TikTok and YouTube prankster Anatoly uses his modest stature and incredible strength to humble his victims.

Feigning ignorance or weakness, Anatoly seems incapable of lifting the same weights as others in his videos.

Anatoly's victims often laugh at his pranks out of embarrassment, and we fans may laugh in sympathy.

Anyone who spends untold hours surfing the Web for humorous content will eventually find the work of one Vladimir Shmondenko, a prankster who goes by the name Anatoly. He’s developed a faithful following, and, as far as I can tell, makes a comfortable living entirely from his TikTok and YouTube videos. For those of us fascinated by laughter and the humor used to solicit it, a careful look at his work can be quite instructive.

The 4 types of laughter

As most of my readers already know, the mutual vulnerability theory—the explanation for laughter that I rely on in this blog series—recognizes four “types” of laughter. These reflect the four different motivations we might have for reminding others that they and we both possess vulnerabilities.

When someone else’s shortcoming is highlighted in a way that lowers their status, sympathetically affirming that we share similar vulnerabilities can lift their spirits. This “lifting laughter" is common among friends and family, and even with strangers. Similarly, when we ourselves fall short of expectations, “self-lifting laughter” reminds others of their limitations and helps restore our status. This is........

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