Setting the right environment helps too. Comedian Justin Martindale tells Parade that creating spaces where people feel relaxed and a little silly brings out everyone’s natural humor. “Have a fun get together,” he says. ‘If that’s a fun party, make it a theme.”
A well-placed prank can work in the same spirit, as long as it’s done thoughtfully and doesn’t hurt anyone. A bad one lands with a thud and leaves everyone uncomfortable, which is the opposite of the goal.
Martindale suggests keeping it playful, like hiding behind a couch, the kind of thing that gets a groan and a smile in equal measure.
For people you spend a lot of time with, like coworkers, it is worth remembering how far a good running joke can go.
The Office, probably one of the most beloved workplace comedies, was full of them, whether it was the deadpan looks to the camera, Jim messing with Dwight, or Creed doing something strange that everyone somehow learned to accept.
That is part of what makes a recurring joke work so well. The more often it comes back, the funnier it can become. Sometimes a gag lasts for months, and sometimes it is only funny for a single day, but either way, there’s something about a shared reference that brings people together.
At the end of the day, humor isn’t something you need a PhD to figure out, and it probably comes easier if you don't overthink it at all.
It flows a lot more naturally when you stop trying to force it and start paying attention to the world around you instead. Do that enough, and who knows—maybe your next post will be the one everyone’s sharing on X.
