ‘Madam, if I was married to you… I should drink the coffee.’ The expected retort is reframed, turning the insult back on her with a surprising twist.
The policeman pulling string
A policeman was seen walking along the main street pulling a piece of string. The absurdity is resolved when you realize that pushing a string is impossible, so pulling is the only way to move it. The expectation of a purposeful action is replaced by a logical necessity.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a joke you found funny. What initial expectation was built, and how did the punchline break and then re-frame it?
Recall a moment when you suddenly understood a problem in a new way (an insight). Did you feel a sense of humour or surprise? How does that parallel the temporary shift in humour?
How might deliberately trying to create a temporary switch in perspective help you generate creative solutions in your work or daily life?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Lateral Thinking A Textbook of Creativity (Edward de Bono)