Humor’s timing depends on silence marking the rupture of expected order

Evidence

But even the most sophisticated comedy works the same way a crude joke does, in that it’s based on the void created when a normal order is shattered; a void marked, even forged by silence. Here too, in the lightest lines, as in the pause between heartbeats, lies a faint hint of the greatest order-shattering event of all. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 260

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 260
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Placement of silent pauses in spoken text can encode complex layered meaning — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 248; Creative thought requires an initial silence that clears prior mental assumptions — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 453; Silence resets the audience’s mental frame before a performance can begin — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 257 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• The idea of an absolute silence functions as a necessary reset point for thought #expands (0.72) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 531
• Silence is a positive presence rather than mere absence #corroborates (0.55) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1294
• Silence functions as an underrated conversational presence #expands (0.50) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1023