Logos, ethos, and pathos

Arthur C. Brooks uses all three forms of appeal in his article “The Link Between Happiness and a Sense of Humor”. 

Logos

Brooks uses logos when he employs studies, statistics, and surveys to prove his point. For example, he refers to a “2010 study from the Journal of Aging Research” (l. 16), which shows that elderly people who were exposed to humor reported an increase in the quality of their lives(ll. 18-21)

Brooks refers to a study when he reports that “only 10 to 15 percent of laughing is due to anything even remotely humorous. Much of the rest is meant to display emotions such as agreement or simple conviviality” (ll. 46-47). The studies and statistics that Brooks presents engage the readers, who are convinced by the author’s documentation and research.

Then, Brooks appeals to logos when he uses explicit argumentation, particularly at the beginning of his article: 

If you laughed at that joke, it is because three things happened in your brain in lightning-fast succession. First, you detected an incongruity (…) Second, you resolved the ...