The Humor Code: Summary Review
This is a summary review of The Humor Code containing key details about The Humor Code.
What is The Humor Code About?
"The Humor Code" is a book by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner that explores the science behind humor and what makes things funny.
The Humor Code follows the madcap adventures and oddball experiments of the authors as they discover the secret behind what makes things funny. In their search, they interview countless comics, from Doug Stanhope to Louis CK and travel across the globe from Norway to New York, from Palestine to the Amazon. It’s an epic quest, both brainy and harebrained, that culminates at the world’s largest comedy festival where the pair put their hard-earned knowledge to the test.
Summary Points & Takeaways from The Humor Code
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* Humor is a universal experience: Humor is something that is experienced by people all over the world, regardless of culture, language, or background.
* The three components of humor: According to the authors, there are three key components to humor: benightedness, incongruity, and resolution. Benightedness refers to the surprise factor in a joke, incongruity refers to the mismatch between expectations and reality, and resolution refers to the satisfying ending of the joke.
* The role of context in humor: Context is a crucial factor in determining whether something is funny or not. The same joke can be funny in one context and fall flat in another.
* The role of personal tastes in humor: Personal tastes play a significant role in what people find funny. What is funny to one person may not be funny to another.
* The connection between humor and emotion: Humor and emotion are closely connected. Laughing can release endorphins and reduce stress, while humor can also be used to cope with difficult situations.
* Overall, "The Humor Code" provides a fascinating exploration of the science behind humor and offers insights into why things are funny and why humor is such an important part of the human experience.
Who is the author of The Humor Code?
Peter McGraw, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder where he directs HuRL (the Humor Research Lab), is a leading expert in the interdisciplinary fields of emotion and behavioral economics.
Joel Warner, an award-winning former staff writer for Westword, Denver’s alternative newsweekly, has written for Wired, The Boston Globe, Slate, Grantland, and other publications.
Book details
- Print length: 239 pages
- Genre: Nonfiction, Humor, Comedy
What are the chapters in The Humor Code?
Chapter 1. Colorado : set-up
Chapter 2. Los Angeles : who is funny?
Chapter 3. New York : how do you make funny?
Chapter 4. Tanzania : why do we laugh?
Chapter 5. Japan : when is comedy lost in translation?
Chapter 6. Scandinavia : does humor have a dark side?
Chapter 7. Palestine : can you find humor where you least expect it?
Chapter 8. The Amazon : is laughter the best medicine?
Chapter 9. Montreal : punch line
What is a good quote from The Humor Code?
Top Quote: "Nothing produces laughter more than a surprising disproportion between that which one expects and that which one sees.” (Meaning) - The Humor Code Quotes, Peter McGraw and Joel Warner
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: "It's not often you can say a book about comedy can teach us some serious lessons. This one does-and entertains us in the process." — Booklist Starred Review
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you want to enhance your personal growth, I recommend checking out my list of favorite personal growth books. These books have played a significant role in my life, and each one includes a summary and takeaways to help you apply the concepts.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
