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ChristianKl comments on A "Holy Grail" Humor Theory in One Page. - Less Wrong Discussion
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What is exactly do you mean with "humor"? There are many things that get people to laugh that traditionally aren't called jokes. Schadenfreude would be an example.
Is your theory supposed to account for non-joke instances that get people to laugh as well as joke instances?
There are non-humorous instances of laughter, like tickling for one. But I think Schadenfreude is very definitely humor. It simply requires that you have enough emotional distance from the person who failed that you don't feel anxiety as a result of what happened to them.
Naturally, this is considered cruel by some people, because it indicates a lack of empathy or low-anxiety related to someone else's pain. But if you do have that lack of empathy or low-anxiety in those cases, your humor instinct will almost definitely be what's triggered by Schadenfreude.
Let's say I sit down with a shy person. We have some discussing and then I say nothing. While I say nothing anxiety is likely to raise in the shy person because of uncomfortable silence. Often when that anxiety is high enough the person starts laughing to reduce the tension of the interaction.
Is that humor?
I have that under "nervous laughter" in the second paper. People will often forcibly laugh in tense moments (like when confronted by a bookie to whom they owe money) to try to show or establish a low anxiety situation. We can do this any time though, so I don't think it's humorous, just a purposeful put-on.