I recently heard this explained () in the following way: three is the smallest number where you can set up an expectation (with the first two) and then break it

I recently heard this explained () in the following way: three is the smallest number where you can set up an expectation (with the first two) and then break it. This is why three is such a common number, not just in jokes but in all sorts of story-telling. () In a lecture by the mathematician & author Sarah Hart.