It’s odd that there isn’t a better word in English to describe the emotion that erupts within us when we find ourselves tickled by the humor of a situation. There are no synonyms for amused that capture the power of the emotional reaction we feel when we’re told a great joke or encounter a ridiculous situation, but we all know the feeling. It’s a delightful, uncontrollable response. It’s like an orgasm of the mind that bursts through the body.
The theory of basic emotions never recognized this feeling of hilarity. It’s not surprising, given that there are so many ways that a reaction to humor can be expressed. Sometimes we sniff. Sometimes we laugh uncontrollably to the point of screaming or crying. Sometimes we slap our knees or pound the table. Sometimes we double over, grimacing as if we have a pain in our bellies. At other times, we might hold the feeling inside our bodies, responding with nothing more than a subtle spring in our movements.
Our physical responses to humor go far beyond mere facial expressions, and cannot be reduced to any stereotypical image. Perhaps that’s because humor is about breaking conventional ways of thinking and acting.
Amusement seems a mild term for much of this emotion, so people have struggled to develop other labels for the feeling. Online, people say that they are ROFL – rolling on the floor laughing – even when they aren’t rolling, aren’t on the floor, and aren’t laughing. Still, ROFL catches the intensity of the emotional reaction to an idea so funny that it we find ourselves captivated by it, even to the point of irrepressible physical movement.
In more watered-down versions, amusement can be experienced as the mere feeling that something deserves a half-hearted chuckle, that it was tolerably entertaining. To call something amusing can be to damn it with faint praise. It’s a shame, because there’s nothing that feels better than to be genuinely amused. It’s a feeling that brings us great pleasure, and we ought to have language to match its power.
