# Toward a Quantum Theory of Humor

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.04647 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.04647/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 14 Mar 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [A Planck Radiation and Quantization Scheme for Human Cognition and Language](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.03306/) (2022)
- [Are Words the Quanta of Human Language? Extending the Domain of Quantum Cognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.04913/) (2021)
- [Human Perception as a Phenomenon of Quantization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.03726/) (2022)
- [Identifying Quantum Structure in AI Language: Evidence for Evolutionary Convergence of Human and Artificial Cognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.21731/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper proposes that cognitive humor can be modeled using the mathematical framework of quantum theory. We begin with brief overviews of both research on humor, and the generalized quantum framework. We show how the bisociation of incongruous frames or word meanings in jokes can be modeled as a linear superposition of a set of basis states, or possible interpretations, in a complex Hilbert space. The choice of possible interpretations depends on the context provided by the set-up vs. the punchline of a joke. We apply the approach to a verbal pun, and consider how it might be extended to frame blending. An initial study of that made use of the Law of Total Probability, involving 85 participant responses to 35 jokes (as well as variants), suggests that the Quantum Theory of Humor (QTH) proposed here provides a viable new approach to modeling humor.