When we’re exhausted, overworked, or just going through a difficult time, our instinct is often to put our heads down and simply focus on getting through it. But those serious moments may actually be when we benefit from a little silliness and absurdity the most.

Laurie explores the science of humor with comedian Chris Duffy, host of How to Be a Better Human and author of the new book Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy. Chris shares what he’s learned about how to find humor in almost any situation — and how embracing the funny can improve our wellbeing in surprising ways.

Experts Mentioned:
Chris Duffy, comedian, author, and host of How to Be a Better Human
E. B. White, writer and essayist 
Mimi M.Y. Tse, Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Ross Gay, poet, essayist, and Professor of English at Indiana University 
Annie Rauwerda, creator of “Depths of Wikipedia”
Aparna Nancherla, comedian and author
Greg Bryant, Professor of Communication at UCLA
Adam Mastroianni, experimental psychologist and author

Resources Mentioned:
Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy, by Chris Duffy (2026)
How to Be a Better Human, TED podcast hosted by Chris Duffy
“The impression management benefits of humorous self-disclosures: How humor influences perceptions of veracity,” by T. Bradford Bitterly and Maurice Schweitzer (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2019)
“The effect of a pratfall on increasing interpersonal attractiveness,” by Elliot Aronson, Ben Willerman, and Joanne Floyd (Human Learning and Thinking, 1966)
“Humor Therapy: Relieving Chronic Pain and Enhancing Happiness for Older Adults,” Mimi Tse, Anna Lo, Tracy Cheng, Eva Chan, Annie Chan, and Helena Chung (Journal of Aging Research, 2010)
The Book of Delights: Essays, by Ross Gay (2019)
Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching, directed by Owen Reiser (2025)
“Depths of Wikipedia”
“Hello, stranger? Pleasant conversations are preceded by concerns about starting one,” by Juliana Schroeder, Donald Lyons, and Nicholas Epley (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2022) 
“The Perception of Spontaneous and Volitional Laughter Across 21 Societies,” by Greg Bryant et al. (Psychological Science, 2018)
“Neural substrates of spontaneous musical performance: an FMRI study of jazz improvisation,” by Charles Limb and Allen Braun (PLoS One, 2008)
“Good conversations have lots of doorknobs,” by Adam Mastroianni (Experimental History, 2022)

Related Episodes:
“Laurie Gets a Fun-tervention (Part One)”
“The Surprising Case for Oversharing”
“How To Embrace Imperfection”

When we&rsquo;re exhausted, overworked, or just going through a difficult time, our instinct is often to put our heads down and simply focus on getting through it. But those serious moments may actually be when we benefit from a little silliness and absurdity the most.
Laurie explores the science of humor with comedian Chris Duffy, host of <a href="https://www.ted.com/series/how_to_be_a_better_human" data-airgap-id="11">How to Be a Better Human</a> and author of the new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Humor-Me-Laughing-Creative-Connected/dp/0385550685/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.U6HrxtasiMFZl-Z8JpvC98-94qqVPQxzDb1VXcL9M7c5fOf8zZymTWg4Ho9yt1DN61us9x3oJOKQZ-CZihLcYkuI_BPtrdfGsFxEvhBMxPxogkgDNQgbOtwX_8cVAYCJ6rSn8vNI00MprtJAtYwbmgRZ6Y_QTp3X0oPUZnZvQ-0_EDP7n8ppTAQr37-fm7jsjK9NCkipTdeBHsFJhqH49GkO7NS-mWGkhuzdAmJ8GBk.oaCFX_taW-dAU0X5qIcS8OKtkzyMnSnn5hsEywsoskM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;hvadid=695427272296&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvexpln=67&amp;hvlocphy=9004400&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvocijid=7308670348439723714--&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=7308670348439723714&amp;hvtargid=kwd-2292458302549&amp;hydadcr=15932_13557701&amp;keywords=humor+me+book&amp;mcid=0e7af600ef7237fc84b0f35efebc1931&amp;qid=1790173396&amp;sr=8-1" data-airgap-id="12">Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy</a>. Chris shares what he&rsquo;s learned about how to find humor in almost any situation &mdash; and how embracing the funny can improve our wellbeing in surprising ways.
Experts Mentioned:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1J3UhISUl9UK8gGzbTCvQ7c6BCRLiBsSjPF-JLMDGyWo/edit" data-airgap-id="13">Chris Duffy</a>, comedian, author, and host of <a href="https://www.ted.com/series/how_to_be_a_better_human" data-airgap-id="14">How to Be a Better Human</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/02/books/eb-white-essayist-and-stylist-dies.html" data-airgap-id="15">E. B. White</a>, writer and essayist&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mimi-Tse" data-airgap-id="16">Mimi M.Y. Tse</a>, Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University</li>
<li><a href="https://www.rossgay.net/about" data-airgap-id="17">Ross Gay</a>, poet, essayist, and Professor of English at Indiana University&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://annierau.com/" data-airgap-id="18">Annie Rauwerda</a>, creator of &ldquo;<a href="https://www.depthsofwiki.com/" data-airgap-id="19">Depths of Wikipedia</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li><a href="https://aparnacomedy.com/" data-airgap-id="20">Aparna Nancherla</a>, comedian and author</li>
<li><a href="https://comm.ucla.edu/person/greg-bryant-2/" data-airgap-id="21">Greg Bryant</a>, Professor of Communication at UCLA</li>
<li><a href="https://www.adammastroianni.com/" data-airgap-id="22">Adam Mastroianni</a>, experimental psychologist and author</li>
</ul>
Resources Mentioned:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Humor-Me-Laughing-Creative-Connected/dp/0385550685/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.U6HrxtasiMFZl-Z8JpvC98-94qqVPQxzDb1VXcL9M7c5fOf8zZymTWg4Ho9yt1DN61us9x3oJOKQZ-CZihLcYkuI_BPtrdfGsFxEvhBMxPxogkgDNQgbOtwX_8cVAYCJ6rSn8vNI00MprtJAtYwbmgRZ6Y_QTp3X0oPUZnZvQ-0_EDP7n8ppTAQr37-fm7jsjK9NCkipTdeBHsFJhqH49GkO7NS-mWGkhuzdAmJ8GBk.oaCFX_taW-dAU0X5qIcS8OKtkzyMnSnn5hsEywsoskM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;hvadid=695427272296&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvexpln=67&amp;hvlocphy=9004400&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvocijid=7308670348439723714--&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=7308670348439723714&amp;hvtargid=kwd-2292458302549&amp;hydadcr=15932_13557701&amp;keywords=humor+me+book&amp;mcid=0e7af600ef7237fc84b0f35efebc1931&amp;qid=1790173396&amp;sr=8-1" data-airgap-id="23">Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy</a>, by Chris Duffy (2026)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ted.com/series/how_to_be_a_better_human" data-airgap-id="24">How to Be a Better Human</a>, TED podcast hosted by Chris Duffy</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597817306325?via%3Dihub" data-airgap-id="25">The impression management benefits of humorous self-disclosures: How humor influences perceptions of veracity</a>,&rdquo; by T. Bradford Bitterly and Maurice Schweitzer (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2019)</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03342263" data-airgap-id="26">The effect of a pratfall on increasing interpersonal attractiveness</a>,&rdquo; by Elliot Aronson, Ben Willerman, and Joanne Floyd (Human Learning and Thinking, 1966)</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151506/" data-airgap-id="27">Humor Therapy: Relieving Chronic Pain and Enhancing Happiness for Older Adults</a>,&rdquo; Mimi Tse, Anna Lo, Tracy Cheng, Eva Chan, Annie Chan, and Helena Chung (Journal of Aging Research, 2010)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616207922?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback" data-airgap-id="28">The Book of Delights: Essays</a>, by Ross Gay (2019)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38023177/?_ssoLoop=1" data-airgap-id="29">Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching</a>, directed by Owen Reiser (2025)</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.depthsofwiki.com/" data-airgap-id="30">Depths of Wikipedia</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34618536/" data-airgap-id="31">Hello, stranger? Pleasant conversations are preceded by concerns about starting one</a>,&rdquo; by Juliana Schroeder, Donald Lyons, and Nicholas Epley (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2022)&nbsp;</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30044711/" data-airgap-id="32">The Perception of Spontaneous and Volitional Laughter Across 21 Societies</a>,&rdquo; by Greg Bryant et al. (Psychological Science, 2018)</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18301756/" data-airgap-id="33">Neural substrates of spontaneous musical performance: an FMRI study of jazz improvisation</a>,&rdquo; by Charles Limb and Allen Braun (PLoS One, 2008)</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.experimental-history.com/p/good-conversations-have-lots-of-doorknobs" data-airgap-id="34">Good conversations have lots of doorknobs</a>,&rdquo; by Adam Mastroianni (Experimental History, 2022)</li>
</ul>
Related Episodes:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/laurie-gets-a-fun-tervention-part-one" data-airgap-id="35">Laurie Gets a Fun-tervention (Part One)</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/the-surprising-case-for-oversharing" data-airgap-id="36">The Surprising Case for Oversharing</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/how-to-embrace-imperfection" data-airgap-id="37">How To Embrace Imperfection</a>&rdquo;</li>
</ul>

The Happiness Lab is serving up scientifically-backed takes this summer that are so hot, even your SPF 50 won’t protect you.

With the help of behavioral scientists, historians, and cultural critics, Yale psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos challenges some of our biggest assumptions about what it takes to live a good life. Dr. Laurie explores topics like why we should forget about TMI and lean into oversharing, how dumping small talk makes for better conversations, why the kids these days are actually doing just fine, and how men can establish strong bromances. Each episode unpacks a bold, counterintuitive claim — using research, data, and expert insight to question the conventional wisdom around happiness and wellbeing.

The Happiness Lab is serving up scientifically-backed takes this summer that are so hot, even your SPF 50 won&rsquo;t protect you.
With the help of behavioral scientists, historians, and cultural critics, Yale psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos challenges some of our biggest assumptions about what it takes to live a good life. Dr. Laurie explores topics like why we should forget about TMI and lean into oversharing, how dumping small talk makes for better conversations, why the kids these days are actually doing just fine, and how men can establish strong bromances. Each episode unpacks a bold, counterintuitive claim &mdash;&nbsp;using research, data, and expert insight to question the conventional wisdom around happiness and wellbeing.

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Want More Joy? Try Taking Yourself Less Seriously with Comedian Chris Duffy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/99fdd902-538a-4102-a69c-b4d00172d2be/transcript