Paul Brian
Humor is a funny thing.
The funniest people I’ve met often barely realize how hilarious they are!
Meanwhile, many comedians I’m supposed to find funny on TV can’t even squeeze a laugh out of me.
The reason for this isn’t just my own quirky sense of humor, it’s about what makes somebody genuinely funny or not.
1) They don’t laugh at their own jokes
Deadpan is the way to go.
This comedy style is all about not laughing at your own jokes and delivering them in a normal way.
This is the comedian who says the most bizarre, hilarious things as if he or she is telling you the day’s weather report.
Part of what makes it so funny is that they are delivering humor in the most low-key way possible.
They’re not waiting for you to laugh or trying to get you too, either.
This brings up the next point…
2) They don’t care if you laugh or not
The funniest people I’ve met genuinely don’t care if you laugh.
Their hilarious behavior, jokes and actions are not done to make you laugh:
They are done as a natural part of their personality and vibe.
You want to laugh? Whatever.
You think they’re a raving lunatic? Cool.
They aren’t looking for laughs, they’re just being themselves.
3) They’re up to date on current events
If I told you a joke about Humphrey Bogart’s hat right now you might:
- Not know who Bogart even is!
- Wonder why I’m reaching so far back for material.
Let’s face it:
Some jokes are timeless, but the funniest people tend to be pretty up-to-date on current events.
They also know how to avoid the typical, old jokes and come up with new material that they invent on the spot.
Funny people are original!
This ties into the next sign of a funny individual:
4) They are extremely perceptive
Funny people are noticers.
They notice a lot around them and they make comments on it and have funny interactions with it.
Funny people tend to be very creative and artistic, and as a result they are highly perceptive.
The difference is that rather (or in addition to) channeling that into music, art or sculpture, they channel their keen observational skills into being hilarious as hell.
Sometimes it’s not even that they’re so extraordinarily perceptive, either, but that the funny person is willing to say what everyone else is thinking but afraid to say.
“If this elevator was any slower I’d worry it’s traveling back in time.”
5) They’re modest and self-deprecating
Funny people are willing to check their ego at the door.
Some of the best jokes come about when making self-deprecating observations and comments.
Love it or hate it, but it’s true.
Brutal honesty, including admitting one’s own faults and flaws has a real way of opening people up.
That’s because life is full of ups and downs, and people find it hard to relate to (or laugh with) people who act too perfect.
The funniest people don’t pretend to know more than us, they admit they’re just as lost!
The difference is they get us to laugh at it instead of cry!
6) They know the line between teasing and offending
There’s a place for humor that offends.
I find it offensive for people to be so offended or act like words are extremely dangerous.
It may be true that hate and malice are dangerous, but telling people they can’t say it out loud is far from the solution.
Nonetheless I tend to find comedy that’s about offending people kind of depressing.
Teasing and poking fun is a lot more up my alley, and most people I know agree with me.
The funniest people are able to push the limit, but they don’t go for cheap shots.
They aren’t like so many of today’s comedians who just talk about controversial topics and get “clapter.”
Really funny people make you laugh for real.
7) They have impeccable timing
A big part of humor is timing.
If somebody jokes about you getting stood up on a date a few days after it happened you’re likely to find them a complete, unfunny a**hole.
But if they make a joke after a few weeks you may well find yourself roaring in laughter, too.
If a person jokes about how hungry everyone is when you’re on a roadtrip and all “hangry” it’s just going to annoy people.
But if he jokes about how you all ate like hyperactive pigs after you’re all satiated and have eaten your fill?
Then the laughter rolls…
Timing matters!
8) They know when to take a break
Too much laughing can be exhausting.
The funniest people I’ve met and seen are those who aren’t always in funny mode.
That’s part of the joke is that you’re never quite certain when this person is going to be a laugh-a-minute or just regular old Cindy Lou.
It changes by the day or even the hour.
This also goes back to the deadpan comment I mentioned earlier.
The funniest people don’t just go all-out or sit back with a grim scowl.
They’re often kind of neutral and keep you guessing.
Then you’re in the middle of some mundane thing and they make the funniest comment you’ve heard in your life.
Funny people are like that: they hit you out of left field and you never quite know when the laughs will flow.
That’s part of what makes them so intriguing and attractive to be around.
Laugh until you cry
What makes you laugh?
Who makes you laugh?
Speaking for myself I can say that I find the funniest people are those who recognize the humor in the sadness, and the truth in the lie.
Let me explain:
The most hilarious individuals to me are those who observe the paradox of life and choose to laugh and see its absurd aspects.
They can see how even untruth, propaganda and lies have a certain truth about human nature in its ridiculous pretensions…
They can see how the sad loneliness of existence has a certain hilarious tragedy to it…
They can see how so many of our proudest and most ego-inflating experiences are actually silly and hilarious when you dig down…
The funniest people see the humor in our shared human experience and bring us together in stepping back for a minute to laugh in the face of chaos.
