How to develop a sense of humor: basic rules

It has been scientifically proven that laughter dulls pain, reduces stress, strengthens the immune system, and even prolongs life. People with an excellent sense of humor more easily endure adversity, women retain their beauty longer, men easily make new acquaintances, make connections. But what about those who have to laugh through force, and you only have to dream about a witty joke? How to develop a sense of humor?

"If I had no sense of humor, I would have committed suicide long ago." M. Gandhi

What is humor and what does it eat?

Psychologists say that a sense of humor begins to develop in early childhood.

Watching the behavior of adults, listening to jokes and anecdotes, the kid learn to treat life easily, with a bit of irony. Conversely, if a child grows in severity or his parents tend to complain about fate, then his character will most likely form a straightforward one, not allowing even a hint of lightness and play. He will take all the jokes at bayonets.

So what is a sense of humor? First of all, it is the ability to notice the funny in a situation, environment or story. It is also the ability to joke with fun — telling a story is interesting, holding and increasing the attention of listeners. In the end, there must be a discharge — laughter.

It is important to note that the forms of humor can be different. For example, rude jokes that are popular with teenagers. But among the people of responsible professions (doctors, investigators and others) black humor is appreciated. That is, in different environments the same joke is perceived in its own way.

How can you develop a sense of humor?

Witty people are always called the soul of the company. Many people look at them with delight and even envy. But do not be upset if nature decided to "rest" on you. If desired, a sense of humor can be developed. The following tips will help not only beginners, but also more experienced "jokers."

Develop attentiveness

To learn to make fun, you first need to learn how to choose the right items for jokes. Notice how well-known comedians subtly notice the contradictions of the world around them, they attach particular, comic meaning to completely ordinary things.

How to develop attentiveness? For this, the association method is the best suited. What do we have to do:

inspect the surrounding objects;
make associations to them, for example, a stool - stool, a seat or a tie - a bib, etc .;
write the funniest ideas;
using associations, try to write a couple of jokes.

Example: "In a psychiatric hospital. - Doctor, Napoleon throws his chair at me. - Well, you throw yours at him. - I can't, my chair is too thin."

Think positive

Some psychologists claim that a sense of humor is a defensive reaction that automatically turns on in unexpected, unpleasant or embarrassing situations. But this protection does not work at all. Take, for example, a situation where a person is walking down the street and suddenly slips on a banana peel. As he falls, he smears his trousers heavily. "Damn it!" - there is a cry. Trying to wipe the dirt, he realizes that the day today is clearly not set. And this is just the main problem of people lacking a sense of humor. They live too rationally, planning a lifetime almost every minute.

But how else? Very simple. Try to see the positive side in everything. Look at yourself from the outside: so clean, important, and suddenly, like in that joke, I rode on a peel from a banana. Laugh with yourself. What is not a reason for a joke?
Learn self-irony

It is impossible to pass for a wit, if all the time you are afraid to seem ridiculous and ridiculous. Accept yourself as you are, learn to love and properly present your faults.

Example:

If you are a clumsy person, you stumble all the time and overturn something, then use it as your own "trick". Pretend that you are about to fall on something important, or just walk reeling.
If your figure is not slim, then you can joke by entering the room: "so where are my two chairs?"
You can beat your attachment to animals with the phrase "with such a dog (cat) and a wife is not needed"
Big teeth can be fun if you say to yourself: "yes, that there are teeth, do you know how much horse power in me?"
Are you 40 and still living with your mother? No problem! “It’s good to be a mummy, always, fed and dressed”

In almost any flaw or situation, you can see the fun. The main thing is to overcome your embarrassment and fear of being misunderstood.

Be confident

Jokes must also be able to tell, and half of success is self-confidence. Who is interested in listening to a person who constantly lowers his eyes, stumbles, becomes embarrassed and blushes? From my own experience I will say that this item is the most difficult. It is hard to feel free and relaxed if you have already faced an awkward silence more than once after an unsuccessful attempt to joke. To become more confident in yourself, use the following tips:

Stop asking yourself too much.
Find your good points and always remember them.
Praise and encourage yourself even for small successes.
Do not dwell on mistakes.
Challenge your fears. Are you afraid to disgrace in public? Begin by performing on stage.
Surround yourself with people who support and understand you.

Practice

The theory without practice is nothing. You can read hundreds of books and articles on how to draw pictures, but you will not create a masterpiece until you have a good hand. Remember that wits are not born.

Where should we start?

Choose a couple of closest friends or relatives whose comments will not hurt you. Hone your skills by telling new jokes. Watch the reaction of your listeners, mark successful and unsuccessful ideas. Analyze what caused the greatest success. What were these jokes?
Continue the practice on strangers. Tell a funny story to a vendor in a store, flush the subway. Even if the joke turns out to be a failure, then you will hardly ever see this person again.
Joke regularly. It is necessary to hone the skills for a long time and painstakingly, only then funny phrases will literally jump off the tongue.
And finally, when there are more than a dozen fresh jokes and aphorisms in the arsenal, you can begin to gain a reputation as a wit, among your familiar surroundings - work colleagues, friends, relatives.

Useful tips

Some serious work on themselves pushes. Of course, I want to learn how to joke tomorrow, and better now. But how to develop a sense of humor quickly, almost without straining? Use the following rules and secrets:

Find a friend with a good sense of humor. As the saying goes, with whom you lead, from this and pick up.
Take a cue from famous comedians. Regularly watch humorous shows.
Tell a joke with a smile. Even if she is not funny, then there is a chance that you will smile back.
Better yet, develop a contagious, wacky laugh.
Train in front of a mirror. Telling stories, use facial expressions, funny gestures.
Constantly replenish your vocabulary. A lot of jokes are built on the play on words.
Think about the correct, clear pronunciation. It is impossible to listen to jokes from a man with porridge in his mouth.

In conclusion, I want to say that for every joke there is a time and place. It may seem funny to some listeners, stupid to others. And some are completely deprived of a good sense of humor. Do not be discouraged, and continue to move towards your goal!