Hello everyone, friends! Julia Kel is in touch. Do you want to learn the secrets of sparkling humor, like comedians from famous TV channels? So you've come to the right place. I'll show you how to learn to make funny jokes using 10 simple rules and exercises. To become the life of the party, you don’t need to be a born comedian, just hone your skill.
When you start building your jokes according to these recommendations, you will see the result - a positive reaction from the audience. And over time, your skill will become more advanced.
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Developing a sense of humor
We have all heard the famous saying “laughter prolongs life.” Numerous studies have long confirmed its positive effect on the cardiovascular, digestive, immune systems, hormonal levels and the condition of the body as a whole. There is even the science of geotology, which studies the effect of laughter on human well-being and health.
It turns out that people with a good sense of humor not only help others endure troubles more easily and be more optimistic, but also make themselves and those around them healthier.
Refresh your vocabulary.
They pay more attention to jokes with special, unusual words. For example, the word “zenoyam”, which must be read backwards, sounds funnier than “mayonnaise”. You can say the usual phrase: “I’m going to bed,” but it sounds funnier: “I’m going to listen to the noise of submarines.”
American comedian Gilbert Gottfried joked on one of his comedy programs: “If a girl has a hairy back, there is no need to be upset. You can close your eyes and imagine that she is wearing an alpaca jacket.” In this joke, the word “alpaca” played a punchline role, showing the absurdity of the situation.
Specific sounds add comedy to the stories. For example, showman Eddie Driscoll, speaking on intimate topics, creates a sound that simulates the opening of a zipper on his fly.
Take a sense of humor test
Is it possible to learn to joke?
The common assertion that a sense of humor is an innate trait and cannot be learned is incorrect. The main thing is the desire and readiness now, from today, to begin to perceive life in a different, brighter light.
A sense of humor is a very complex, multifaceted concept; it presupposes that both the comedian and his audience have imagination, associative thinking, ingenuity, logic and observation. Therefore, children do not develop an understanding of humor immediately, but as their thought processes become more complex.
To make a four-year-old child laugh, it is enough to say an obvious absurdity: “I cut the apple into three halves.” An adult, of course, will not laugh at this - his perception of what is funny is more complex. This proves that humor can be developed in the same way as memory or attention.
Read further: Development of moral qualities
Look for funny things everywhere.
To learn to joke, you need to look for the funny side in everything. You should definitely find something funny about any event or situation, especially one that happens to yourself. How to learn to joke in 7 days? Come up with an unusual challenge for yourself - don’t emit negativity for a week, don’t be indignant, experience only positive emotions, don’t feel sorry for yourself, and be constantly looking for a reason for a joke.
At first, not everything may work out, because it’s easy to joke when everything is good in life, but laughing in the face of difficulties is already a real skill.
Patterns of humor
Meticulous scientists, studying a particular issue, certainly want to subject everything to measurements and find patterns. The same thing happened with a sense of humor. Researchers have been able to establish the mechanisms by which jokes are constructed. Let's look at the most common ones.
Irony
Implies a hidden meaning of a phrase, opposite to the explicit and obvious. For example, when they say “That was brilliant...” about a ridiculous action or decision.
Ambiguity
A joke is made using a word that has two or more meanings. “We lit the stove all night, and by morning it sank.”
Substitution of expectation
The listener expects a logical development of the situation, but the story has a different, unexpected interpretation. For example: “We inform a person who has lost a gold watch in the cinema: half past six.”
Comparison of the incomparable
A vivid, unexpected comparison of concepts that are far from each other. “Life is like a piano: black, white, black, white, lid...”
Jump
When listing related concepts, add to them one from a completely different sphere. “In a relationship with a beloved man, romance, passion, and so that the husband does not find out anything are important.”
Humor and its targets
Whatever the laughter - cheerful, embarrassed, mocking or mysterious - it almost never turns out to be aimless. Agree that laughing alone is not interesting, and the point of a joke or witty remark is the ability to share them. This implies the social meaning of humor. It facilitates cooperation, helps express solidarity, establish contacts and defuse tensions, and can serve as reward or punishment.
A developed sense of humor is one of the most desirable qualities of a modern person. Our ability to respond to the funny and make jokes is tested at every step - when getting a job, joining a new team, communicating with friends and starting relationships with the opposite sex. Stock up on a couple of jokes for different contexts, and you can fill an awkward pause in an original way and make a favorable impression.
When and how to joke?
Humor should not only be funny, but also be appropriate to the situation. It is known that the best joke is the one that came at the right moment. With its help, you can defuse a tense situation or support a person who is ready to give up. Therefore, you need to correctly assess the situation, because it happens that humor is completely inappropriate, and sometimes downright offensive.
You cannot laugh at injury or illness, at disasters, at the misfortunes of others, you should not offend people’s religious feelings or ridicule a weak person who cannot find a worthy answer.
The wonderful properties of humor are that it makes people better and encourages them to unite, and offensive jokes are just slander that speaks of a person’s callousness and his inability to understand others.
Read more: How to become an attractive man
A person trying to develop a sense of humor must be prepared for the fact that he himself will become the object of someone’s jokes. An integral feature of all comedians is the ability to laugh at themselves. In addition, you need to be able to appreciate not only your own jokes, but also those of others - this is the only way to fully learn the art of making others laugh.
Become sociable.
Sociability is a trait without which it is difficult to be funny. Almost all heroes of box-office comedies have similar qualities: talkativeness, fussiness, optimism, cheerful disposition. There are many examples – from the donkey from the cartoon “Shrek” to the inimitable Jim Carrey in all his cinematic incarnations.
Communication skills are needed in order to sense the mood and feelings of others, how they perceive reality and the personality of the joker himself. In no case should he be divorced from reality, unless he deliberately chose such a style.
Useful tips for developing a sharp mind and sense of humor
- Learn to start the day in a good mood and with a smile, then there will be a humorous side to any problem.
- Be interested in humorous programs and films, read the latest jokes, communicate with funny people.
- Be confident. Adequate self-esteem helps you joke about yourself and not be offended by witticisms addressed to you.
- Take part in creative events or personal trainings - they help overcome self-doubt, if you need to speak in front of an audience, they will reveal your inner creative potential.
- Choose a few individuals whose sense of humor you particularly admire. Watch their performances and analyze their jokes.
- Write down the jokes that you especially liked. Create your own joke journal and then use them to create new ones.
Gain experience.
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To carry yourself well and confidently, you need to perform more and watch how others do it. Visiting KVN, comedy parties, watching various comedy shows - everything is appropriate. Anyone who wants to learn how to learn to joke should always ask themselves the questions “What was funny/good, and what was not so good?” Accordingly, strengths should be adopted and mistakes should be avoided.
How to learn to joke - 10 exercises
People with a good sense of humor are able to look at things and situations from different angles. To do this you need to have a good imagination and associative thinking.
These exercises will help develop the necessary qualities
"Words starting with one letter"
Choose any letter of the alphabet and make a long common sentence using words starting with that letter. This exercise not only replenishes vocabulary, but also develops flexibility of thinking.
"Associations"
Develop the habit of quickly selecting at least five associations for any word. The more unexpected and interesting they are, the better.
"Anti-associations"
Try to select several words for each word that will be completely far from it in meaning. This will develop associative thinking.
Read more: Developing self-confidence
"Ambiguity"
Think about how many meanings the words you use in everyday speech have. Remember not only their usual use, but also slang or figurative meanings. Strive to ensure that your brain does this quickly and, subsequently, automatically.
"New words"
Choose a well-known word ending or prefix (“-ness”, “counter-“, “super-“) and come up with new words and terms with them. Give them a dictionary definition and make a few sentences with them.
"Unreal Definition"
Give a well-known word an unknown definition that does not correspond to the meaning. Don't limit your imagination. The definition can also be given by consonance or similarity of words.
“How to use the item?”
Choose a common item, such as a cardboard box. Think of at least twenty ways you can use it.
"Search for similarities"
Choose two objects or concepts that have very little in common. For example, “crow” and “table”. Find as many similarities between them as possible.
"Identification"
While watching a comedy program, try to classify the jokes made in it: is it irony, double meaning or comparison, or perhaps hyperbole?
"Coup"
Find ten photographs online or in a magazine. Imagine that you are a journalist and you need to come up with a caption for each of them. It’s good if the caption does not reflect the real picture of events and turns out funny.
Think over the image.
A person’s appearance determines how others will treat him. If the eyebrows are frowned, the movements are constrained or feigned, then, despite the smile, it will become clear that the person does not know how to become funny, but really wants to seem like that.
In the image of a joker, everything is important - gait, clothes, manner of greeting, timbre of voice, facial expressions.
Our success depends on how we speak, gesture and look at our interlocutor. Making people laugh is an art in which every detail is important.
Use self-irony, exaggeration, sarcasm.
Self-mockery is comedians' secret weapon. She makes it clear that the author of humor is not arrogant and does not consider himself superior to others.
Psychologists have long noticed that people who know how to laugh at themselves win others over, inspire trust, and make communication comfortable. Self-irony is better than self-analysis, pompous modesty, or a boring story about yourself. She is in the company of braggarts, making the comedian taller, wittier and nobler than the rest.
The famous American speaker Terry Bradshaw begins his speeches by making jokes about his own hairstyle or character. This is how he establishes contact with the audience. Arnold Schwarzenegger, knowing the secret of how to learn to joke, more than once began his speech with “jokes” at his accents.
The main thing is not to go too far. 2-3 jokes in this style are enough to get the desired effect.
Exaggeration makes the joke bright and funny. “I’m so hungry I could eat two helpings,” is a common phrase. But if you admit that you would eat a hippopotamus ham, a smile appears on your face.
Sarcasm is a good comic tool, but it's best to be careful with it.
When sarcasm is appropriate: Comedian Jay Leno commented on the decision of the Los Angeles authorities to open a Center for Abandoned Children, where young mothers can abandon a child with impunity for 72 hours. Using sarcasm, the speaker said: “That’s why I love my country! I have more than 2 days to give away the unwanted child, but there is no way to get rid of the car that I didn’t like.”
It is important to remember that sarcasm is not appropriate when everything is fine. A sharp, sarcastic joke in a favorable situation looks like sour grapes on a sweet cake.
How to learn to joke? Regularly use self-irony and exaggeration. Sarcasm can be reserved for special occasions.
Under what circumstances should you definitely not joke?
Much of the effect of a joke depends on the circumstances in which it was voiced. You should not use your sense of humor when tragedies or disasters occur nearby. An obvious desire to emphasize one's superiority or to cause offense through humor is a bad idea.
Attempts to make jokes on religious or political topics also have questionable success. They can only make the audience laugh if everyone present is clearly united by the same interests.
When trying to defuse the situation with a comic digression, always calmly and carefully assess the situation and the participants in the conversation. Be careful when making jokes in front of managers or older people. Don't forget about subordination.
Complement and develop someone else's joke.
In KVN, the “Warm-up” competition is structured in this way, where teams come up with a funny ending or beginning of a pre-prepared phrase.
The answer to the question “How to learn to joke” is stored in the jokes of friends or acquaintances. Let them think for us what is interesting to say, and we will come up with our own based on their phrase.
For example:
- He gives her the last shirt.
– What do you think she should do with an old sweaty size 52 shirt?
Take the self-esteem test
Train.
Without experience, it’s difficult to even cook dumplings. And if we talk about how to become funny, then you definitely won’t get away with just a few attempts at a joke.
Trying to appear in a new role requires training in a company and in front of a mirror, attempts to joke in different forms must be crowned with success and fail. Only trial and error can achieve good results.
Practical exercises for training:
- Write a sarcastic commentary on current news.
- Make up a story to make it look funny.
- Come up with a joke “with the trinity”: once a wolf, a boar and a fox got together...
- Make up a few jokes about yourself based on traits that are known to everyone. Make a loved one laugh by coming up with an interesting joke about him.
Exercises from the school of wit from scratch
Three methods for constructing jokes:
| № | Method name | Description | Construction examples |
| 1 | "Word Replacement" | Take a phrase and replace the word | “Russia has two problems: fools and terrain” |
| 2 | "Direct meaning" | Think about it: how much nonsense we say that hurts the ears of foreigners. Just remember them in conversation, turning the essence of the words over | To you: “You’re late again! And what is it called? You: “I give up. I don’t know, I haven’t heard this riddle before.” To you: “What are your plans for the future”? Lots of options: room for imagination! “I want to take over the world and enslave the Jews.” “I decided to grow my hair.” “I’ll take a shower and shave my armpits.” |
| 3 | Hyperbola | Hyperbole is an artistic exaggeration. Lie from the heart, to the fullest | “Seryoga got it so bad that the skeleton crumbled into his pants.” “I was so scared that even the hair on my legs turned gray.” |
To risk.
There is no formula that uniquely answers the question “How to become funny.” Some people can reach the peak of humor in a week, while others may need a month or more. The main thing is not to lose the opportunity to practice. And nothing will work out without risk. If there is the slightest chance to make a joke, you need to take risks.
The worst that can happen is that the joke turns out to be unsuccessful, but over time everyone will forget it. Even the most famous comedians admit that they never know which joke will work. Deep down, they are afraid of hearing dead silence in response to their miniatures. But they know that there is no risk in this matter.
