What's so funny?

An example of ridiculousness. Note
that the caption's incredibly formal
tone is ridiculous in itself.

     We all have ideas of what is funny. Some people like slapstick, some people like wit, and some people like other kinds of humor I'm too lazy to copy off Wikipedia. But what matters is that every form of humor is based on nonsense and ridiculousness. This is called the Incongruity Theory. In short, we only perceive things to be funny because they don't make sense or they surprise us by challenging the norm. Think about it. Tom and Jerry? Every time Tom is crushed by a piano, you don't expect him to end up like an accordion only to pop back into shape after a second. And need I mention the dead baby jokes?

     So, if humor is funny because it's nonsensical, why are nonsensical things funny?

     Because they make us feel uncomfortable.

     Laughing is a defense mechanism used to relieve the laugher of some discomfort. The perfect example of laughter's use is as a response to tickling. When so many nerve endings are stimulated at once, it is physically uncomfortable. The brain forces us to laugh to divert our attention from this unpleasant feeling. The exact same phenomenon can be seen when we are surprised by a joke's punchline. The brain would prefer to laugh off the uneasiness than let us stand around babbling in disbelief. This is why there's a moment before anyone laughs after the joke, when the brain makes the connection, and decides to laugh off the awkwardness.

     For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRZ2Sh5-XuM

     I've developed my sense of humor by cutting the fat of  one-liners and acting purely nonsensical. It works, but before you go around trying to be funny by shouting nonsense, realize that being nonsensical is an art, and it requires practice. A few tips:
     1. Relate to the situation; branch off of it rather than going on an opposite or irrelevant topic. If you're in a dog park, don't talk about an airplane unless a dog's flying it.
     2. Different voices can help, just don't make them too obnoxious. Same goes for dances.
     3. Share this special kind of humor with close friends, so it's not too awkward if a joke goes wrong.