Abstract
The article claims that comic entertainment consists of five elements 1. priming of the comic events to come 2. some comic entertainment inputs that creates arousal 3. Entertainment-internal signals of the playful nature of the comic input 4. Appraisal processes in audience members that evaluate the input as 'not real but playful', 5. this leads to a change in hedonic tone, and arousal is combined with the release of endorphins (a morphine-based neurotransmitter) that makes the arousal pleasant. The theory of comic entertainment accords with the PECMA flow theory proposed in Grodal: Embodied Visions, because the evaluation: playful, not real, influences the muscular directness towards the world that drops. Comic entertainment is further linked to human bonding.
| Translated title of the contribution | En generel teori om komisk underholdning |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Title of host publication | Cognitive Media Theory |
| Editors | Ted Nannicelli, Paul Taberham |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Publication date | 1 Jan 2014 |
| Pages | 177-195 |
| Chapter | 10 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978041562867, 978041562874 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780203098226 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |