  Comedy
This week: Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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"I had thought — I had been told — that a 'funny' thing is a thing of a goodness. It isn't. Not ever is it funny to the person it happens to. Like that sheriff without his pants. The goodness is in the laughing itself. I grok it is a bravery... and a sharing... against pain and sorrow and defeat."
- Valentine Michael Smith
(Robert Heinlein,
Stranger in a Strange Land) |
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The Romance of Comedy
I have to state, first off, that I never read "romantic comedy" if I can avoid it - so my only exposure to that peculiarly popular subgenre is the occasional John Cusack movie.
So what prompts me to write about the topic of romance in a Comedy newsletter? Well, in my almost-daily search for anything that is weird and strange on the internet , I came across this article from a British tabloid I fondly call the Daily Fail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038970/The-MOST-effective-way-woman-bed...
His wry, self- deprecating humour is as important as his floppy hair and English charm at ensuring he always wins the heart of his leading lady.
Now scientists have discovered the technique used by Hugh Grant's film characters can bring the same romantic success offscreen.
Taking the mickey out of yourself works far better than clever jokes, which might be seen as boastful and put women off.
In a blatant case of life imitating art - or, more accurately, life imitating chick flicks - "scientists" have once again taken all the fun out of humor
| (or "humour" in the Daily Fail's native language) |
But all for a good cause, it seems - because what better goal could there be for a guy to learn how to be funny than to improve his chances with women?
Naturally, you have to wonder if it also works the other way - if a woman being deliberately self-deprecating is attractive to men. So I asked myself if I find any female comedians attractive for their sense of humor.
| as opposed to, say, Sarah Silverman, who's just hot |
(This isn't to say there aren't fantastically attractive women who make me laugh. It's just that they could just stand there and I'd still find them attractive. Hey, I'm a guy, whaddaya want?)
So, okay, taking the leap, it seems that humor - at least of the self-deprecating kind - is a more attractive trait for men than for women. For women, the important thing is probably to laugh at the guy's jokes, even when they're not funny.
| Especially when they're not funny. |
And on the strength of my last sentence, right about now all you ladies should be finding me irresistible.
Sorry; I'm taken.  |
But, as the article states:
'It is a risky form of humour because it can draw attention to one's real faults, thereby diminishing the self-deprecator's status in the eyes of others.
'But based on the idea that verbal humour evolved to function as a fitness indicator, self-deprecating humour can be an especially reliable indicator, not only of general intelligence and verbal creativity, but also moral virtues such as humility.'
Wait, humility is a "moral virtue?" And I'm supposed to have "real" faults? Wow, I'm hosed.
Anyway, thanks for reading - even though I'm not very good at this stuff. |
Here are some picks that should make the authors more attractive to the rest of us:
And a special bonus survey, for those who prefer bathroom humor:
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Comedy: July 30, 2008 Issue [#2535]
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May you rest in peace, George, and thanks for the laughs!