How do you make other people laugh?

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I much prefer to joke around during times you aren't supposed to like after someone dies, but that's because I don't like heavy moods like that. Throughout the years though, I've learned that I can't be selfish after loved ones pass on and I behave according for other people's sake, and if I want to be myself, I stick to myself. It does take some self control on my part though.

My favorite topic to joke about is racism. Not races, but racism. I don't make racist jokes, but jokes about racist people if that makes sense, or I make fun of the racist jokes that exist. Like one time I was at a restaurant, and this black guy was complaining about something but more goofing off than being serious, and he kept going on and on about how the service sucked or something, and then I finally interrupted him and said, "it's because your white." Then he kept saying they were racist against white people meaning himself who was black...it was hilarious. Now some people don't always agree with this sense of humor, but I have to admit it sure lightens the mood when I'm around people who aren't racist but has never hung out with minorities and are afraid of what to do or say when around them, like they have no idea what insults people and what doesn't and they are afraid they might inadvertently insult someone and then end up insulting them just by being so worried about it if that makes sense.

I have learned with political topics to keep the humor light and strange. Like someone told me they thought (and really thought not playing) that Obama was the antichrist, and I said that was doubtful because Satan would pick someone much better looking. I like that because then I avoid getting into a long debate on how great or not so great a president he is because I truthfully have no opinion on the subject.

I think I'd have just laughed uncontrollably at their initial (extremely silly) remark, and perhaps commended them on their brilliant parody of a superstitious right-winger.....but your answer was more diplomatic because it (kind of) joined in with the original "let's kick Obama" invitation. Most people don't seem to want the weaknesses of their political beliefs pointing out to them......they're happy if you just pretend to agree, and let's face it, for all the difference it makes to them or to the political system, you might as well. I much prefer to just say what I think, but mostly they don't seem to want that.

I don't know what the secret of good comedy is...my last known successful humorous comment was when somebody at the music club said that one of the acts had cancelled because the mandolin player had broken his nose. "Excuses, excuses!" I interjected, "he doesn't play the mandolin with his nose!" Two our of four seemed to think my comment was funny, and one in particular was still laughing several minutes later. I think the technique has something to do with finding a legitimate way to inject a bizarre image into a conversation. Noses have great comedic potential, though I've not been able to figure out why.

I've never found consciously studying comedy techniques do my "act" much good. It's all so intuitive and immediate that there's never enough time to think of a good line. I just try to make sure I don't get too offensive (which means leaving out most of the things that occur to me), to stick to one-liners (brevity is the soul of wit), and to keep listening to my favourite comedians...I'm sure the techniques rub off on me eventually. Also it's wise to know your audience - the same joke can work fine for one person yet fall completely flat on another.

I totally agree that it is something that just comes to you, but I want to overanalyze this anyway because this is a topic I'm about to talk about with a child with Aspergers, and I need to make sure I cover my basis. Like most Aspergers children, if you leave out important information, they miss the point or take things to a different level. I still have yet to decide my approach to this, but I figure it will come to me as I read people's comments on here.

Deadpanning is my method. Also, to milk the clueless cuteness that my demeanor gives off.

ditto

I seem to have a knack for making dirty jokes without making them seem weird or awkward; I seem to come across as non-threatening. If one of my friends is feeling down, I comfort them until they give me an easy setup for a joke or a humorous observation; then I distract them from whatever is bothering them and make them laugh.

This is me too. The fact that I am deadpan when I say stuff makes it all the more funny to them. I don't even try.

removed- it occurred to me that what I wrote may be offensive even if it was meant jokingly.

Last edited by pumibel on 22 Mar 2010, 9:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I just say funny things.
But I cannot when it is asked of me.
When someone would say: "Say something funny" it would become too much of a conscious process.

Humour is the only social skill I have, and I still don't do it right sometimes. Humour can be the way into people's hearts, but keep in mind it is a very individual thing, so it might have you laughing and it might have somebody else wanting to take up a restraining order against you! I'd say that if you honestly want to be more social don't do it by being funny unless you want to struggle. A lot.

Best way to learn to make people laugh is to learn from the best and watching comedians/comedy shows. Try to watch late night shows (letterman, jimmy kimmel, leno) or sitcoms that make YOU laugh and observe on how they are doing it. Practice makes progress. Once you get the hang of it you'll be making your own jokes.

Deadpanning is also good because if the joke doesn't raise a laugh, you can pretend it wasn't a joke. It can be deeply embarrassing to really build a joke and make it obvious you want a laugh, and then not get one. ....I also suspect that, out in the mainstream world, it's an efficient way to make people dislike you.

I make comments all the time that get a laugh. I don't even expect them to be funny. But I've always had my older siblings in stitches.

I try too hard and don't get the laughs very often. It's usually when I'm not trying that I get the laughs. Oh well...

I can see how it's a struggle sometimes to find a joke, but you don't always have to come up with one.

What I'm more trying to get at came from my facebook. I don't really like people to know what I'm doing all the time, so most of my statuses are either something cute my kids did, or if I'm fighting with my husband, instead of complaining about what we are fighting about, I'll post something funny about how men suck and women rule, which seems to get the most positive responses from women, and some funny ones from dudes too. Either way, I always kept my posts very light because I try to use humor, like goofy humor, as opposed to really speaking my mind. End result, I get people who like my statuses and I really don't end up saying too much.

I didn't really notice how effective that was with socializing until someone posted something that I feel strongly about and replied to. I'm really anti people claiming to support their troops when they don't. I hate cheesy facebook stuff that says do this and you support your troops when it's not doing anything but stating an opinion that someone took all of 3 seconds to make. It really bothers me because like when I was in the military, I remember going somewhere during my duty day in camo in my car, and I got cut off to the point where this minivan almost hit me and it was decorated with like 5 stickers and magnets saying, "Support your troops." Yeah, I laughed at the irony, but it still kinda ticked me off. Another time I was at a bar getting food to take home after I got out hte military and there was a drunk guy from the Army getting ready to deploy to Iraq the next day, and he was alone. He had nobody to drive him, and a bartender from a previous bar stole all his cash. All the people at hte bar who knew this acted like they were going to drive him around the rest of the night, and then they never followed through on it. I did. I took him to a strip joint and then took him home, and my husband didn't care thank goodness. I kinda realized it's funny how people support their troops but never sent a care kit overseas, votes democrat (who rarely give military raises or increases in veteran related money), won't take a check from someone who just PCS'd because the address is wrong because they move alot or the bank is from out of town, and then all the stuff where people just be jerks anyway knowin you are a veteran and still screw you over but still put on the fake look of "I support my troops." No you don't. Shut up. Either way, obviously this is a sore subject with me, and when it came about on facebook, I of course couldn't remain silent about it, so I posted some things. Everybody instead of getting my point assumed that I didn't support my troops, and I'm like duh, I was active duty you idiot. These are people who know this. Then they all got huffy and puffy with me, and it took me a long minute to fix it. I still don't think some people appreciate me as much as they once did as a result. So I've learned it's safe to stick to light humor.

Now, I've incorporated that thought into actual face to face socializing when I meet new people. It really helps, but I still struggle because I have to consciously keep my mouth shut about anything that matters to me and stick to stupid light jokes. I do get to speak my mind, but I save that for people I care about I guess who know me well enough to know if it comes out wrong, that it just came out wrong as opposed to me feeling wrong, except my sister because she likes it when I'm wrong too much to acknowledge that some things just came out wrong.

a person conducting a survey stopped me in the street once and asked me "what makes you smile"

i answered that an electric shock to the back of my neck will usually incur a smile in me.
it is also possible to incur a smile with a severe facelift.

but a "laugh" is a spasm of undulating muscular retractions in the thoracic cavity that is coincident with a smile, so i propose that a "laugh" can be incurred with a couple of electrodes clamped on the nape of the neck together with a pall of acrid smoke piped into the nostrils.