Henri Bergson, a Fresh philosopher of the late 19th century, was also an author of a famous essay that focused on laughter. Before Bergson, few philosophers had given laughter much thought.
Other major thinkers who have offered humourless reflections about humour include Thomas Hobbes and René Descartes, who believed we laugh because we feel superior.
Immanuel Kant and Arthur Schopenhauer argued that comedy stems from a sense of incongruity.
Herbert Spencer and Sigmund Freud suggested comedians give relief from nervous energy and repressed emotions.