What is it about puns that tickles our funny bone? Or dad jokes? How about a person slipping on a banana peel? What could possibly tie all these very different things together under the heading “humor”? Just in time for April Fool’s Day, we explore that question with Peter McGraw, PhD, a marketing and psychology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and director of the Humor Research Lab, also known as HuRL. McGraw discusses his “benign violation” theory of humor, when it’s too soon to joke about tragedy, how and why humor varies by culture, and how we can apply lessons from comedy to become more innovative and creative thinkers in all areas of our life and work.
Links
Peter McGraw, PhD
Humor Research Lab
Benign Violation Theory
TEDxBoulder Video with Peter McGraw, PhD
What you know about aging is probably wrong, with Manfred Diehl, PhD
How early detection could change autism diagnosis and intervention, with Geraldine Dawson, PhD
What does modern retirement look like? With Mo Wang, PhD
What’s behind the crisis in teen mental health? With Kathleen Ethier, PhD
Psychedelic therapy: Will it be a game changer for mental health treatment? with Albert Garcia-Romeu, PhD
Hypnosis in therapy - pain management for the body and mind, with David Patterson, PhD
The secret to living a happy life, with Marc Schulz, PhD
Why clutter stresses us out, with Dn. Joseph Ferrari, PhD
Why you should aim to be a “good enough” parent, with Tim Cavell, PhD, and Lauren Quetsch, PhD
Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD
How to live with bipolar disorder, with David Miklowitz, PhD, and Terri Cheney
How psychology can help people make better decisions, with Lace Padilla, PhD, and Hannah Perfecto, PhD
Can a pathological liar be cured? with Drew Curtis, PhD, and Christian L. Hart, PhD
Understanding and overcoming phobias, with Martin Antony, PhD
What our possessions mean to us, with Russell Belk, PhD
Encore - The people who never forget a face, with Josh Davis, PhD, and Kelly Desborough
Encore - Psychology takes toys seriously, with Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, and Doris Bergen, PhD
The challenge of long COVID, with Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD, and Rowena Ng, PhD
How our brain makes sense of a noisy world, with Nina Kraus, PhD
How to learn better using psychology, with Regan Gurung, PhD, and John Dunlosky, PhD
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