Have a sense of humor

Trust in your innate sense of humour. Being funny doesn't come in "one-size-fits-all". What makes you funny is unique to you and the way you observe the world. Focus first on what you find funny in life and learn from your own reactions to the things that make you laugh. Trust that you do have a funny bone - you just need to bring it forth again!

Keep in mind that while good joke-telling is an art from in and of itself, it is not a requisite for being funny. Not being able to remember jokes does not doom you to being humourless!

Indeed, research by scientists at Washington State University has shown that a joke poorly told can be funny in its own right depending on who you tell it to; It's possible we have a tendency to find being let down by bad humor cause for amusement too!

Find the things that make you laugh because the will probably make others laugh as well. Search for books, movies, TV shows, photos, stories, words, poems, people, work incidents, pet foolies, near catastrophes, etc., that you have found funny and keep a note of them.

Do funny things and enjoy the things that make you laugh more often. Indulge in reading a comic strip, share jokes with the kids, give in to "silly things" just because they're funny, and laugh as often as you can.

1. Friends are a great source of funny.

Learn a little about what makes us laugh. Laughter is generally the desired result of anyone seeking to be funny, and usually this is because we view laughter as a sign of happiness or as a release of tension.

Laughter itself is unconscious - while it is possible to inhibit our laughter consciously, in a social context, it is easy to start laughing when others are laughing. Getting people to laugh, therefore, requires genuine humour, which is more that just reciting jokes!

2. Different things make different people laugh.

Good comedians know that being funny boils down to good timing, and taking advantage of the context. Here are some of the basic components of being funny:

* Surprise.

The less funny a place is, the easier it becomes to spring the element of humourous surprise.

* Timing.

Apt timing is as important as surprise, because if you give the brain too much time to work out a situation or joke, the funny moment will pass by. React quickly and strike while the humourous moment exists.

* Think silly.

This is about taking serious stuff and being not-so-serious with it. Try to find the funnier, lighthearted side of what you are observing and think like a kid.

* Status change.

Changing a person's status, or the status of something long held to be true, can be very funny. For example, having a CEO of a company ask the receptionist for advice on how to run the company.

3. Know your audience.

Have a reasonable idea of what those around you find funny. When you are in a group of people you don't know, for example, just listen to what subjects they are talking about and what is making them laugh. Generally the better you know someone, the easier it will be to make them laugh.

4. Find funny things in everyday life.

Broaden your factual knowledge or joke material. It is much easier to find funny moments in material you know well - your workplace attitudes. As a general rule, people who are very focused on one hobby, or occupation can be funny to other people who are also wrapped up in that particular pursuit.

5. Be observant.

While knowing a lot can increase your capacity for humour, there is no substitute for seeing a lot. I fact, many knowledgeable people fail to see the humour in things. Look for the humour in everyday situations, and see what others don't. Listen carefully to others say and really hear them.

When you are busy focused on others than yourself, you will get a better sense on how to help them through humor, which makes you become more believable and empathetic.

6. Put your own foibles in the spotlight.

Good comedians use themselves as the principal target for humour. George Bernard Shaw summed it up well when he stated: "When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth". Humour can help release the tension, as we realise we all have the same inadequacies, and the same thoughts about things that bother us.

7. Be self-deprecating and humble.

These traits can make you appear approachable and show others you are a "regular" person. Just make sure to play down the right things in your life though, and not make yourself appear self-destructive, or low in self-esteem. Make daily adjustments to your perspectives of the world and of other people.

Taken from: News Straits Times - 6 September 2012 (article), Google (images).