Comedy

Notes:

• Comedy is all about misdirection
  • Misdirection is getting someone to think one thing when you really mean something else. In magic, this psychological method is used to trick you — “the hand is quicker than the eye.” The magician is getting you to look one place while he does something else in another.
  • A successful comedian gives you about 10% of the information you need to know and lets your brain fill in the rest.
• Laughing is an adaptive behavior to stay calm under stress.
  • Laughing off your losses helps redirect focus and prevents making bad decisions out of anger.
• Comedy can be a means of understanding those whose opinions you disagree with.
• Comedy is about punching up, not punching down; so if it’s ok to laugh, it means there’s power somewhere in the equation.
• A great comedian is like a sniper: they take out the hostage taker while leaving the hostage intact.