Shawn’s Humor Lecture This better be funny.

Outline I. Explanations of humor II. Mindful Humor III. MIB’s—Mental Interior Benefits IIII. Positive Social benefits (dating, business, politics) IIIII. Pragmatic steps IIIIII. The greatest power of humor

Why talk about humor? Hard to define– slips through our fingers Dead Frog Problem--Can you study humor? Are some people funny and some aren’t?

Working Definition ► Humor is a way of mindfully perceiving the world--analogous to peak experiences and flow– where an individual is aware of potentialities in a situation or environment. ► Potentials: positive change, things are good now compared to alternatives, or there is an alternative to the status quo.

The Philosophy of Funny Freud: Humor as “psychological release” Freud: Humor as “psychological release” “Jokes and Their Relationship to the Unconscious” “Jokes and Their Relationship to the Unconscious” Social acceptable envelope of id desires Social acceptable envelope of id desires Henri Bergson: Humor as a “corrective” Henri Bergson: Humor as a “corrective”

Dale Sturtevant

► Freud: Humor as “psychological release”  “Jokes and Their Relationship to the Unconscious” ► Social acceptable envelope of id desires ► Henri Bergson: Humor as a “corrective”

Social Rule Breaking

Humor as a mindful lens… How we perceive social rule breaking How we perceive social rule breaking Humor = shift in evaluative stance Humor = shift in evaluative stance Positive spin on life: Alpha vs Beta Press Positive spin on life: Alpha vs Beta Press Alpha press- objective constraints of reality Alpha press- objective constraints of reality Beta press– subjective construal of reality Beta press– subjective construal of reality Affected by affect Affected by affect

Super Scientific Silliness Test

Humor as a mindful lens… How we perceive social rule breaking How we perceive social rule breaking Humor = shift in evaluative stance Humor = shift in evaluative stance Positive spin on life: Alpha vs Beta Press Positive spin on life: Alpha vs Beta Press Alpha press- objective constraints of reality Alpha press- objective constraints of reality Beta press– subjective construal of reality Beta press– subjective construal of reality Affected by affect Affected by affect Humor as mindfulness (Langer) Humor as mindfulness (Langer)

Humor as transcendence… Transcending: the world as it should be (Berger) Transcending: the world as it should be (Berger) Relationship to Peak Experiences Relationship to Peak Experiences –Momentarily take on self-actualization –Ordinary becomes extraordinary (Seinfeld) Momentary suspension of reality (Sacks) Momentary suspension of reality (Sacks) Rebuttal: Life IS beautiful Rebuttal: Life IS beautiful

The MIB’s: Mental Interior Benefits ► Laughing as medicine—Deep Thoughts ► Activates parasympathetic response ► Even small dose increases immune system  (Kimata—bronchial asthma and humor) ► Increases pain tolerance (Zweyer) ► Decreases stress/ increases remission rates  (Chapple and Zieland Testicular Cancer)

Positive Social Effects— ( How to trick friends into liking you and then assert power over them)

Interpersonal—Bondage in first encounters Interpersonal—Bondage in first encounters Dating—Desirability in mates Dating—Desirability in mates Differences between men and women Differences between men and women Negotiations (Forester) Negotiations (Forester)

Humor in society… Fox and American society Fox and American society Politics (Wickberg) Politics (Wickberg) –Self-deprecating (Katz) –Side note– spilling water –Less War

Positive Political Love

Shawn’s 6 steps to Funny Funny gene? Funny gene? 1. Journal funny stories unique to you 2. Watch funny people—become an observer 3. TQP—Two question process Why am I so funny? And why don’t others recognize this? Builds self-esteem

Shawn’s six steps to funny (cont) 4. The permission to be subhuman 5. Finding a balance 6. Go 100%

The Greatest Power of Humor… Humor as therapy (Pennybaker) –Cuddle parties, laughing groups in India Transforming horror (The Shining, Dr. Strangelove)

Shining with Humor Lens

The greatest power of humor (cont.) ► Orring and the Challenger ► Jon Stewart post 9/11 ► The suffering Onion ► Beginnings of Transformation (Family Guy)

Jon Stewart

Slow Transformation

Conclusion Humor is a lens like optimism Humor is a lens like optimism Demands a mindfulness to potentialities Demands a mindfulness to potentialities Increased health, increased sociability, and decreased stress Increased health, increased sociability, and decreased stress Humor as therapy and transcendence Humor as therapy and transcendence The power that humor holds… The power that humor holds…