The most plausible explanation I've heard is that humor evolved as a social weapon for use by a group of low status individuals against a high status individual. This explains why laughter is involuntarily contagious, why it mostly occurs in conversation, why children like watching Tom and Jerry and why it's always Tom rather than Jerry who takes the fall. The snake & vine scenario is a derived application, based on the general idea of something that had appeared badass, turning out to not need to be taken seriously.
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