Being funnier

Being funnier

• Laugh every day. Find a joke, a comic strip, or an absurd situation, or listen to a stand-up comedy routine, that makes you laugh.
• Put a few things—the goofier and sillier the better—that make you smile on your desk, in your car, or wherever you will see them often.
• Smile. For no reason. Just smile.
• Do something silly once a day. No one has to know.
• Laugh at yourself. You’re funnier than you think.
• Notice what tickles your funny bone. Be honest—what makes you laugh? The Marx Brothers? Puns? Bloopers? British television? Knock-knock jokes? Stand-up? Sitcoms? Cartoons? Memorize some of what makes you laugh and repeat until people tell you you’ve lightened up enough.
• Hang out with people who laugh. Laughter is contagious, and humor is a social phenomenon. It’s easier to experience mirth with other people.
• At the end of the day, share one funny thing that happened that day with a family member or friend.
• And finally, be sensitive to what is not funny. Don’t laugh at the expense of others, and don’t make yourself the butt of jokes with self-disparaging humor. Use good judgment to avoid hurtful humor.

Sources:
Stress Management, Mayo Clinic
Health, healing and the amuse system: Humor as survival training. McGhee, P. E.