The Humor Habit Summary

Humor isn’t just a luxury; it’s a powerful way to build resilience, reduce stress, and bring more joy to your daily life.

1. Humor is a Skill to Build

Humor isn’t an innate talent that only some possess; it’s a skill you can actively develop. Much like learning a new language, it’s about daily practice and conscious effort to notice and create humor in your surroundings. By treating humor as a habit, you can elevate your mood and approach life with positivity.

For instance, humor can be cultivated by curating funny online content or identifying a “Humor Homie.” This is a friend or colleague with whom you regularly share humorous snippets or memes. The mere act of seeking and sharing humor creates a routine that provides comic relief throughout the day.

Also, statistical research emphasizes the productivity benefits of humor. A short, funny video during a work break has been shown to make employees twice as productive upon returning to their tasks. Humor functions as a stress reliever and focus enhancer, offering measurable improvements to workflow and mood.

Examples

• Sharing a funny meme with a friend every morning starts the day with a laugh.
• Watching a comedy show during a coffee break can recharge you for work.
• Adding humor-filled books or podcasts to your media routine boosts daily laughter.

2. Presence Fuels Humor

The principle of presence, famously practiced in improv comedy, teaches us to focus on the now. Being fully present allows you to notice the subtle, funny details around you. Dwelling on the past or worrying about the future often clouds this skill, robbing us of opportunities to find humor in the moment.

Animals and children provide an excellent example of presence. They respond to whatever is happening right now with unfiltered joy or curiosity. By mirroring their ability to live in the moment, you might notice quirky interactions or spontaneous hilarity more easily.

Improv actors also demonstrate this mindset by not dwelling on past successes in a scene or predicting future laughs—an approach equally valuable in our everyday lives. When you respond to unexpected events or conversations with curiosity instead of anxiety, the potential for humor appears naturally.

Examples

• Laughing at your dog’s chaotic antics while walking them instead of focusing on your busy schedule.
• Noticing and chuckling at a funny typo on a public sign when strolling through your neighborhood.
• Turning a botched presentation into a funny story in real-time instead of stressing about it.

3. Listening as a Gateway to Humor

Truly listening to others, rather than focusing on our own thoughts, can open the door to engaging and fun exchanges. When we listen better, we attend to others’ quirks, jokes, and humorous perspectives, enhancing both our humor and our relationships.

Distracted listening means missing out on playful or surprising remarks. By being genuinely curious and attentive, humorous moments naturally unfold in a conversation. This might be someone sharing a silly anecdote or an unexpected punchline in small talk.

Use the “Yes, and …” principle from improv to build on someone’s ideas rather than dismissing them or steering the conversation. This approach not only nurtures creativity but also lends itself to playful and lighthearted exchanges.

Examples

• Paying attention to a colleague’s story and noticing the exaggerated gestures they use, sparking laughter.
• Building on a friend’s ridiculous action-movie idea during a discussion instead of dismissing it.
• Responding to a child’s imaginative joke in a way that keeps the playful tone going.

4. Shift Focus with the “Three Funny Things” Challenge

Training your brain to find humor can dramatically shift your mood and perception over time. The “Three Funny Things” challenge invites you to consciously reflect on and write down three amusing things from each day. This simple act primes your mind to notice more humor around you.

This technique is backed by research showing its mental health benefits, such as a reduction in depressive symptoms for up to six months after practicing this habit for just one week. The consistent effort of hunting for funny moments builds a long-term focus on the lighter side of life.

Additionally, humor jars—collecting humor-filled memories to revisit later—help amplify this effect. By intentionally keeping funny instances top-of-mind, you reinforce optimism and well-being.

Examples

• Writing down something funny your toddler said during breakfast.
• Thinking back to your colleague’s lighthearted mistake at work and jotting it down.
• Revisiting a humor jar filled with these moments during tough times.

5. Reframe Stressful Situations with Humor

Humor offers a way to manage and reframe the stress we all face. By mentally rewriting tough experiences with a comedic slant later, you can lessen their emotional weight. Comedy, after all, is just tragedy with time and perspective.

A great starting technique is exaggeration. Amplify an irritating experience to an absurd level until it becomes laughable. Similes, metaphors, or even puns also allow a funny reinterpretation of life’s minor frustrations.

Games like “Unfortunately/Fortunately” engage your imagination to reframe difficult moments. Following up “unfortunately” statements with outlandish or funny “fortunately” statements shifts the narrative of stress to one of humor and exploration.

Examples

• Describing a delayed flight using exaggerated metaphors to lighten the mood.
• Making playful puns about your challenging workload at work.
• Turning a plumbing mishap into the winner of a “Most Ridiculous Day” award among friends.

6. Use Exaggeration to Laugh Through Pain

When life feels overwhelming, exaggerated humor can provide much-needed relief. Turning perceived catastrophes into over-the-top punchlines reduces their grip on you.

Start small with manageable frustrations, such as a laboratory-like metaphor for a messy room. Exaggeration can make serious problems seem more approachable over time, easing tension and encouraging creative solutions.

This approach is especially effective within groups—friends or colleagues. Laughing about shared challenges through exaggeration fosters connection and lightens burdens.

Examples

• Joking that your laundry pile reminds you of Everest to lessen your annoyance.
• Laughing in despair about a burnt dinner by declaring it “Michelin’s first charcoal restaurant.”
• Comparing poor weather conditions to a dramatic post-apocalyptic movie.

7. Share Humor to Strengthen Bonds

Shared laughter is one of the fastest ways to build stronger, more meaningful connections with others. Whether with family, friends, or colleagues, humor creates shared positive moments that strengthen relationships.

This dynamic helps diffuse tension during disagreements or uncomfortable situations. Teams at work, for example, often perform better when group humor is common, as it fosters a collaborative, trusting environment.

Having a “Humor Homie” reintroduces shared creativity, leading to a habit of seeking funny exchanges and something to look forward to during the day.

Examples

• Turning a family dinner into a lighthearted guessing game around quirky punchlines.
• Teasing a coworker with a good-natured joke during a stressful project meeting.
• Trading daily joke challenges over text with a sibling or partner.

8. Laughter’s Role in Personal Resilience

While humor doesn’t solve problems, it shifts how you feel about them. Laughing releases endorphins, creating a natural “feel-good” effect. Using it to tackle adversity encourages reframing situations with humor, even if just for a moment.

Finding humor in serious situations—where appropriate—offers brief cognitive distance from difficulty. This practice doesn’t erase pain but equips you to approach it with strength and levity.

Even discomforts that remain unresolved feel lighter when paired with shared laughter. Inviting humor into challenging times bolsters emotional well-being for yourself and potentially others.

Examples

• Laughing with friends about an ironic twist of events after a stressful week.
• Reframing a minor financial hiccup with a pun to feel less bogged down.
• Watching a humorous movie during recovery from an illness or injury as a mental uplift.

9. Small Humor, Big Impact

Even tiny injections of humor regularly can cause meaningful shifts in mood and mindset. Smile often, laugh louder, and allow playful moments into your life. A slight exaggeration of laughter or reaction can amplify your enjoyment of funny stimuli around you.

Laughter is contagious, so your positivity spreads to others. A workplace or home filled with light banter and joyful moments becomes a more pleasant space for everyone involved.

Seek opportunities to share little jokes in ordinary events, and watch as they snowball into days filled with more joy and connection.

Examples

• Laughing extra loud at a friend’s pun to set off a chain reaction of giggles.
• Smiling broadly at an awkward elevator silence being broken by humor.
• Texting a lighthearted one-liner to brighten a friend's day.

Takeaways

1. Start a “Three Funny Things” journal and reflect daily to train your brain to notice humor.
2. Make a habit of sharing laughter, through memes, jokes, or light exchanges, with a Humor Homie.
3. Practice reframing small annoyances with comedic exaggerations or witty interpretations.