How to Be Naturally Funny

Three Methods:Finding Your Natural Sense of Humor Being Naturally Funny in Public Being Naturally Funny at Work

Being funny can be a great cure for social anxiety, if it is done in a way that is natural and not awkward or forced.^[1]^[2] Using humor in social situations, especially to ease tension, has been shown to have physical, emotional, and psychological benefits.^[3]^[4] A natural sense of humor should be laid-back, spontaneous, and inspired by the world around you.^[5]

Method 1 of 3: Finding Your Natural Sense of Humor

1
Become more comfortable with yourself. Being too uptight and self-conscious are major roadblocks to developing and communicating a natural sense of humor that is both funny and relatable to other people. Naturally funny people are good at being accepting of and finding humor in their own faults.^[6]^[7]
- Start by smiling and laughing more. Laughter is contagious and helps reduce stress in both yourself and others.^[8]
- Open-up to others by sharing an embarrassing story about yourself.
- Be cautious about self-deprecating jokes that could make you, or others, feel uncomfortable.
2
Find humor in the everyday. Successful comedians often focus on the world around them, or past experiences such as relationships or uncomfortable situations.^[9]^[10]^[11] Your humor will come-off as more natural if you are able to reference things that happen in everyday life.
- Reflect on what makes you laugh. If you find something funny, share it with a friend who has a similar sense of humor.
- Make a goal of noticing 5 funny things everyday that you saw or happened to you. Overtime, seeing the humor in mundane situations will become more natural.^[12]
- Be inspired by absurd aspects of everyday life, such as popular music, fashion trends, or holiday traditions.
- Draw attention to unusual associations or events in the news. Ads, newspaper headlines, and signs are great sources of (unintentional) humor.
3
Spend time with a naturally funny friend. Everyone has one or two friends they know they can count on for a good laugh. Next time you are around them, pay attention to their tone of voice, body language, and content of what they say or do that makes them naturally funny.
- Focus on 3 things they said that you found funny. Later, reflect on why they were funny - was it their tone of voice, comedic timing, or unique or creative perspective on something?
- Make a habit to spend more time around funny people, and offer to share a funny story or joke of your own.^[13]
4
Consider your comedic style. Different people have different ways of being funny: some focus on sarcasm and witty comments, others are good with jokes or impressions, while others rely on funny behavior.
- Identify your strengths, and build on them by watching sitcoms or comedies where characters use this type of humor, following your favorite comedian on social media, or searching for jokes on the internet.
- Avoid knock-knock jokes or forms of "low comedy" in social situations. Examples include slapstick, jokes about physical deformities or shortcomings, or references to bodily functions, or sex.^[14]
5
Practice being funny. Make a goal to say or do something that makes someone laugh at least once a day. A good sense of humor does not emerge overnight, and professional comedians often spend years developing their unique style.^[15]
- Create a list of questions and try answering them in a creative and funny way.
- Videotape yourself telling a funny story. Critique yourself: did it sound long-winded or take too long to get to the main point? Did you speak with a monotone voice? Was your body language nervous or open and comfortable?
- Do not be afraid to share something you think is funny. While others will not always understand your humor, you can use their reactions to help improve your style, content, and timing.

Method 2 of 3: Being Naturally Funny in Public

1
Consider your audience. Be aware of what kind of people you are speaking with, and what makes them laugh. If you happen to think something's funny, but no one else does, then just let it go and move on.
- Be aware of generation gaps in humor. Older individuals are less likely to laugh at sexual or aggressive types of humor.^[16]
- Affiliative types of humor, such as inside jokes, stories particular to a group, or practical jokes are usually best shared with close friends. You do not want to make someone feel left-out because they don't understand the context.^[17]
- Unless you share similar views, avoid joking about religion or politics.^[18]
- Your goal in using humor in any situation should be to make people feel more comfortable and positive, not single them out or belittle their appearance or beliefs.^[19]
2
Perfect your comedic timing when telling a story. You can make things more funny by pausing right before the punchline to build drama. Wait to smile or laugh until a couple seconds after the punchline. That way people can never be sure if you are joking or not.
- Give your audience time to laugh before moving on to a different topic.
- Deadpan humor, where you say something funny in a serious way, is a great way to get a few laughs. Make sure the people you are with know when you are being funny and when you are serious.
- If you notice something funny, do not wait too long to point it out. Allowing too much time to pass can ruin the moment.
- Use delivery techniques such as asides, where you casually insert a sarcastic or funny comment into conversation.^[20]
- Finally, keep stories short and simple. Providing too much background or constantly going off on tangents will distract from the final punchline.
3
Don't overdo it or simply memorize and retell jokes. Telling corny or inappropriate jokes is a sure way to turn people off to your sense of humor.
- Catchphrases might be funny in sitcoms, but can quickly become annoying if used in real life.
- Memorizing and then retelling a joke you heard on TV or found online will come off as rehearsed and insincere.
4
Make jokes at your own expense. People will open-up and find it easier to laugh at you than themselves.
- If you are with someone who is able to laugh at themselves, poke fun gently, not unkindly. Make sure you don't go too far - a little bit can go a long way and you risk turning a light-hearted situation into an awkward one.
- Poking fun at authority figures, such as politicians, celebrities, or (former) bosses is usually safe. Do not make jokes at the expense of people who are physically or mentally handicapped, or dealing with a difficult experience such as divorce, death, illness, or sexual assault.^[21]

Method 3 of 3: Being Naturally Funny at Work

1
Use humor to diffuse tension. ^[22] Show you can take a joke. Use humor to constructively address and rise above a mistake you made. Taking yourself too seriously can actually hurt your reputation.^[23]
- A good sense of humor combined strong work ethic are important traits in successful leaders.^[24]
2
Develop bonds with colleagues through humor. ^[25] Humor can be used to grow group cohesiveness by diffusing negative situations and generating positive feelings.^[26]
- Focus on using humor to draw attention to things you have in common with co-workers or a boss.^[27]
- If you are trying to are collaborating with someone for the first time, delivering criticism, or supporting a controversial idea or plan, humor can be a great way to get their attention without seeming pretentious or superior.^[28]^[29]
- If possible, avoid working with humorless people. Not only are they difficult to work with, but can impact your performance, efficiency, and ability to overcome mistakes.^[30]
3

Be selective and keep things short and simple. You want to come off as funny, not passive-aggressive or outright offensive. You also want to be able to grab and keep people's attention.^[31]
4
Find creative uses for humor. Naturally funny people are more likely to get promoted and be perceived as effective leaders.
- Use corporate or professional jargon to compare the strengths and weaknesses of something mundane - such as ice-cream flavors or pet names.