Comedian Chris Duffy's cheerfully informative debut, Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy is itself funny. Duffy sets the tone for what's to come with a dedication that includes a tribute to "the little snort noise that people make when they are laughing really, really hard." He then proceeds to establish what he calls "the Three Pillars of Good Humor": "being present," "laughing at yourself," and "taking social risks." From there, Duffy branches off into many directions, covering topics that include how comedy clubs create an atmosphere that encourages laughing (dark, crowded rooms being part of the equation), the Ig Nobel Prize, and how humor can be a driver of social change.
Host of the TED podcast How to Be a Better Human, Duffy draws on years of interviewing experience and reams of research to explore the ways humor contributes to a good life. For instance, in the chapter discussing "laughter's role in healing and medicine," Duffy speaks to an emergency room doctor who shares how "laughing, or even pretending to laugh, can be incredibly effective at distracting someone from their pain." Duffy also details humor's role in helping psychiatric patients, nursing home residents, and his own private life in this sweeping chapter that considers the placebo effect alongside poop jokes.
Each of Humor Me's chapters generally includes a story from Duffy's life and then plenty of other voices gleaned from conversations, books, articles, and more. Fans of Adam Grant-style research and anecdotes will find Humor Me a delightful, energetic read. --Nina Semczuk, writer, editor, and illustrator