Being publicly degraded is distressing. However, a popular subreddit on Reddit, /r/roastme, is populated by people asking to get roasted by strangers. The results are… pretty funny. actually: The Benign Violation Theory helps explain what makes this process so funny. Humor arises when something is wrong yet okay, threatening yet safe,
Are you visiting a haunted house in the couple weeks? I’ve observed two kinds of comedy associated with haunted houses: You observe people being scared and then laugh about it. You laugh at people’s reactions to being scared. Both seem to be happening here. Check out more here. Alf Lamont,
In recent years, scholars, policy makers and the general public have learned about unethical behavior across academic disciplines — creating a crisis of confidence in the reliability of research findings. Whether due to publication pressures or the pursuit of fame, researchers have been caught performing data acrobatics ranging from “p-hacking,”
Valentine’s Day is looming. Regardless of what you think about the day, it’s a time of year that people give thought to their relationships. In a past blog, I have talked about the value of a good sense of humor – and how it is important to relationships. Recently, I
And here is…HERE WE ARE 1:20 Friends 5:45 Trolley experiment 13:15 Pedestrian in academia 22:10 Morality of laughter 23:45 Humor Code 28:50 Google for science 33:30 Theory of Funny 36:25 Laughter and/or Humor 40:20 Comedian’s laugh & Reddit 44:25 Controlling laughter 47:20 Laughter in animals 52:40 Benign Violation 56:10 Laughter
I am speaking about business and humor at the Funny Bizz conference tomorrow. New York friends, get your tickets here. Some info: In the land of infinite distraction, the one who tickles the funny bone reigns supreme. As business, entertainment, and comedy become ever more intertwined, savvy startups, leading ad
I have a more than passing interest in technology and fashion. (Seriously, I do.) So, when I saw that there was a conference that examined the intersection of the two, I decided to attend. The panels addressed three trends that I have observed in the marketplace: New fabrics and technologies
I am headed to Tulane for a conference about why people behave badly. Enron. Leman. Madoff. We’ve all heard about business scandals costing millions – even billions – of dollars. Bad behavior in the marketplace, however, is not limited to accounting. Whether taking bribes or stealing post-it notes, immoral behavior
This episode seeks to explore the singles advocacy movement with Gordon Morris, who is aiming to breathe new life into Unmarried Equality, a nonprofit
Welcome to the final episode of I’M NOT JOKING. Comedian JD Lopez returns from Episode 1 to debrief and reflect on Peter’s experience building
