How do I develop a sense of humor?

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

A bit of advice -- don't tell jokes in a deadpan. They'll think you're serious. I've gotten into assloads of trouble this way.

That's bad advice.

 

[Haphazard]

That's bad advice.

Jokes are not worth suspension. That is all.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Jokes are not worth suspension. That is all.

Hm... y'know what I think?

 

[Haphazard]

Hm... y'know what I think?

That I can't tell jokes without being wildly offensive.

I know that's what you think, but it's not true. Just trust me on this one.

Either that, or I just really suck at jokes. I should just stop before I embarrass myself or get arrested.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

That I can't tell jokes without being wildly offensive.

I know that's what you think, but it's not true. Just trust me on this one.

Either that, or I just really suck at jokes. I should just stop before I embarrass myself or get arrested.

Nope.

 

[Haphazard]

Nope.

Fine then. But I'm just going to continue on thinking that's what you think, because you haven't given any indication otherwise.

Carry on. Dnivera, good luck. You'll need it.

 

[Giggly]

A bit of advice -- don't tell jokes in a deadpan. They'll think you're serious. I've gotten into assloads of trouble this way.

I love jokes told in deadpan!!! They're hilarious. Even if I don't get it at first (admittedly I'm kinda slow sometimes), once you explain then I think they're really funny. Hap, you can tell me those kinds of jokes anytime.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Fine then. But I'm just going to continue on thinking that's what you think, because you haven't given any indication otherwise.

Carry on. Dnivera, good luck. You'll need it.

I'll tell you later.

 

[reason]

I was once fired from a job for telling a joke.

 

[The Ü™]

I was once fired from a job for telling a joke.

I was fired from two jobs for telling a joke. Bureaucrats don't have a sense of humor.

The first thing to do if you're trying to develop a sense of humor is to not take yourself seriously. Also, it's much advisable to trivialize real happenings that most people are too uptight to make fun of.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

I was once fired from a job for telling a joke.

What was the joke?

 

[The Ü™]

What was the joke?

I'm guessing it was the story or phrase intended to make people laugh.

 

[dnivera]

Ministry of Silly Walks is moderately amusing to me, but not that funny. I must do more research on this matter!

 

[helen]

Why should you develop a sense of humor? What is so funny? hehe

See, I haven't got the greatest sense of humor myself. I seldom make others laugh. But when I'm feeling happy I'm more prone to chuckle/giggle over stuff that I normally wouldn't find all that funny. Maybe you could try working on developing a more lighthearted, happy approach to life and humor would fall into place?

T.V. bores me. You could try reading some comical stuff.
I have laughed aloud while reading: Barbara Pym, Anne Tyler, P.G. Wodehouse, and Anthony Berkeley. They are really good writers in addition to being humorous. You might like to give 'em a try.

 

[Athenian200]

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not entirely happy with the type I was born with. I'm overly serious, I take everything personally, and I don't joke around with others. I admire people who can keep up witty repartee.
So, my question is, how do I develop a sense of humor? My parents were very serious, formal, no-nonsense kind of people so I never got it from them. I hate being a robot.

I know everyone will recommend spending time with funny people (I've been trying to find them among my circle of sarcastic scientists) and maybe watching sitcoms. Is that really going to help? What else can I do?

Part of it is that I just don't find a lot of things funny. Bodily humor, I don't enjoy. I don't really like sarcasm and I try not to use it myself, since I find it pessimistic. I mostly enjoy clean, smart jokes, and interesting word usage in unexpected situations (like Mad Libs). Maybe SJ humor was more prevalent pre-1960s; I find earlier TV and writing more funny than whatever's on TV these days.

I do enjoy some of the witty banter here on some of the lighter threads and wish that I could do that myself! If only I knew the right thing to say. I can never come up with a response fast enough, and I seem to think of responses too slowly. Maybe S humor and N humor are different?

Well... I don't know what to tell you. This is the one area Ps have an advantage over Js, it seems. I really don't think not having a great sense of humor is a big deal, so don't beat yourself up about it. Really.

I don't think you can really help what you find funny. Your sense of humor is how it is. Now, you can cultivate more of what you already have, but you can't learn to appreciate something you just don't get at all. That's how it is, I think.

If you really want to work on it, though, you just have to throw something out there when you think of something, even if you think it's stupid. It will seem awkward, badly timed, and not very funny at first, but if you keep at it, you should get better at it. It's one of those things you have to stumble through if you want to master it... not very appealing, but it can be done.

 

[reason]

This thread is boring ... and therefore amusing. That doesn't make sense!

 

[Tigerlily]

This thread is boring ... and therefore amusing. That doesn't make sense!

Sometimes when I'm bored, I start laughing so hard, I start crying. Has this every happened to you?

 

[reason]

Sometimes when I'm bored, I start laughing so hard, I start crying. Has this ever happened to you?

No. But then I have never been you bored.

 

[Tigerlily]

No. But then I have never been you bored.

See? Now that's funny. Imagine being someone else bored. It's so sadistic, it's funny.

 

[Splittet]

Well... I don't know what to tell you. This is the one area Ps have an advantage over Js, it seems. I really don't think not having a great sense of humor is a big deal, so don't beat yourself up about it. Really.

Actually it is extroverted people who are supposedly funnier than introverted people. That's the correlation I have seen, at least...