Knock-knock.
Who’s there?
Yeah, okay, you’ll play along, even though knock-knock jokes haven’t been funny to you for decades. They’re obviously funny to the person who’s knocking, and that’s what matters – but can they tell a joke? Can you? Read “Humor Me” by Chris Duffy and you’ll see how a few ha-has can make you happier.
Years ago, Chris Duffy noticed that he’d lost his funny bone.
He was a teacher then, living with multiple roommates, and always grumpy – until he met a fifth-grader who was generally failing school. When Duffy discovered something that would turn the boy’s school career around, he also discovered that the boy was laugh-out-loud funny. That incident convinced Duffy that he needed to put humor into his life more often.
We all need to do that, he says.
The first step is to know the difference between comedy, humor, and levity. Comedy is what happens on a stage, it’s jokes, it’s performance. Humor is the ability “to see, notice, and celebrate the delightful weirdness of our world.” Levity, says Duffy, “is… being receptive to the laughter and joy that comes your way.”
Next, embrace what Duffy calls the “Three Pillars of Good Humor.”
– Be present in the moment, so you see more of what’s around you. Notice at least one new thing on your commute. Dedicate yourself to people-watching. Keep your eyes open to things that are absurd, and that make you laugh.
– Be able to laugh at yourself without self-depreciation but with confidence. Recognizing your own foils with humor can actually be charming. Know how to do this in other languages.
– Be willing to take “social risks” and tap into your sense of play, remaining aware of where to draw the line. And if you cross it? Know how to apologize and aim your humor better next time. It’s all “part of the process.”
So a guy walks into a bookstore and…
Ach, never mind. Just go pick up “Humor Me.”
Just know, though, that author Chris Duffy doesn’t fill this book with jokes, and he doesn’t tell you how to tell one – joking, in fact, isn’t really the focus here. Instead, he teaches readers to tap into their own sense of humor, to nurture it the right way, to gather others into the fold of the funny, and to self-satisfy with humor just for the fun of it.
On the flip side, Duffy warns that with laughter comes responsibility, and he reminds readers that humor pushed too far can quickly become hurtful and bullying – at yourself and at others. That darker part of the book isn’t scolding or shaming; it keeps with a lighthearted theme, but with a serious tone.
Readers who love to laugh but need to know how to corral it properly will want this book. So will anyone who needs to learn levity, or a better way to connect with staff or strangers. If you want to sprinkle more joy in your life, “Humor Me” just might help open the door.
“Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy” by Chris Duffy
c.2026, Doubleday
$29.00
272 pages
