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
Technology is changing how we talk to each other, with Jeff Hancock, PhD
Can a “growth mindset” help students achieve their potential? With David Yeager, PhD
What is it like to remember every day of your life? With Michael Yassa, PhD, and Markie Pasternak
Your Brain Is Not What You Think It Is, with Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD
How to cope with climate anxiety, with Thomas Doherty, PsyD, and Ashlee Cunsolo, PhD
Why you should talk to strangers, with Gillian Sandstrom, PhD, and Jon Levy
Suicide Prevention, with Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD
How the threat of disease has shaped human behavior, with Mark Schaller, PhD
What COVID-19 is teaching us about the importance of smell, with Pamela Dalton, PhD
How We’re Coping One Year into the Pandemic, with Vaile Wright, PhD
How meditation can help you live a flourishing life, with Richard Davidson, PhD
What studying twins can teach us about ourselves, with Nancy Segal, PhD
How children's amazing brains shaped humanity, with Alison Gopnik, PhD
The science of relationships, with Gary Lewandowski, PhD
Can “brain training” games sharpen your mental skills? With Aaron Seitz, PhD
What is it like to be face blind? With Joe DeGutis, PhD, and Sadie Dingfelder
Positive Psychology in a Pandemic, with Martin Seligman, PhD
Why people believe in conspiracy theories, with Karen Douglas, PhD
How the Science of Habits Can Help Us Keep Our New Year’s Resolutions, with Wendy Wood, PhD
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