How to become witty and more humourous. Any books?

[SayWhat]

Hi all

I want to learn to improve my wittiness and my humour. From time to time I have days I'm quite witty and can make people laugh, but most of the time it's not. Any reason for this?

I also want to learn to improve these skills, if it's possible. Are there any books that talk about this matter? I believe these two are a key aspect of social interactions and thus want to improve drastically.

Thanks!

 

[Mr Wright]

Take an improv class

 

[sylvester the cat]

Go to open mic nights and just do it.

 

[mangotot]

Forget about being witty because when it comes to pickup, it is going to put you in the dancing monkey category. Learn to be alpha.

 

[hockeyfreak79]

Stand up comedies on Netflix, you have your own sense of humor just build off of it.
My best wingman happens to be 1 of the funniest guys I know. Mango was right tho sometimes he's like a dancing monkey.....but that sh*t works too.

 

[sylvester the cat]

Forget about being witty because when it comes to pickup, it is going to put you in the dancing monkey category. Learn to be alpha.

BIll Hicks was no dancing monkey.

 

[mangotot]

BIll Hicks was no dancing monkey.

I don't know about Bill Hicks but most comedians can't pickup to save their lives. If it ever happens, it through the provider route. Russell Brand is an exception there though.

 

[apprenticedj]

OP I would say, while not impossible, it's definitely difficult to "become" witty. To me, it's an intrinsic thing, something that comes naturally. With practice and maturity you can definitely become better but humor is by and large natural.

Good news is, based on your post, you seem to possess some wit and sense of humor which is great. You should approach it academically, when you're cracking people up make a mental note of what is working for you. Likewise when you're missing the mark you need to be able to see why it's so.

Forget about being witty because when it comes to pickup, it is going to put you in the dancing monkey category. Learn to be alpha.

Wit is a HUGE tool in the DJ arsenal, in fact I'm fairly certain I would struggle mightly if I wasn't funny and witty. The key for me is using scarism and C+F, not bounding around like Jack Black doing schtick. You don't want to be a clown but making a girl laugh helps her relax which in turn lowers her guard. Combine that with decent looks, nice style and a little booze = F*CKING GOLDEN!!

 

[captainsquare]

Great reply from apprenticedj. Its very difficult to try and become funny. Uve either got it or u aint. Its a mixture of charm, quick wit, sarcasm, smooth voice, eye contact, smiling/smirking. You have to get sexual innuendo and double entendres into the interraction. Women think your wonderful if you can get it right.You have to be bold and push the boundaries.Even if you think you overstepped the mark never apologise or say sorry. Finally the biggest tip i can give is NEVER EVER tell a joke. Being the humorous charmer has nothing to do with telling jokes.

 

[Skyline]

Hi all

I want to learn to improve my wittiness and my humour. From time to time I have days I'm quite witty and can make people laugh, but most of the time it's not. Any reason for this?

I also want to learn to improve these skills, if it's possible. Are there any books that talk about this matter? I believe these two are a key aspect of social interactions and thus want to improve drastically.

Thanks!

This link is "meant" for women but I've often been called "Sassy, witty, and cheeky" by other women so I got curious one day. So I looked up sassy and found this link, its surprisingly a decent guide of material that preaches similar playfulness and indifference on SS. Kind of ironic how some women are actually like this and yet it's one of the things they find attractive just because of the indifference.

http://m.wikihow.com/Be-Sassy

From experience, I've noticed that the serious guys/girls don't really like this, so don't be around so up tight and serious people all the time.

 

[Rave18]

Just mentioning something I came across. Check if it helps

Furthermore, if you are looking for inspiration from the professionals, there is an excellent book out by Melvin Helitzer called "Comedy Wrting Secrets" I highly recommend this book if you are interested in improving your humor skills. Hilarious stuff actually..

WEAPONS OF MASS SEDUCTION Page 15 and 16.

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

Watching a lot of stand-up comedy helps. It's not that you are copying their material, more that you are tuning your brain in to that mind set and way of looking at the world.

People say 'comedy is a serious business'. Though that is purely if you are producing comedy for performance purposes. Though I look at general humour and wit in the same way; if one is knowledgeable and informed about life in general, we see that it is generally a serious business. But once you are informed, one can start to see the funny side of life as well. Many very successful comedians are very well informed and educated. Also important is to understand the different audiences that you are 'playing' to, how far you can go and what you can converse with them about.

 

[Heisenberg]

Uggghhhh. apprenticedj is the only guy who told OP the truth.

There is nothing wrong with not being funny, I'm sure you have other positive qualities. However, for me personally, I think nothing is more cringe-inducing than watching someone who is not naturally funny trying to be funny.

I have a good friend. He's an awesome guy, makes close to six figures in a well-respected, professional job. He's a dependable friend, nice guy, social, easy to be around. He is not naturally funny, but he wants to be. The result is me feeling awkward more times than I can count when I'm in public with him.

Like the other posters suggested, this friend watches a ton of stand up comedy. He has pretty good taste in comedy too. However, his trying to emulate some of these naturally funny people has made for more face palms than I care to recall.

I'd never say it to him because I think it would offend him, and he really likes the idea of being funny (I can't emphasize enough that he's not), but I wish this guy would subscribe to the never-fail, catchall advice: "just do you."

 

[Peaks&Valleys]

^Yeah. By trying to be funny, you've put yourself into that category, the trying category. If you try to be funny, then you are trying to impress. Which, in itself, would be considered beta.

Here's what I would suggest to start off. Just do and say what amuses YOU. Nothing mean spirited however, if that's what gets you off. And stay away from the self-depreciating humor. But again don't TRY, don't force anything out. Be yourself here, you can look for opportunities to be funny/witty, but if nothing pops in your head that would amuse YOU, then don't say it. That's really what C&F is about anyways, amusing yourself, and sometimes at her expense.

 

[Heisenberg]

^Yeah. By trying to be funny, you've put yourself into that category, the trying category. If you try to be funny, then you are trying to impress. Which, in itself, would be considered beta.

Here's what I would suggest to start off. Just do and say what amuses YOU. Nothing mean spirited however, if that's what gets you off. And stay away from the self-depreciating humor. But again don't TRY, don't force anything out. Be yourself here, you can look for opportunities to be funny/witty, but if nothing pops in your head that would amuse YOU, then don't say it. That's really what C&F is about anyways, amusing yourself, and sometimes at her expense.

^+1

Being self-amused is the way to be. I hesitate to provide this example because I don't want you to start trying to be this character, but Hank Moody on Californication is prime example of what just trying to amuse yourself looks like. Or maybe it'd be less risky for you to read Bukowski, whom Hank Moody was based on. Everything Moody/Bukowski does is to make life more interesting for him. He's a hedonist, he does what feels right, what feels good. He just does him.

Wanted to follow up on what Peaks&Valleys said about self-deprecating humor. Definitely, cut it out for now. When your confidence is up, I feel it's okay to slowly bring self-deprecation back into the mix, BUT it must always be about things that definitely aren't true. If you're skinny, say, "Because I'm so fat." If you're an all-star NBA athlete asked to play a pickup game of basketball, say "I'm not very good, chess is really more my game." Get it?

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

The guy asked about being more witty and humorous. So we advised him. Yes, it's not the be all and end all. But it certainly doesn't hurt to try something new.

 

[The_411]

It's all relative to scale just like height, looks, etc. Everyone has different innate levels of humor and how they integrate it into their personality. The best way to be funny is stop trying and pay attention to when people give you genuine laughs, and see what people respond to.