Humor’s Bad Reputation: The Role Comedy Plays Both in Social Bonding and Emotional Coping with Alfie Noakes

In this episode of The Light Inside, host Jeffrey Besecker explores the power of humor. 

He discusses how humor can serve as a life raft in difficult times, lighten the load during troubled times, and even procrastinate from doing actual work. Jeffrey emphasizes that humor is like seasoning for the soul, adding that even a bad joke can make us smile.

 However, he also acknowledges that there is a darker shade to humor, one that creates derision and contempt. 

To further explore this topic, Jeffrey interviews stand-up comedian and comedy coach Alfie Noakes. 

Together, they delve into the role comedy plays in social bonding and emotional coping. Tune in to this insightful episode to gain a deeper understanding of the impact and nuances of humor in our lives.

Key Topics:

• Humor in Social Bonding and Emotional Coping
• Comedy in Bonding and Communication
• Role of Comedy in Society
• The Power of Humor in Social Cohesion and Entertainment
• Punching Up, Punching Down, and Punching Across in Comedy
• Humor and Responsibility in Comedy
• The Responsibility of Comedians
• Empowering Comedy and Humor

Time stamps:

[00:00:11] The power of humor.

[00:05:27] Humor as social cohesion.

[00:09:28] Humor as emotional coping mechanism.

[00:11:49] Reading the room and connecting.

[00:14:39] Bombing on stage, or Struggling in Life

[00:18:06] Comedian's ego and audience feedback.

[00:22:43] Neutral topics in comedy.

[00:25:05] The role of the comedian.

[00:29:01] The power of humor.

[00:31:25] Comedy as a psychological gear.

[00:34:12] The language of laughter.

[00:39:09] Punching up, punching down, punching across.

[00:41:10] Using humor for social acceptance.

[00:45:21] Comedians pushing boundaries.

[00:48:29] Empowering through open mic.

[00:52:03] Finding your comedic perspective.

Credits:

JOIN US ON INSTAGRAM: @thelightinsidepodcast

SUBSCRIBE: pod.link/thelightinside

Featured Guests: 

Alfie Noakes

Music Score by Epidemic Sound

Executive Producer: Jeffrey Besecker

Mixing, Engineering, Production, and Mastering: Aloft Media Studio

Senior Program Director:  Anna Getz