Make People Laugh: 15 Tips on How to Be Funny

Even the finest diet will fail if our own attitude is faulty and gloomy. Many years ago, a wise man gave this counsel: “A merry heart doeth good, like a medicine.”

In other words, a happy, optimistic person is bound to keep better health. His whole body responds to the sheer joy of living. A bright philosophy gives him something worthwhile to live for.

But the wise man did not stop there. He added these significant words: “A broken spirit drieth the bones.”

How true is this!

We all know that an unhappy person ─ a pessimist ─ always looks on the negative side of things. He is depressed and discouraged with everything he sees. Such a person can never really enjoy good health.

Being funny and having a great sense of humor makes you more enjoyable to be with. It is a great way to turn something bad into something good. People love to surround themselves by someone who can make them laugh.

15 Tips on How to Be Funny

1. Try to Remember Funny Moments in Your Life

Try recalling some of the most embarrassing moments in your life and then find the funny side in them.

Now, practice telling those stories and describe them in a hilarious way. It might take a little dramatization or funny expressions and actions, but that is what good and funny storytelling is all about.

2. Learn to Laugh at Yourself by Making Jokes at Your Own Expense

One of the requirements for being funny and having a great sense of humor is to be able to laugh at yourself.

Audiences tend to appreciate you and laugh more when you make yourself the target of comedy. This act diminishes your chance of offending someone in the process; you also discover every bit of yourself that is funny.

It will also help your audience open-up and find it easier to laugh at both you and them. For instance, you can say, “I do not think of myself as an ugly person. I think of myself as a beautiful monkey.” – Got the idea?

3. Try Using Your Body Language to be Funny

Try using some funny facial expressions when telling a joke to be more engaging. When you are telling a humorous story, remember to be expressive.

Like if you are telling a shocking part of your story, lean forward, then widen your eyes for a dramatic effect. You can also use your body to be more expressive, like trying to mimic someone’s dance moves you thought were funny.

You can also do different voice impressions. For example, you can imitate celebrities or even your own friends (if they are not that sensitive) with thin or shrill voices that sounds like a tiny rat squeaking when telling a story. Impressions can be a great way to make other people laugh.

4. Exaggerate a Little Bit

Award-winning humorist Patty Wooten said, “Making the situation bigger than life can help us to regain a humorous perspective.”

Sometimes, for comedic effect, it is okay to exaggerate or overstate when you are telling a funny story or a joke. For example, you can say, “Oh yes! I got a good night sleep or as I want to call it – death practice!”

5. Learn Some Jokes

Sharing laughter and humor is a great way to connect with others. If you want to improve your sense of humor, learn a few basic jokes then share it with your friends.

You can also search the internet for funny pictures, amusing statements, and hilarious memes to share. Look for situations or things that match your style of humor.

6. Don’t Use Mocking or Belittling Humor

Some people think that using mocking or belittling humor is a harmless fun. Please do not ever believe this kind of idea. Your audience may laugh about it but it is a very different perspective for the person getting skewered.

You might be a medicine to other people but can be a sharp blade to that person you are making fun of. Some popular stand-up comedians get away with this though.

7. Watch Movies or Read Books

I do not mean that you necessarily need to watch dozens of movies every day or read thick books like a bookworm for you to be humorous.

Just the right dose, particularly those with a genre of comedy for you to get ideas or funny situations in the plot to joke around and share with friends.

8. The Perfect Timing for Your Joke is the Key

A great sense of humor and a funny facial expression or body language are of little value if your timing in delivering the punch lines is not on point.

Perfect timing is really important when telling jokes because the funny moment will pass you by if you give the brain too much time to work out a situation. Knowing when to say something is as important as knowing what to say.

9. Try to Sense Your Audience

You told a joke, everybody laughs. You continued with the joke and half of them laugh. You are consistent with the joke and you see blank stares at you.

Sometimes, you go on and on with your jokes without even looking at your audience’s expression saying, “Hey dude! That is not funny anymore.” This could turn into an awkward situation for you.

Try to study and interpret how your audiences are reacting to your joke. It is probably a safe bet to continue telling your joke if you see people falling out of their seats and bursting out in laughter.

10. Think Funny by Looking at the Funny Side of about Almost Everything

If you want to be funny and improve your sense of humor, then try making a joke about something ordinary. There is always a hidden joke in every little situation you encounter.

If ever you are so stressed out about something, try joking about it and then laugh at yourself. This can cause your mood to be flipped and influence other people around you.

11. When a Person is Rude to You or Annoys You, Answer Them with Humor Rather Than Aggression

For example, a class president nags you for being late in a certain meeting. Respond with something like this: “Sorry Madam President, ma’am! I super-glued my eye thinking it was contact solution.” Life is too short to make every personal affront into a battle.

Nevertheless, if you are continuously annoyed by a particular rude person then you should take it seriously and take an appropriate action. But for occasional quarrels, or if there is nothing you can do to change that individual, then just try to control your temper and find your funny side.

12. Learn to Evaluate the Situation before Making a Joke

Your friend’s close relative died. Your friend told you that before his or her relative died they got into a serious fight, your friend now feels very guilty because he or she did not have the chance to clear their misunderstanding.

So, to lessen his or her pain you got an idea to joke about the dead suddenly waking up in the coffin because they have been giving a chance to come and handle unfinished business. That is not very funny! You only gave your friend a one-way ticket to “depression land.”

13. Laugh at Other People’s Jokes

Having a good sense of humor is also about recognizing the humor in other people.

Whenever your family or friends or co-workers are being funny, laugh with them and share some jokes of your own. You need to know that other people’s sense of humor might be a little different than yours, but laughing and being funny together can create a bond.

14. Surround Yourself with People that Have a Positive Outlook on Life

This is very important. By surrounding yourself with this kind of people, you do not only learn how to improve your sense of humor but you will also experience positivity within you.

And when I say surround, I do not mean that you only need to choose or confine yourself to those kinds of people that have positive vibes. You need to at least balance it ─ like you take or learn positivity and then share it with other people as well.

15. Be Positive and Enthusiastic

How can you be funny and share laughter with others if you, yourself, are always gloomy and grouchy? All too often we are our own enemies.

Yes, we all have problems and difficulties in life that you can say “I cannot be funny all the time!” However, does being gloomy and grouchy help lessen your problem? No. It only makes you feel sad and miserable.

You need to at least convince yourself to have a positive attitude towards life so that life may be nicer towards you and others can learn and look up to you.

Conclusion

There are so many other ways to improve your sense of humor that can be found on the internet. But always remember that to be that kind of person, it always needs to start with you.