Does comedy only succeed if it makes you laugh out loud (AKA LOL)?

[alan nagsworth]

I love to laugh. Some of my favourite comedy has me howling. What a great feeling. But if I'm not laughing, does that mean the comedy is failing? This has been mentioned a far few times regarding both James Acaster and The Good Place and it's got me thinking that it is worth a proper discussion.

I've read "funny" stuff like Raffles, Waiting For Godot or Lucky Jim that didn't particularly make me laugh out loud (which can be shortened to LOL for the ease of discussion, FYI) but I still found the humour to be very engaging and well written. Lucky Jim is an excellent comedy and I loved it but the most it got out of me was a great deal of quick nose exhales. That's still good comedy to me. Some people don't LOL at comedy but they still enjoy it.

There's a lot that goes into comedy, which is why it's so wonderful. There are many different types of humour, there's structure, intent, context and all sorts to be considered. The size of the laugh is surely just a by-product of the enjoyment. If I watch a horror film and I get to the end and realise I never went "WHOA NELLY FUCK ME THAT BIT WAS BLOODY SCARY" at any point, does that mean the horror film has failed? Of course not.

LOL: DISCUSS

[bgmnts]

I think so, because it may not make you laugh but could make others laugh.

There are sometimes where I go "oh thats a lovely joke/piece of wordplay/delivery" but never made me LOL. This could be for a variety of reasons though; you could be grumpy, your taste could have changed etc.

[alan nagsworth]

We should also consider posh people, who will only laugh at the plight of their subordinates, but when having seen an amusing play or some such frivolity as they are known to enjoy, they won't laugh but will dryly remark that it was "a delight". I think we should consider that.

[dissolute ocelot]

I know some people who never laugh. Except perhaps at physical pain to real physical people, or drugs. So logically comedy doesn't work for them.

In any case, surely the mark of great comedy is nothing to do with laughter and everything to do with students quoting it endlessly.

[thenoise]

How about the opposite - have you ever laughed at something but consider it to have failed comedically? I laughed harder at PIZZA BEAN than anything else so far this year. Is it a successful piece of comedy? It's youtubepoop level slapdashery, despite apparently having the creator's seal of approval.