A good example of affiliative humor is Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld frequently uses personal experiences that others can relate to, like waiting in line at the bank, to highlight his humorous observations. A quick Internet search of one of Seinfeld’s routines may give you a better understanding of affiliative humor.
Two examples of aggressive humor are Joan Rivers and Don Rickles, who have been referred to by some as “put-down artists. " If you think this style might suit your sense of humor, you may want to do a YouTube search for these, or other, put-down artists.
John Stewart is well known for his use of self-enhancing humor. In some cases, at the start of a joke, Stewart might say something to the effect of, “I’m not the brightest guy. . . " as a lead in to an absurd realization he has noticed.
If you would like to learn more about self-defeating humor, you might search the Internet for clips of Rodney Dangerfield, who was famous for his self-deprecatory humor style.
While you won’t know which humor style suits you until you try, you will probably find some things work better for you than others. Don’t be afraid to develop really solid base skills before developing other areas that might be more difficult.
Pain is an extremely common trigger for humor. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the payoff of a joke is called a “punch” line, and also why characters like Bugs Bunny and the cast of MTV’s “Jackass” use physical humor for laughs. For some reason, humans find the pain of others, and the accidents that case that pain, funny. [6] X Research source As an example, when you bump your funny bone when you sit down at your desk, exaggerate the effect by howling and rolling around; your over-exaggeration will likely crack up your classmates. The incongruous is also something humans seem hardwired to find funny. [7] X Research source Things that don’t seem to be related to what is happening and unexpected responses to events are situations you can potentially strike comedic gold. Incongruity can also work well to deflect anxiety in situations that go wrong: for example, if you do something embarrassing in class like drop all of your papers, calling attention to your mistake (rather than trying to act like nobody noticed) will probably strike people as funny because they don’t expect your response. [8] X Research source
Observe the “funny” kids at school. What do they do? How do they tell jokes? This may give you some idea of how to reach your audience, but don’t feel like you have to copy anyone.
Goofing off in class works best if people know you pretty well. If you’re new to the class, start small and build up your humor routine so that people find you funny and not obnoxious.
A good comic is usually able to read an audience. If you’ve brought up a hot button issue, or you can see that your audience isn’t in the mood for your hi-jinks, it might be better to save your material for another day.
Some people are just naturally more humorous than others. But don’t worry, even if you struggle with your sense of humor in the beginning, you can learn to communicate your sense of humor with practice. [9] X Research source
Self-deprecation is very common in things like lawyer jokes, which are even told by lawyers themselves! This joke plays on the perception of lawyers as corrupt. An example of this would be: “Why don’t sharks bite lawyers? Because they don’t attack their own kind!” Self-deprecation is also a good way to disarm attacks from others, like bullies. Humorously acknowledging that you’re bad at science or have ugly glasses takes the power away from people who might try to make you feel bad you about those things.
For example, you could ask your teacher if she would punish you for something you didn’t do. If she says no, you can reply, “Great, because I didn’t do my homework. ” This joke will be funniest if you actually did do your homework, because then it has two unexpected twists.
You can also use sarcasm to respond to sarcasm. If someone makes a sarcastic comment, you could reply, “Wow, sarcasm! So original!” The gap between what you’re saying (“sarcasm is original”) and the meaning of what you’re saying (“sarcasm is not original”) may get a chuckle from anyone listening. Similar uses of sarcasm against sarcasm may be doubly funny, as you’re ironically using sarcasm to critique sarcasm.
You can also try this with your teacher. For example, if your teacher tells you that you can’t sleep in class, you could reply, “I know, but I bet I could if it were quieter in here. ” This technique works best with people you know. Intentionally misunderstanding people who don’t know you might result in hurt feelings, offense being taken, or frustration for others.
When talking to your teacher, try to keep your comments light and unoffensive. If you know your teacher is sensitive about her weight, for example, don’t make jokes about it.
Keep your jokes and puns topical. A pun like “Without geometry, life is “point”less” might go over well in a math class, but might flop in a history class. A joke like “What happened when the chicken crossed the road? It was poultry in motion” would be funnier in English class than in a science class.
Use this technique sparingly! If you do it too often, your teacher may get annoyed with you, or your classmates may think you’re rude.
Situational comedy also works well with props. If your teacher often says that you (or a classmate) seem to let everything “go in one ear and out the other,” you could come to school one day with cotton balls taped over your ears. When the teacher asks why, you can tell her that you’re trying to keep everything in!
Physical comedy can be very funny, but remember not to make fun of people or ridicule others. For example, mimicking a disabled kid in your class isn’t funny, it’s just mean. You may have a gesture, way of dancing, or way of doing something that is different from others. You can use this to your advantage to be physically comedic. When people ask, “What are you doing?” you can simply reply, “Sometimes you just have to dance!”
