How to develop a sense of humor, learn to laugh and how to be more interesting

Nadya Zima

Copywriter and journalist. Interests: fiction, culture and psychology.

From joy and euphoria to schadenfreude and bitterness, laughter can express the entire range of human emotions. If we try to control manifestations of anger consciously, then a sincere smile usually does not encounter psychological barriers and, appearing spontaneously on the face, becomes a clue to the personality.

The cheerfulness of a person is the most outstanding feature of a person, with legs and arms. It takes a long time to figure out a different character, but the person will laugh very sincerely, and his whole character will suddenly appear in full view. Only with the highest and happiest development can a person know how to have fun sociably, that is, irresistibly and good-naturedly.

F. M. Dostoevsky

"Teenager"

Lower the bar on what you can laugh at

All humor topics are interesting. You can see everything as funny. Set yourself a low humor bar. You can see something interesting and funny in everything : someone sits funny, someone speaks funny, someone writes funny. Everything can make you laugh. Just lower the bar on what you can laugh at.

Some people have very high standards for what is funny. The standards are too high. Get rid of it. Some people are very hard to make laugh . They have too high demands on their humor , there are such problems as: the joke must be very good, I must clearly understand what I am talking about, there must be certain words on the same topic, and so on.

Sometimes people are afraid of being judged and what people will think of them if they laugh hysterically. People cannot relax, let go of everything. Most people are afraid of how their voice will sound if they laugh too loudly .
Some people don’t even know what their voice sounds like when they laugh hysterically, because they’ve been restraining themselves all their lives.

How to become more witty and learn to joke: practical tips

A witty joke
The development of a witty person always begins with a change in worldview. Get rid of everything that burdens and constrains you. Learn to see the funny in the minuses - then they will become pluses. Get rid of any self-consciousness about yourself and society. Learn to quickly select the appropriate words. This doesn't just apply to jokes. Learn to generate ideas and turn unpleasant situations into a joke. How to become more witty and learn to joke?

There are many tricks needed to become the god of humor. Here are just a few of them - practical tips:

Proverbs and sayings:

Any of them can be altered and made funny.
For example, “And the wolves are fed, and the sheep are safe” can be transformed to “And the sheep are safe, and the wolf is not harmed.” Certainly not the funniest joke. But a certain hint of wit can already be traced.
Or: “Repetition is the mother of learning” - “Repetition is the mother of learning, but Botox is a perversion.”
We just change the ending of the saying, and we get something interesting and more fun.

Direct meaning:

There are many quotes in the Russian language with a figurative meaning.
For example, the phrase “Support me” may be met with the answer “Are you falling?” That is, one person interprets the meaning figuratively, and the other answers directly. It's quite funny.
For example: “Look at me! I'm like a cucumber today - Yes, I see. Green and with a pimple.”

Confusion:

This applies to words and letters in sentences.
Let’s say we call the Snow Maiden – Ognesruchka or Ognesuchka (Fiery Bitch), or call coffee with milk – mofe with kolak.

Learn some words in a previously unfamiliar, funny language:

Then you will be able to insert incomprehensible and funny words when appropriate.
For example, the usual Russian word for “ball” in Armenian would be գնդակ (gndak). It is read as "gendak".
Agree, playing football not with a ball, but with a handicap is much more fun.
Also, Japanese and Chinese are perfect for this - languages of any people whose words in the Russian version may seem funny.

Modernize old expressions with a modern twist:

For example, if there used to be an expression “Stay dumb”, then it can be transformed to “stay without a selfie on Instagram”, “stay without Tik Tok”, “get likes but not have subscribers”, etc.

Great exaggeration:

Can be used in many life situations.
Example: “You sing so badly that even my deaf grandmother noticed that you were out of tune,” “It was such a strong smell that even at the North Pole the Chukchi covered their noses.”

Finding analogies and premises:

“This woman is so plump that her husband specially pumped himself up to carry her in his arms.”
“Yes, Tanya, your salary is really small - Yes, it’s more than the dignity of your ex.”

Accepting your flaws and making jokes about them:

“You are so small that you breathe into my navel - Small and remote, but completely gone to the root.”
“You are so plump. How do you get through the door? “And you’re so skinny that you use a fishing rod case instead of an evening dress.”
One way or another, a witty person should not be ashamed of his external shortcomings, he simply must treat them with humor.

Below are even more interesting tips. Read on.

Learning to laugh

There is one useful exercise.

Always laugh loudly, openly, from the heart everywhere . Don't be afraid to look a little ridiculous, strange and stupid .

Some people want to learn to laugh beautifully - this is nonsense.

Let laughter open, and you will open yourself.

Don't hide or suppress it, laugh with real natural laughter, just the way it is .

Nothing will happen, no one will do anything to you.

Open up to the world. Thanks to laughter, you will lose your inner heaviness.

Why do laughter yoga?

IMPORTANT: Hasya yoga is a branch of yoga that combines breathing techniques and laughter exercises.

Laughter is very good for health: you can lose weight from it, get sick much less often and have healthy nerves
But in order for the benefits of laughter on the body to be stronger, you need to laugh continuously for at least 15 minutes. Even during a funny talk show, this is not easy to do.
But during laughter yoga classes, it will be simply impossible to remain serious among laughing people.

Why do laughter yoga?

What's stopping you

You are hampered by fears, tightness and high standards for laughter. Don't try to be this brilliant guy whose jokes are all very, very smart and subtle. After all, then you yourself will hardly laugh. Which life is better - laughing more or laughing less? Let go of the bar and laugh heartily! This is better! Why these restrictions - supposedly you have to be a brilliant and smart guy. Get rid of it and learn to laugh at everything!

Your mind will always find excuses not to laugh. It's all ego and limiting beliefs, barriers in the head. Let go of ego and personality, have fun. You can interpret everything in a funny way. Literally everything! Young children are always cheerful and laugh often; society has not yet instilled seriousness in them. This exercise will help you learn to laugh.

You can watch a lot of videos on how to learn to laugh at everything for your own pleasure and never worry about it again.

A funny person in communication - how to become one: tips

Witty joke
Here are some more tips from humor experts that will definitely come in handy for those who want to become an ironic and funny person in communication:

Self-censor

You must produce only high-quality humor. After all, there is nothing worse than hackneyed, bearded jokes. If you have a choice - to say some kind of heresy or show off a joke from 70 years ago, then sometimes it is better to refrain from it. Also think about whether the joke is funny and appropriate.

Learn to let go and control the audience

You need to joke freely, having complete control over the audience. You need to develop confidence and artistry. After all, unconvincing wit can work against you.

Make jokes sincerely, don’t be pretentious

Indeed, in this case, the joke will not only not be funny. She will become disgusting.

Operate with surprise

The most successful jokes seem to people to be those whose outcome they cannot predict.

Don't repeat yourself

Otherwise, you risk becoming a person who jokes only about dogs or only about politicians. Sooner or later everyone will get tired of such a joker. Moreover, people will avoid him.

Don't forget the absurd

In some cases, it is appropriate to play on the “deliriousness” of a joke. That is, the more illogical the statement, the more success it will receive. However, it is important to know the limit between a witty person and a clown.

Give yourself a dressing down

Imagine that you are at a stand-up show, where the task of one competitor is to make fun of the other. In this case, there is only you and the mirror. In an ironic way, tell him what you think about him. It is important to get rid of the state of resentment that haunts the ridiculed person. What is it for? Quite often people respond to a joke with a joke. And it will be stupid if you successfully offend someone, but you yourself will be upset and offended by the fact that they made a joke at you in response.

Learn to rhyme

This is very helpful in those cases when all the jokes and anecdotes from the Internet are forgotten, but you need to somehow defuse the situation. You can come up with a funny rhyme for almost any word. How funny will she be? It all depends on your experience and talent. As they say: “a refrigerator is an alarm clock in the night, a food eater, smile on your smile.”

Get your jokes right

Imagine that you are off to a great start. People are having fun and interesting. The audience eagerly awaits the climax and denouement. But closer to the middle, your fuse wears off. You bravely “reach out” to the end and end up not funny at all. Even boring. It turns out that “you also need to be able to finish” (and this is another attempt at a joke). That is, the action should last so that the person is intrigued and waits for the outcome, and does not get bored in the middle and lose the thread of the conversation. Your joke should come as a flash of insight—not as an uninvited guest.

Ask someone to coach you

Let this person say the words that come to his mind. And you try to immediately try to joke about these topics. For example: the interlocutor says “Oleg Gazmanov”. You: “Small spool, but expensive,” “Grown boy,” etc. You can try to joke about his jumping and captain. Essentially, these are the same associations. Only not your personal ones, but spontaneous ones. Second example: “Olga Buzova” - “Past the notes, but a big mouth.” In this case, there are even 2 techniques: associations and rhyming. It’s also an exaggeration – after all, although Olga, of course, is not an academic singer, she’s not as good at everything as the joke claims.

Live surrounded by jokes

Take inspiration from your life. You have probably noticed that many famous humorists begin monologues in the form of a story about themselves: “I once went to the store,” “Before, when I was still in school,” “During the times of my stormy youth,” “I got married as "A school friend." This is no accident. First, people find it easier to understand jokes in story form. Secondly, they feel that real life will be described. Therefore, they can find analogies with their own past.

People don't become witty in one day. It's long and hard work. That is why you should not set yourself the goal of becoming “the best joker in the world.” It's better to slowly but surely improve your sense of humor and watch your progress. Jokes more, don’t be afraid, train with your family and friends, so that later you can confidently show off your humor “on the big stage” and in front of strangers. Good luck!

Correct perception of humor

The correct perception of humor is how YOU alone see the funny in everything and no one else . See the world with your own eyes. See humor in everything and you will always feel good.

Don't identify yourself with any particular personality type. To define yourself means to limit yourself. Be water, be everything! And then you will have a strong presentation and expression of yourself that will allow you to resonate with all people.

Have a positive outlook - all jokes work as long as I say it . You love yourself so much that you value what you say and people get involved and love you too . If you hate yourself, they will hate you too. If you are interesting to yourself, then you will become interesting in the eyes of others.

Laughter yoga exercise

Nowadays, laughter yoga courses are offered in many health centers. Therefore, the set of “funny” exercises may be different everywhere.

Most often, classes begin with a set of asanas. Warrior, downward facing dog, tree and others. Then perform a set of breathing exercises

asana

Then there are exercises for laughter. Here they are:

Talking on the phone

The group is divided into pairs. Two people sit down next to each other and start talking on an imaginary telephone. At the end of the conversation, you need to laugh and look your partner in the eyes.

Exercises

Greetings

Participants begin to walk around the hall. When two people meet, they try to be happy with each other. You can shake hands, hug or pat on the back. The main thing is to look natural.

friendly greeting

How does a crocodile laugh?

Participants take turns imitating the laughter of various animals: chicken, lizard, fish or crocodile.

Some courses require participants to try laughing like an inanimate object.

Pretend the cat laughs

Meter-long laughter

Participants move freely around the hall at arm's length.

Starting position: stand straight, hands at your sides. Then the arms are raised to the sides. You need to raise your hands up in three steps.

Every movement is an exhalation with a loud “ho.”

option for performing a meter laugh

Chain

Everyone lies down on the floor. Each participant places his head on the stomach of another person. At the coach's command they begin to laugh. The vibration of laughter is transmitted to everyone. At the end everyone laughs.

option for performing a meter laugh

Affirmation

IMPORTANT: Affirmation is a statement, a positive formula. When repeated many times with expression, it improves a person’s condition.

Participants stand in a circle and simultaneously say loudly: “I am the happiest person in the world!” Repeat several times. And at the end they laugh out loud.

Some health centers also add daily tea and exercises to the course for relaxation and peace.

Everyone perceives humor differently

If you are now fun and cool, for someone you can be boring and uninteresting at the same time.

Others may think you have a great sense of humor because you are a high value guy and they react to you.

The point is that you cannot specifically say whether you are having fun now and what kind of fun it is..

Even if you are bored now, someone from the outside may perceive you as a great joker and prankster.

Cheer up and raise a girl's emotions: how to cheer her up without any effort or effort.
What is ego and self-importance - get to know yourself better.
You can find out why trying to please a girl is useless here.

How quiet people and ambitious people laugh

To correlate the manner of laughing with a person’s inherent character traits, you don’t have to be a psychologist. Observe people from your close circle, and you will notice that the smile of each of them corresponds to the image already formed in your imagination. The gestures and facial expressions that accompany laughter speak eloquently about personal qualities.

Covering your mouth with your palm indicates that the person is not too confident in himself and is trying not to attract undue attention. Most likely, he is sensitive to criticism, prone to reflection and soul-searching.
Throwing back the head indicates that the person laughing is open to new things, easily gets involved in what is happening and enjoys life. He is not offended by trifles and tends to see the world in a rosy light, often possessing leadership qualities.
Theatrical grimaces and emotional body movements indicate that this is an ambitious person. He knows how to infect with fun, but craves full feedback from the audience in the form of everyone's attention and compliments. Despite his apparent openness, he can be distrustful and cautious.
Capricious and childish people laugh, wrinkling their nose. They have seven Fridays a week. They tend to change their views, hobbies and priorities.
If a person suppresses a smile, this indicates that he controls emotions, is as collected as possible, and this prevents him from enjoying the moment. Such people know how to achieve their goals, but nevertheless need the support of loved ones.

What should a woman's laughter be like?

How can and should a girl laugh?

First of all, it's quiet. Loud laughter irritates many people and is very stressful, in addition, it can disturb others.
Secondly, with restraint. Of course, unbridled fun is great, but only in the company of old friends and not in a public place.
Thirdly, feminine. A woman's rude laughter is an indicator of bad taste.
Fourthly, it is pleasant and elegant. During laughter, no extraneous sounds such as grunting should be heard.

Don't judge your ability to joke

Instead of assessing your condition, analyzing how much fun you are creating around, just let it all go and don’t think about it.

It's pointless to worry and evaluate your sense of humor, whether it's perfect or not.

Otherwise there will be the opposite effect.

When you stop judging yourself how funny you are,

you will never have questions about how to develop a sense of humor and become interesting.

Laughter can be a wonderful medicine. It's a good workout for your abdominal muscles and heart, and regular laughter can help strengthen your immune system. In our busy, serious lives, however, laughter may be the exception rather than the rule. If you want to live a happy, healthy life filled with joy, you should learn to laugh. Let laughter into your life! If you don't know how to do this, the tips below are just for you.

How to identify shortcomings?

To change and correct your laughter and make it beautiful, you need, first of all, to determine what exactly needs to be changed, that is, to identify shortcomings. There are several ways to do this. The first is a frank conversation with friends, loved ones or family. Just ask someone who has known you for a long time and is not afraid to tell you the truth to describe your laughter. Let him tell you what he likes and what, on the contrary, irritates or confuses you.

The second method is suitable for shy natures. Invite your friends over, come up with some fun activity and place a camera somewhere in a corner or other secluded place, immediately forgetting about it. Don't think about filming, relax and laugh. After the party, watch the recording and rate your laughter. List everything you liked and didn't like.

If you are embarrassed by the camera and you cannot relax, constantly thinking about it, then just read a funny joke or watch a funny movie or video and laugh in front of the mirror.

Independent exercises for Hasya Yoga

Quiet laughter

You can turn on leisurely, gentle music
Starting position: stand straight, straighten your shoulders
Close your eyes. Imagine a beautiful landscape. Think about the small details. If it's a sunny beach, feel the warmth on your skin. Imagine how the waves hiss and roll onto the sandy shore
Laugh. Quiet at first, then louder
Did you laugh? Take a few deep breaths and exhalations. Don't forget to breathe correctly, that is, deeply.
Repeat three times

quiet laughter
Ha!

Starting position as in “Silent Laughter”
Take a deep breath. As you exhale, tighten your stomach, its lower part, and say: “ha.” The exhalation should be short. Repeat 30 times
Then laugh out loud
Repeat the exercise 2-3 times

Lightning

You will need a mirror. Stand in front of him. Imagine your mouth being zipped shut. When you open it, you will start laughing
Unzip an imaginary zipper with two fingers. You'll want to laugh. Close the zipper quickly. Stop laughing
Can be performed in pairs and unfasten the zipper for a partner
Number of repetitions: 3 - 4

exercise "lightning"
Laughter is good for the health of body and spirit. Therefore, spend 10 - 15 minutes daily on hasya yoga exercises. These simple and fun activities will quickly change your life for the better.