{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Critical Theory","slug":"new-books-in-critical-theory-962622","podcast_index_feed_id":962622,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT8251633117","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/critical-theory/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/2bb9f934-ef86-11e8-8d0f-63a25e571335/image/abfb67777e548da6b9f81c74ecfb67a9.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":2340,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory","last_synced_at":"2026-09-15T16:20:49.073825+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622"},"episode":{"title":"John Charles Simon and Jennalee Donian, \"Understanding Laughter and Humor: Why We Laugh, Why We Don’t, and Why It Matters\" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2026)","slug":"john-charles-simon-and-jennalee-donian-understanding-laughter-and-humor-why-we-laugh-why-we-don-t-and-why-it-matters-palgrave-macmillan-2026","published_at":"2026-09-12T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/john-charles-simon-and-jennalee-donian-understanding-laughter-and-humor-why-we-laugh-why-we-don-t-and-why-it-matters-palgrave-macmillan-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK5440618362.mp3","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK5440618362.mp3","summary":"In John Charles Simon and Jennalee Donian’s Understanding Laughter and Humor: Why We Laugh, Why We Don’t, and Why It Matters (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), the authors put forward a comprehensive new theoretical approach to understanding laughter and the humour we use to inspire it. Applying an evolutionary and biological lens to these complex and universal human behaviours, the book distinguishes itself from classical and contemporary theories by focusing not simply on laughter’s causes and effects, but on what can be gleaned from considering its communicative meaning. At the centre of the book is the Mutual Vulnerability Theory (MVT) of Laughter, which understands laughter as a vital form of nonverbal communication, one that seeks in various ways to “lift” or “lower” moments of physical, emotional, cognitive, or social vulnerability between people. From this perspective, laughter sheds light on the social dynamics that govern human interaction, both positive and negative. It reveals the importance of vulnerability and status in our conscious and subconscious lives, while also underscoring our desire to cooperate, our respect for those who compete fairly, and our disdain for those who do not. Wide-ranging and highly accessible, Understanding Laughter and Humor will be of interest to general readers, humour scholars, psychologists, anthropologists, comedians, and anyone curious about a seemingly mundane but vital aspect of everyday life — one intrinsic not only to human sociality, but also deeply connected to our great ape relatives and evolutionary past. Additional content mentioned in the episode: Understanding Laughter and Humor: A Companion and Guide, Volume 1, the first in a companion-guide series applying MVT to examples of humour and laughter across different media…","meta_description":"In John Charles Simon and Jennalee Donian’s Understanding Laughter and Humor: Why We Laugh, Why We Don’t, and Why It Matters (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4070,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/episodes/john-charles-simon-and-jennalee-donian-understanding-laughter-and-humor-why-we-laugh-why-we-don-t-and-why-it-matters-palgrave-macmillan-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/john-charles-simon-and-jennalee-donian-understanding-laughter-and-humor-why-we-laugh-why-we-don-t-and-why-it-matters-palgrave-macmillan-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}