This is a fascinating and beautifully written book on what philosophy can tell us about humour and about what it is to be human. It will fascinate and intrigue anyone with a sense of humour.

WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Anyone—even you!—can learn how to harness the power of humor in business (and life), based on the popular class at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Don’t miss the authors’ TED Talk, “Why great leaders take humor seriously,” online now. “The ultimate guide to using the magical power of funny as a tool for leadership and a force for good.”—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When and Drive We are living through a period of unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval in both our personal and professional lives. So it should come as a surprise to exactly no one that trust, human connection, and mental well-being are all on the decline. This may seem like no laughing matter. Yet, the research shows that humor and laughter are among the most valuable tools we have at our disposal for strengthening bonds and relationships, diffusing stress and tension, boosting resilience, and performing when the stakes are high. That’s why Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas teach the popular course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where they help some of the world’s most hard-driving, blazer-wearing business minds infuse more humor and levity into their work and lives. In Humor, Seriously, they draw on findings by behavioral scientists, world-class comedians, and inspiring business leaders to reveal how humor works and—more important—how you can use more of it, better. Aaker and Bagdonas unpack the theory and application of humor: what makes something funny, how to mine your life for material, and simple ways to identify and leverage your unique humor style. They show how to use humor to rebuild vital connections; appear more confident, competent, and authentic at work; and foster cultures where levity and creativity can thrive. President Dwight David Eisenhower once said, “A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” If Dwight David Eisenhower, the second least naturally funny president (after Franklin Pierce), thought humor was necessary to win wars, build highways, and warn against the military-industrial complex, then you might consider learning it too.

Anthropological writings on humor are not very numerous or extensive, but they do contain a great deal of insight into the diverse mental and social processes that underlie joking and laughter. On the basis of a wide range of ethnographic and textual materials, the chapters examine the cognitive, social, and moral aspects of humor and its potential to bring about a sense of amity and mutual understanding, even among different and possibly hostile people. Unfortunately, though, cartoons, jokes, and parodies can cause irremediable distress and offence. Nevertheless, contributors’ cross-cultural evidence confirms that the positive aspects of humor far outweigh the danger of deepening divisions and fueling hostilities

A treasury of contemporary Southern humor includes more than 150 stories, sketches, essays, poems, memoirs, and song lyrics from William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Zora Neal Hurston, Dave Barry, and other contributors

Most of us laugh at something funny multiple times during a typical day. Humor serves multiple purposes, and although there is a sizable and expanding research literature on the subject, the research is spread in a variety of disciplines. The Psychology of Humor, 2e reviews the literature, integrating research from across subdisciplines in psychology, as well as related fields such as anthropology, biology, computer science, linguistics, sociology, and more. This book begins by defining humor and presenting theories of humor. Later chapters cover cognitive processes involved in humor and the effects of humor on cognition. Individual differences in personality and humor are identified as well as the physiology of humor, the social functions of humor, and how humor develops and changes over the lifespan. This book concludes noting the association of humor with physical and mental health, and outlines applications of humor use in psychotherapy, education, and the workplace. In addition to being fully updated with recent research, the second edition includes a variety of new materials. More graphs, tables, and figures now illustrate concepts, processes, and theories. It provides new brief interviews with prominent humor scholars via text boxes. The end of each chapter now includes a list of key concepts, critical thinking questions, and a list of resources for further reading. Covers research on humor and laughter in every area of psychology Integrates research findings into a coherent conceptual framework Includes brain imaging studies, evolutionary models, and animal research Integrates related information from sociology, linguistics, neuroscience, and anthropology Explores applications of humor in psychotherapy, education, and the workplace Provides new research, plus key concepts and chapter summaries

Part road-trip comedy and part social science experiment, a scientist and a journalist travel the globe to discover the secret behind what makes things funny, questioning countless experts, including Louis C.K., along the way.

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series. Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Writing Humor starts with a foreword by author Chris Colin, who offers pointers for developing your own comedic style. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities to explore your voice in various hilarious scenarios. Among other ideas, you’ll be asked to write: an account of a bachelor, from the perspective of his refrigerator a Craigslist ad for something you are desperate to sell a eulogy to a pair of jeans that no longer fit an evaluation of a coworker in the form of a school report card a list of embarrassing moments that are funny in hindsight Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts Part of a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto Check out the other books in the Lit Starts series: Writing Action, Writing Character, and Writing Dialogue.

THE OFFICIAL BOOK OF MOB HUMOR by Malcolm Kushner and Foreword by Henry Hill, Former Lucchese crime family associate immortalized in the movie GoodfellasTHIS IS MUCH MORE THAN A JOKE BOOK: Whether it's the Mafia, Russian Mob, Mexican Mob, or Yakuza, organized criminals have one thing in common; they are no laughing matter- until now. The Official Book of Mob Humor is the first time all their wit, gaffes, and goof-ups have been organized into one place. Forget about Omerta. You will be squealing- with laughter. Extensively researched, this book is packed with hilarious, hard-to-believe-but-true stories of mobster activity around the world, jokes, puns, mob proverbs, mob pick-up lines, original New-Yorker-style cartoons, plus much more including: Over 90 actual newspaper headlines making fun of mobsters Over 200 titles of mob-related comedy films from 1930 - 2011 with plot summaries and stars Over 100 funny quotes from mob movies, mobsters,and comedians

Explores the connections between humor and creativity, teamwork, risk-taking, and effective communication.