The Humor Code : A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Dr. Peter McGraw, founder of the Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, teamed up with journalist Joel Warner on a far-reaching search for the secret behind humor. Their journey spanned the globe, from New York to Japan, from Palestine to the Amazon. Meanwhile, the duo conducted their own humor experiments along the way—to wince-worthy, hilarious, and illuminating results.
In their quixotic search, they questioned countless experts, from comedians like Louis C. K. to rat-tickling researchers, and answered pressing (and not-so-pressing) questions such as, "What's the secret to winning the New Yorker cartoon caption contest?"; "Who has the bigger funny bone—men or women, Democrats or Republicans?"; and "Is laughter really the best medicine?" As a final test, McGraw uses everything they learned to attempt stand-up—at the largest comedy festival in the world.
Funny, surprising, and often touching, The Humor Code is a revealing exploration of humor, society, and an unusual friendship.
Customer Reviews
A Long Journey with Few Takeaways
Sigh. This book’s not what I thought it would be. The title makes it sound like a deep dive into what makes things funny, but it’s really just the author’s journey trying to figure that out—more story than substance.
Sure, there are some insights buried in there, but they’re wrapped in so much narrative that it’s hard to stay interested.
If you’re into travelogues with light humor research, it might be for you. If you’re looking for actual lessons or takeaways about humor, it’s probably not.
Here’s what it all boils down to:
• Humor comes from a “Benign Violation”
• Humor is cultural
• Humor can bond or divide
• Laughter is a social tool
• Humor has power
• Dark humor helps people process pain
• Too much explanation kills humor
The takeaways were pretty basic and surface-level, introduced without being explored deeply, taken further, or ever revisited.
It ended up just being a waste of my money and time.
It ended up being a waste of both my time and money.