Wit and its relation to the unconscious

"What a peculiar charm wit brings to our society! A new joke is akin to an event that garners widespread interest: it is passed from mouth to mouth, like news of a recently won victory," Freud wrote, deeply intrigued by the phenomenon of wit and its role in the lives of individuals and society as a whole. He was convinced that the popularity of wit could not be explained solely by the pleasure of a good joke, and set out to uncover the mechanisms and hidden springs of this unique phenomenon. Summarizing the experience of colleagues and the results of his own research, Freud wrote one of his most unusual and interesting works, accessible to the understanding of a wide readership.