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2023 Author: Katelyn Chandter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:08
Humor is cool. First, people with a sense of humor seem more attractive to other people. This is pure physiology: when we laugh, the brain releases a lot of "happy" hormones into the body and reduces the level of stress hormones that cause depression. In this state, everything around us seems more attractive and pleasant to us, and especially - the person because of whom we laugh.
Second, humor is a defensive mental response that helps us cope with stress. Something bad happened, and you ridiculed it, laughed at it - and now it's not so scary, and you can safely rush towards adventure, and cope with all life's difficulties. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to develop a sense of humor. And this article will help you with that.
How does humor work?
Many books and studies have been written on this topic, including the most scientific ones (for example, the topic of humor was studied by Sigmund Freud and the linguist and philologist Bakhtin, because humor is closely related to language - I will say a little more on this topic below). But if it is very, very simple and primitive, humor is always based on surprise, on the interweaving of some unexpected element. It just manifests itself in different ways, in different forms and forms.
For example, you can watch performances by stand-up artists (Louis CK, George Carlin), read classics of humorous prose or just various comedies that you like. It's important that you like it, because otherwise what's the point of it.
Self-irony. This is the deepest storehouse of various jokes and fun. In addition, it is safe, because with self-ironic jokes you will not offend anyone, but only amuse and gain a reputation as a confident person, and take away weapons from people who, perhaps, themselves would like to make fun of you.
Observation. The more attentively you look around, noticing various life situations, comedy and the absurdity of our everyday life - the richer your "humorous arsenal" is.
Erudition. Humor is closely related to language, so if you want to understand how to develop a sense of humor, it will be great if you read a lot. Why?
So what should I do? Tips on how to develop a sense of humor
Let's get down to practice.
1. Read more
Any literature that makes you laugh. Keep in mind that the rule “you are what you eat” works here: your sense of humor develops under the influence of the environment, including what you read, so read what you will not be ashamed of later.
2. Take jokes apart
When something makes you laugh, think about why it makes you laugh, try to formulate it, find in a joke a specific place where it became funny, and why it became funny, what contributed to it - that is, find a set-up and a punchline. Even in classic videos, where someone hurts, they are: when a person does something, thinking that he will succeed, this is a set-up, and when he breaks off and suffers, this is a punchline.
3. Practice in everyday troublesome situations
For example, someone stepped on your foot - make a joke about it, if you are late - make a joke about it, bad weather - make a joke about it. It helps you practice both formulating and making up jokes as well as being ironic about life.
4. Memorize funny things (jokes, anecdotes, memes), so that later you can appeal to them at the right time
This enhances the "humorous observance". There is nothing wrong with that, you do not have to come up with jokes yourself so that others think you are a person with a great sense of humor, seeing funny things, remembering funny things and inserting funny things when appropriate is also a kind of talent.
5. Make up jokes in advance
It's okay if, for example, you know how to come up with jokes, but you don't have time in a stressful environment, for example, when you were pinned and you need to quickly answer something. You know this moment when the conversation has already ended, and you came up with a witty answer two hours later? To prevent this from happening, you can come up with jokes for a standard situation that you often find yourself in, in advance. For example, you are often late - come up with some jokes about it.
6. Imitate
If you want to learn how to joke, find yourself a role model, whose jokes you like, and who is similar to you in the manner of conversation or topics for jokes, and copy his manner of presentation, memorize his jokes. Over time, you will have the skill to come up with your own.
7. Hone your acting skills
Learn to speak clearly and quickly (jokes are funnier when they are spoken at a fast enough pace) - tongue twisters and the skill of reading aloud will help with this (by the way, it is generally useful for brain activity). Jokes are funnier with acting out - you can also hone this, learn to act out.
If you are not an actor (for example, I am terrible at acting), on the contrary, you can learn to say jokes with an impenetrable expression on your face. This is often very funny, because it creates a contrast: you say something funny, and at the same time you yourself are serious, that is, it is literally an additional set-up and punchline.
8. Comment on the situation as if it is the opposite of the existing one
It's always funny or at least ironic, plus it will help you hone your skill in the question of "how to develop a sense of humor." What I mean: you came to my mother, she put everything in the fridge on the table, you survey the open spaces of food and sneer: "Mom, have you decided to starve me to death?" Or you were lazy all day, lying on the couch and doing nothing - in response to "how are you" you can say: "Everything is in business, there is no free minute: you have to lie down, eat, and watch the series."
Word games are very helpful in coming up with jokes and developing a sense of humor, as they expand vocabulary and often help to come up with something bright and unexpected, that is, they help to come up with a set-up and punchline. Here are some examples of such games:
- Associations. You can complicate the task: to select not pairs of associations, but chains. For example, you take two completely unrelated objects and connect them with a chain of associations, trying to do it as long as possible. For example: dragon and magnet. Dragon - miracle - fairy tale - Ivan Tsarevich - gray wolf - fur - fur coat - winter - north - north pole - attracts a compass - a magnet. It develops imagination, makes your brain work.
- Antonyms. Coming up with pairs of radically opposite things. Sometimes you have to puzzle over, for example, what antonym do you think of the word "paper"?
- You take an item and come up with as many ways to use it as possible. It develops imagination and helps you generate unexpected jokes in the future. For example, you came up with the idea that you can write with a shoe if you get it dirty in the mud and write letters with a dirty toe.
And then you joke using this notion: "Why do you have such blotted handwriting, did you write with your boot?" You don't need to write down anything - it will be deposited in the subconscious, a skill will be formed.
- Look for similarities between completely opposite things. It is needed for the same as the previous point. For example, find similarities between a mug and a computer, a cat and a hipster, a cafe and a desert island?
- Train in poetic forms. For example, look for rhymes, write hakku, write pies or powders (forms of network poetry, sometimes very funny).
- Come up with stories or sentences where all words are one letter. Often this turns out to be something absurd, and therefore funny.
- Come up with funny captions for anything. A laconic, sharp, funny, caustic signature or name is also art. You saw a bunch of likes on the first comment under such photos, where the person came up with such a signature? You can do that too!
- Choose a trait and think of as many things as possible with that trait. Example: a sign is brown. What can be brown? Brown eyes, tree bark, dust, tiles, dog hair, dark skin. A joke based on this game: "What have you brewed in this tea - dog hair?" (if the tea is not tasty, for example)
- Come up with pairs of words that sound the same but mean different things. Example: leaf and Liszt (composer's last name), bach and bach (sound and composer), light and light, and so on.
All these games, firstly, develop imagination, make you remember words and catch connections between them, and then based on these skills it is easier for you to come up with jokes and humor.
In the end, I would like to give a couple of tips.
First, don't go overboard with jokes, they shouldn't be cruel. Black humor is great, but only in a company where everyone understands and supports it. Remember that a joke can easily offend, even hurt.
Second, don't forget about self-confidence. Even the funniest joke will not be funny if you mumble it somewhere in the corner.
Thirdly, don't be distracted, jokes are funnier when they are short.
And the last thing: joke about what you yourself find funny and funny. After all, you should enjoy the process too, right?
Good luck and good jokes!