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
The psychology of science denial, doubt and disbelief, with Gale Sinatra, PhD, and Barbara Hofer, PhD
How science can help you change your behavior for the better with Katy Milkman, PhD
The seven sins of memory, with Daniel Schacter, PhD
Twenty years after 9/11, what have we learned about collective trauma? With Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD
Power: How you get it, how it can change you, with Dacher Keltner, PhD
Sport psychology, peak performance and athletes’ mental health, with Jamie Shapiro, PhD
Creativity, insight and “eureka moments,” with John Kounios, PhD
The psychology of superstition, with Stuart Vyse, PhD
Encore: How children’s amazing brains shaped humanity, with Alison Gopnik, PhD
Why we’re burned out and what to do about it, with Christina Maslach, PhD
Tasty words, colorful sounds: How people with synesthesia experience the world, with Julia Simner, PhD
Can a personality test determine if you’re a good fit for a job? With Fred Oswald, PhD
How to overcome feeling like an impostor, with Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD, and Kevin Cokley, PhD
Back to the office? The future of remote and hybrid work, with Tsedal Neeley, PhD
The history of LGBTQ psychology from Stonewall to now, with Peter Hegarty, PhD
How ‘open science’ is changing psychological research, with Brian Nosek, PhD
What do we know about preventing gun violence? With Susan Sorenson, PhD
COVID 19, Insomnia, and the Importance of Sleep, with Jennifer Martin, PhD
The future of policing one year after George Floyd's death, with Cedric Alexander, PsyD
Technology is changing how we talk to each other, with Jeff Hancock, PhD
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