One of the reasons we laugh at jokes is... "danger".
We laugh at "danger defeated", or "pain defeated" every time we tell a joke.
Ever laughed at those funnies when a guy falls from the ladder and the paint bucket flips onto his head? Are we laughing at the paint dripping, or at the the fall itself?
Believe it or not, we'd laugh at the fall even without the pain bucket, because we relieve ourselves of the fear the man could get hurt, and are happy he didn't.
For that same reason, Wiley Coyote will plummet for miles into deep deep canyons, and regain his composure walking like a bellows, with accordion sound and all...
For that same reason, again, we film our toddler son/daughter run his/her little bicycle into the hedge, only to laugh our heads off when they emerge, disheveled but reasonably
unhurt.
So... what's that joke about red lipstick and a brick? We laugh because we KNOW it doesn't apply to us, and we laugh at the danger avoided by our companions...
Else... why would Scooby-Doo and Johnnie Quest run after Mummies ? (or be chased by them)