Humor
Using humor is a great way to grab and keep your reader’s attention while giving your work a little spice. It also helps people get along with each other, crosses cultural gaps, and brings joy and laughter to tough situations. Also, it’s fun to laugh at daily funny things. Here are some things you should know about humor.
What is Humor?
Humor, or fun if you’re from the UK, is any way of talking to make people laugh and make them happy. The message can be sent differently through irony, tragicomedy, or other verbal or silent actions. Humor is a writer’s most important tool, making writing more interesting. What types of humor are used relies on the comedy writer’s voice, the audience, and the type of writing. Humor is very personal and comes in many different forms. What one person finds hysterically funny, another might find rude or wrong.
20 Different Types of Humor That Put the “Fun” in Funny
Here are 20 different types of humor to use humor in your work.
1- Physical humor or slapstick
Physical humor involves situations or people using over-the-top effects to communicate their point. Think silly body moves, loud crying or laughing, and pretending to hurt yourself. Also, don’t forget all the boinks, bonks, boops, and other sounds that make slapstick humor so funny.
2- Deadpan/Dry Humor
In dry comedy, Deadpan is told with a straight face and a neutral tone. Some people like dry humor more than jokes and comedy routines because dry humor often takes more thought and perception. Steve Carell, who plays Michael Scott on The Office, is a master of dry humor.
3- Wordplay/Puns
Wordplay is a way to make people laugh by using words and sentences with multiple meanings. Double entendres, puns, cheeky metaphors, and pick-up lines are all kinds of humor.
Can I give you an example? Don’t make your eyes roll too much.
“Are you a ticket to park? “Because you’re perfect in every way.”
4- Bathroom jokes
Toilet humor, called “body bathroom,” is an easy way to make jokes. Young boys especially like to hear fart jokes. The children’s book writing series Captain Underpants has a lot of bathroom jokes to make its readers laugh.
5- Witty Humor
Witty humor is often dry and smart, depending on the listener or reader’s understanding. Winston Churchill is a well-known example of wit. The story goes that Churchill met a woman at a dinner party one night. Even though they have different political views and don’t like each other, the woman tells Churchill he is “disgustingly drunk.” Churchill doesn’t miss a beat and says:
“My dear, you are ugly and, even worse, disgustingly ugly. But I’ll be sober tomorrow, and you’ll still be disgustingly ugly.”
6- Satirical Humor
Satire is a form of humor that makes fun of people’s faults and bad habits. It’s usually not laugh-out-loud funny but has a dry sense of humor. People often use satire to talk about current events or political problems. Dorothy Parker, a writer, once told The Paris Review, “I hate almost all rich people, but I think I’d be darling at it.”
7- Dark Laughter
Dark humor is any joke about a sad subject or event. It’s often used as a way to deal with problems. Some people think finding humor in pain and sadness is therapeutic, while others think it’s a cheap way to get laughs. When he was shot on March 30, 1981, former President Ronald Reagan asked the doctors in the operating room, “Please tell me you’re Republicans.” He also told his daughter Maureen that the attempt to kill him “ruined one of my best suits.”
8- Jokes that make you cringe
We’ve all had moments that made us cringe, which is why this humor works so well in stories. Cringe humor always happens in social situations, like when someone trips in front of a crowd or sends their boss a racy text message that they meant for their spouse.
9- Funny in an ironic way
Ironic humor is funny because the real meaning differs greatly from what is said. Emerson Moser is a real-life case of funny irony. The former Crayola senior crayon maker, who made more than 1.4 billion pencils, couldn’t see colors.
10- Humor from Observations
Observation humor is a type of entertainment that is based on comments about everyday life. It’s used in stand-up and sketch comedy and often subtly attacks the world around us.
11- Topical Humor
Topical is one of the finest types of humor based on things happening worldwide. It’s often used as a joke on late-night talk shows that make fun of politics to make people laugh. Shaun Eli, a New York City-based stand-up comic and comic book illustrator, has written a lot of monologues for late-night TV shows. On brainchampagne.com, you can see some of his unfinished work, which is all funny and based on current events.
One joke he wrote in March 2020 is as follows:
“In the summer, I used to meet women by saying, ‘Hi, I have central air conditioning.'”
“I have two pints of Purell,” is what people say now.”
12- Using humor to help yourself
Some people use the power of laughter to feel better and happier when things are hard. That’s funny, for its own sake. It can help you keep things in perspective, lower your stress, or be a way to deal with hard times to keep your mental health in good shape.
To quote Kurt Vonnegut:
“Laughter and tears are both ways to deal with anger and tiredness. I’d rather laugh because there’s less mess to clean up afterward.”
“I may have failed the driving test, but I didn’t hit anyone” exemplifies self-enhancing humor.
13- Humor that pokes fun at itself
“self-deprecating” comes from the phrase “to put down oneself.” It often breaks the ice because it shows you’re not too serious about yourself. John F. Kennedy used humor that made fun of himself to escape reports that his father was buying votes. He said this in a speech at the 1958 Gridiron dinner: “I just got a message from my giving father that said, ‘Dear Jack, don’t buy a single vote more than you need to. I’m not going to pay for a tsunami, dammit!'”
14- Highbrow Humor
Highbrow is one of the best types of humor in which jokes about things like great literature, history, and politics are made. Usually, you need to know a certain amount or have a certain level of schooling to understand it. Joshua Hehe wrote a piece in which he talked about some of the smart jokes he likes. This is one example:
“Have you heard of Pavlov?
It sounds familiar.”
15- Jokes for lowbrows
Lowbrow humor is often rude, insulting, and filled with bad language. It’s easy to think that lowbrow humor is only for idiots or people with no ability. But it takes a lot of imagination and wit to write offensive or tasteless jokes that are still funny. That’s why even some of the best comics sometimes use jokes that aren’t smart. Lowbrow humor is found in movies like American Pie, Jay, and Haunting Adeline By H. D. Carlton. For example, you can watch shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
16- Humor that is weird or silly
Surreal humor has parts that are strange, funny, or unrelated. Humor comes from changing logical thoughts with illogical ones, leading to funny jokes because they are silly or come out of nowhere.
This old joke is an example of a strange joke:
“Why was the elephant sitting on the marshmallow?
He didn’t want to fall into the hot chocolate.”
170- Funny one-liners
One-liner humor is short wit, to the point, and only one sentence or word long. It’s all about setting up the right situation so that the powerful words in the punchline have the most effect.
Want to know what a one-liner is?
“The evening news is when they say “Good evening” and then tell you why it’s not.
18- Funny little stories
Anecdotal humor makes fun of a past event. Most of the time, this event is fun. Anecdotal humor can send a message, stress a point, or be funny by telling a good story. In the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding, Julianne (Julia Roberts) tells a story about a dream she had in which “a psycho” tried to break up the bride and groom. The story seemed innocent and funny to the wedding guests, but it was a way for Julianne to apologize to the groom for her part in trying to break up the happy couple. If you’re inspired to craft engaging stories, consider a professional story writing service to bring your narratives to life.
19- Jokes that go too far
Hyperbolic is a Type of Humor to make fun of someone’s feelings by funnily exaggerating them. William Shakespeare was the best at making jokes that went too far. In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice tells Benedick, “I’d rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.” This is how she shows how little love means to her.
20- Humor in burlesque
It comes from the Italian word burlesco, which means to make fun of. Burlesque humor is sarcastic and funny because it is over the top. It usually makes fun of important topics and is often on the edge of being offensive. Odysseus by Homer was turned into a comedy movie in 2000 called “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” On his quest, the hero runs into over-the-top people and problems.
Benefits of Types of Humor Using in Writing
Incorporating Types of Humor into Writing offers a wide range of benefits, both for the writer and the reader. Here are some of the key advantages of using humor in your writing:
Engagement:
Humor captures readers’ attention and keeps them engaged with your content. A well-placed joke or witty remark can make your writing more interesting and memorable.
Relatability:
Humor often stems from shared experiences, observations, or common cultural references. By using humor, you create a sense of relatability with your readers, helping them connect to your content on a personal level.
Ease of Reading:
Humor can make complex or dry topics more approachable and easily understood. It lightens the tone of your writing and makes it less intimidating for readers who might otherwise struggle with the subject matter.
Retention:
People tend to remember humorous content better than straightforward information. Adding humor to your writing can enhance the chances of your message sticking to your readers’ minds.
Emotional Connection:
Humor elicits positive emotions, and when readers associate those positive emotions with your writing, it creates a stronger bond between them and your content.
Enhanced Communication:
Humor can effectively convey ideas that might otherwise be hard to express directly. It lets you address sensitive or controversial topics with a lighter touch, making your message more palatable.
Personality and Voice:
Incorporating humor showcases your personality and unique writing voice. It adds character to your work and distinguishes it from others.
Break from Monotony:
In long or technical pieces, humor provides a welcome break from monotony. It refreshes the reader’s mind and prevents them from feeling overwhelmed.
Cultural Connection:
Humor often reflects cultural norms, references, and nuances. Incorporating culturally relevant humor can help you connect with readers from specific backgrounds.
Entertainment:
Sometimes, readers are looking for pure entertainment. Humorous writing can provide a source of enjoyment and escapism.
Positive Reception:
Well-executed humor can lead to positive feedback, social sharing, and a wider audience for your content. People are more likely to share content that makes them laugh.
Stress Relief:
Humor has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. If your writing can provide a few fun moments, readers might appreciate the emotional relief it offers.
However, it’s important to note that Types of Humor are subjective and cultural. What’s funny to one person might not be funny to another, and inappropriate or offensive humor can alienate readers. Therefore, it’s crucial to be sensitive to your audience and the context in which you’re book writing.
Conclusion:
Humor is a versatile and ever-evolving expression that brings people joy worldwide. The Types of Humor Styles available in 2024: There’s something for every taste and sensibility. Incorporating humor should feel natural and not forced. It’s also a good idea to test your writing on a small sample of readers to gauge their reactions before publishing it to a wider audience.
