Some people are just naturally funny, and they never need to work at it. This is true of those who are naturally funny, as well as those who learn to be witty through their family members.
This article will explore a few ways that people can learn to become more funny. It will also cover some tips on how to get into comedy, and how to use your sense of humor for good.
Researchers have observed that those who naturally possess comedic talents tend to display higher brain activation, including temporal association regions. But why?
Know What Makes You Laugh
Laughter is an integral part of human existence, yet as adults we often neglect it. Sharing laughter with others is the best medicine - not only will you release endorphins and reduce stress but laughing together can rebalance our nervous systems by disarming defensive responses such as fight or flight responses and restore nervous system equilibrium. A good laugh can leave you feeling relaxed and buoyant for up to 45 minutes afterwards!
No matter the source of our laughter - whether we're laughing at jokes or simply enjoying an innocuous giggle with friends - laughter makes us feel better and can even reduce health complications! According to research, laughter can help people live longer. All people can learn laughter; though some naturally have more comedic instincts.
But why do we laugh? There are numerous theories, but one that unifies all research on laughter is its ability to help people connect. Just as small talk can foster social bonding, laughing allows individuals and groups alike to exchange perspectives and opinions and strengthen a sense of belonging in groups. Furthermore, laughter is infectious, spreading happiness while strengthening immunity systems.
A laugh has more physical ramifications, as it releases hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol that increase blood pressure and block arteries while simultaneously increasing natural killer cells and T-cells that help fight disease. Furthermore, laughter stimulates muscles such as those found in diaphragm, abdomen, respiratory tract and back areas - it's no coincidence that those who laugh frequently are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Brain activity associated with humor produces laughter within four-tenths of a second of exposure to potentially humorous stimuli; electrical waves pass quickly through the cerebral cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, activating areas associated with emotion, friendship, and love. Meanwhile, left-hemisphere humor analysis takes place while right-hemisphere laughter cues reach for familiar patterns; both halves then produce whooping sounds which mimic speech sounds or have some similarity to vocal chords, producing laughter noises even among deaf individuals who never hear any sound produced laughing noises even without ever hearing sounds produced laughing noises due to mimicry of this system.
Track What Makes You Laugh
Laughter can help to reduce stress, boost moods and strengthen immune systems. Laughter is also an invaluable way to use with family and friends to resolve conflicts, reduce tension and communicate in healthy ways. Spending time with fun-loving, playful people increases the chance that you'll laugh more frequently as it opens the way to finding humor in everyday situations.
Early radio and TV producers used recorded laughter to improve audience reactions to comedic shows. Today, more cinematic entertainment offers audiences less laughter in this way. If you find yourself craving some laughter-inducing entertainment, if possible watch a comedy show, listen to comedians on your podcast of choice, or turn your living room into an at-home performance space for some at-home karaoke singing sessions.
Researchers have examined how professional comedians generate humorous ideas. Utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers measured brain activity as professional comedians crafted and performed their jokes. Research findings indicated that those comedians with more success creating and performing jokes spent more time in one particular part of their brain called the striatum which plays an essential part in reward processing - it activates when someone laughs!
Smiling can be an effective precursor to laughter and is contagious. Practice smiling more often - even when you don't feel like it - and see how your positive demeanor rubs off on others around you. Take it one step further by actively seeking humor and laughter into your daily life by setting aside special times (akin to exercising or meditation) just for this purpose; eventually this practice will become part of the routine and add more joy into daily living!
Avoid Self-Deprecating Humor
Lethality may be an effective means of creating group cohesion, yet levity may also create fractured groups of people who either understand the joke or don't. Inside jokes may draw attention to an individual's idiosyncrasies or expose their lack of social capital; as a result, others may treat them less competent or friendly than before.
Some individuals take self-deprecating humor too far, using it to cover low self-esteem issues and their need for approval from others. Therapist Vaishali Patel notes on her blog that there is a fine line between modesty and self-deprecating humor which degrades one's own worth; this is particularly important in work settings where jokes could backfire and create tension within the office environment.
Self-deprecating humor has the ability to divide, as well as damage a brand's image and credibility. A joke about their misfortune may leave people less positive towards your company and leave them questioning whether the brand is trying too hard at being funny.
Denny's advertisement depicting their unfortunate mascot was an example of this kind of insincere self-deprecation that failed to resonate with customers, instead coming off as cold and harsh rather than lighthearted and sincere.
Used properly, humor can serve to reinforce status hierarchies, build interpersonal trust between colleagues, and cultivate high-quality work relationships. Furthermore, humor can influence how others perceive others' confidence, competence, warmth and clarity of communication.
However, it's essential to identify when someone is using humor as an attempt to mask serious issues or simply lacks an entertaining sense of humor in general. If your jokes about yourself fall flat with others or your punchlines go unheeded when delivered, therapy might be in order. We can connect you with licensed therapists who specialize in treating self-esteem issues near your location if that seems daunting - just give us your phone number and tell us about your situation and we will match you up accordingly.
Know When to Be Sensitive
As a highly sensitive individual, your emotions are felt deeply. Critiques might sting like punches; you might spend days, even weeks dwelling on them and thinking back on what has been said about you. Criticisms can feel like personal attacks and require extra down time in order to recharge. Social interactions may also become challenging at times as your reserves run low requiring additional alone time before going back out into social spaces again.
Sensitivity can be a blessing, yet can sometimes make the world too stimulating for you. Finding a therapist who understands and can support your sensitivities will enable you to develop effective coping mechanisms and build your resilience.
Fun activates reward regions more in your brain than stress and sadness do, which makes laughter an emotionally fulfilling experience that can give an energy boost and deepen connections with others. If you find yourself not laughing often enough, why not add a funny friend into the mix or try out a comedy podcast to see if that helps?
Theories exist to explain what makes something funny, including that comedy often stems from unexpected situations or expressions of otherwise forbidden emotions, juxtaposition of seemingly disparate concepts or the misfortunes of others. Other theories suggest laughter acts as a social bonding activity because it symbolizes shared knowledge, preferences, or convictions among members of a given group.
Scientists conducted one study that investigated how professional comedians constructed their jokes. They discovered that experienced comedians showed more activation in the temporal cortices - a high level semantic area in the brain - indicating they could link concepts from various parts of their brain in meaningful ways to form jokes.
Creativity is an inexact science, yet researchers continue to probe its links to neuroscience. Your upbringing may also impact your sense of humor and how you use it; being naturally funny could either be beneficial or detrimental depending on how it helps you cope with negative situations in life or how well it handles competing ideas about what's right.
Post a Comment