After reading the research on amusement, I started thinking about how people say “I did not find that amusing,” and why it’s sometimes said in a judgmental voice. I don’t have any data to support this supposition, but I wonder if what we’re saying is “That unexpected thing that you did or said that was supposed to be funny was not funny.” It’s almost like You failed at your attempt to be funny. That was neither playful nor pleasurable.
