7 Ways to Make People Laugh

Plus What You Can Tell About a Person From One Second of Laughter

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Beginning with the Ending

Listening to a single second of a person’s laugh allows people to infer relative social status (details - here). The reason is that someone who is dominant or in possession of power laughs differently.

Notice that people find it easier to discern laughter from “low status” individuals. What I appreciated is the sampling of laughter from members of a college fraternity, half of whom were socially attractive or popular - a naturalistic social hierarchy.

Feeling powerful unleashes boldness. You laugh louder, taking up more space with your voice, and command attention. In contrast, those feeling less significant shrink back, their voices muted. This social status signaling effect makes sense when you think about the use of laughter to curry favor.

If you work outside the home there is someone who controls cash rewards, pay raises, and promotions. In this situation, laughter becomes a strategic tool. In a study mimicking everyday power dynamics, participants laughed more at both funny and unfunny jokes when money was at stake. This wasn't about finding jokes amusing—it was about leveraging laughter to ensure better treatment. Laughter reveals itself as both a cue of social status and a currency for social maneuvering.

We instinctively grasp a wealth of information about others from the tiniest gestures and expressions—the subtle curve of a smile, the tone of a voice, the way someone stands. These "thin slices" of non-verbal behavior reveal more than we realize, painting a vivid picture of a person's character in mere moments. In every fleeting moment we observe another person, we acquire a great deal of information about them.¹

Trusting Quick-Fire Judgments: How Fast is Your Brain Sizing Up Strangers?

The Reversal

It is absurd to think social status (or personality) remains fixed; it shifts in strong situations. Sometimes, the unexpected happens: a low-status individual rises above their role, fueled by a surge of inner presence (at peace in mind and body). A teenager who dares to tease the tough, witty kid everyone fears and admires. A newcomer at work cracking jokes that make even the bosses chuckle. When you feel powerful, you relax. This state opens up fluid, flexible non-verbal behaviors.

Laughter can be useful for the underdog or those on the lower rungs of society. Humor has often been used to challenge authority. But does it really shift power dynamics? Or does it just offer a fleeting sense of relief to the oppressed? Is there such a thing as pure laughter, free from power imbalances?

Trying to pin laughter down to one meaning is a futile endeavor.

Caveats - Sex Differences

Much of the research presented here only examined men, whose laughter tends to take the form of snorts and grunts, rather than women, whose laughter is more melodic. Different sexes reveal different laughing patterns.

Consider the word giggle, often a reference to foolish laughter. This has been a gendered term. What image came to mind when you read the word giggle? My guess is a few women having fun together. A socially implanted notion with roots in Rousseau's "Emile, or Education" - an “advice book” from 1683:

To laugh as women do sometimes, with their hands on both sides, and with a lascivious agitation of their whole body, is the height of indecency and immodesty.

Laughter, a natural human response, was seen through a skewed lens—deemed unseemly or improper for women, as if their mirth somehow threatened the fragile social fabric. This approach wasn't about maintaining decorum; it was about control. By denouncing women's laughter, society attempted to confine them to a narrow role, stifling their voices under the guise of modesty and propriety.

Continue questioning and dismantling outdated norms. It will help by noticing and mentioning markers of the adverse consequences of unwarranted control of another person’s body (because laugher is an active bodily reaction).

Provocations for Unleashing Healthy Humor

My favorite book on humor is “Humor, Seriously” by Drs. Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas. They share techniques used by comedians to construct opportunities for laughter that limit the impact of status. The list includes:

• Specifics—”British researchers are warning that one-fifth of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction,” is how one Jimmy Fallon joke starts. “Even worse, kale is expected to survive.” (p. 85) Making the joke about kale is funnier than making it about vegetables more generically. A nice opening for a discussion on how the leaders of the organization can truly support well-being such as providing healthy food at no charge.

• Exaggeration—They cite John Mulaney’s joke about going for a massage and the masseuse telling him to undress to his comfort level. The punchline: “So I put on a sweater and a pair of corduroy pants, and I felt safe.” (p. 82). An edgy way to address the concept of psychological safety.

• Analogies—A Jim Gaffigan joke illustrated this approach: ”Big families are like waterbed stores; they used to be everywhere, and now they’re just weird.” (p. 86). An opening to things that once worked and no longer do in the organization.

• Series of three—”I don’t know if you guys know this, but this past year, I’ve gotten very rich, famous, and humble,” is an Amy Schumer punchline, where the third item in the series is unexpected. (p. 89). A great lesson on reducing the annoyances of both bragging and humblebragging (do read the awesome research on this topic by Dr. Ovul Sezer - here). Minimize each of these ineffective self-presentation strategies through self-deprecation humor.

• Incongruity—”Dogs are the leaders of the planet,” begins Jerry Seinfeld. “If you see two life forms, one of them’s making a poop, the other one’s carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge?” (p. 76). A perfect example to illustrate story telling. Lead with curiosity lures:

  Introducing Curiosity Lures - The New Persuasion Strategy

• Strong emotions—”I hate parties,” Larry David tweeted. “But then to have to go to an after party? Are you kidding me?!?” (p. 77). If you feel strongly about something, and it is unpopular, humor offers an opportunity to win what is most needed - sufficient time and space to elaborate your unconventional thoughts.

• Delight—A joke told by James Breakwell: “My six-year-old just called ranch dressing ‘salad frosting’ and now I’ll never call it anything else.” Never underestimate the value of altering the emotional tone of a situation to enhance social connections. Delights offer just that - check out a substack on this theme;

  How to Feel Alive with Catherine Price

Laughter acts as a mirror, reflecting societal structures and individual power dynamics. As we become more aware of these dynamics, ask: how can I create environments where more people feel a sense of agency to express what they feel without impinging on other’s quality of life? And think about how you offer opportunities for others to “opt-out” from humor attempts, especially by those at the top of the social hierarchy.

There is too much to be said about humor in a single Provoked issue.

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Todd B. Kashdan is an author of several books including The Upside of Your Dark Side (Penguin) and The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively (Avery/Penguin) and Professor of Psychology and Leader of The Well-Being Laboratory at George Mason University.

Read Past Issues Here Including:

1. Yet another demonstration of why social curiosity is an important element of exploring our environment and the people in it (details - here).