Exercise tips on how to be funny

[Guest EmptyVase]

On 26.12.2021 at 7:12 PM, caelanb said:

I have noticed that in myself, feeling good makes me feel like being more funny, therefore making me more inclined to deploy the technique of sarcasm for example in making jokes. 

That's how you 'get in the flow'.

On 26.12.2021 at 7:12 PM, caelanb said:

I’m not exactly sure if I understand my emotions properly

Utilizing the emotional scale is a great help to understand emotions.

Don't overthink it.

[caelanb]

@EmptyVase

On 2021-12-28 at 7:43 AM, EmptyVase said:

That's how you 'get in the flow'.

The problem is that I don’t usually stay in that state, I just make a joke or two and then that’s it. When you are in flow for comedy and humour, I’m assuming that the funny ‘lens’ is turned on and you easily see the funny in everything, even when most people wouldn't?

I have changed the exercise that I do for humour to just trying to imagine myself being funny in different situations during the day, while interacting with other people. And it is very difficult; my mind struggles to find something that is funny, and when I do, it’s more like a hit or miss. Would you recommend telling yourself such a thing as ‘I see funniness’ many times for 5 minutes straight in order to help ‘prepare’ the lens of humour? You can push the latter too far though (5 minutes would very likely reach that point), because after a while, a certain psychological phenomenon that I have experienced in the past usually happens (I don’t remember what it is called though); the meaning of what you are saying is lost. So, saying a sentence to try to prime yourself seems pointless if you do it for too long. Do you think priming is helpful, or should you just try to look for funniness in day to day activities without repeating anything to yourself beforehand?

On 2021-12-28 at 7:43 AM, EmptyVase said:

Utilizing the emotional scale is a great help to understand emotions.

I looked at the emotional scale and there were quite a lot of emotions, though I think I have seem wheels with much more emotions on them. Tbh, I don’t think I can differentiate between all the different emotions that are on the scale just by feeling, or at least I have not been able to do so yet. There are also some emotions that I may not have felt before but that is probably unlikely, I just have probably not been able to identify them.

How do I practise this? Wouldn’t I have to find a way to trigger each emotion and then be able to identify whichever one comes up? Or is it more that I have this wheel at my disposal most of the time so I can try to identify an emotion that I feel whenever it comes up? The latter seems like it would work better, but idk.

I’m assuming the goal of the emotional work that can be done using that scale is to get to a point where you can feel into, identify, and let go of whatever emotion arises in any situation you are in? And that would be a part of a journey towards emotional mastery? 

Why are negative emotions usually the harder ones to deal with? Usually, the higher you get on a scale measuring most things, the more difficult it becomes to manage whatever arises. For the emotions and this scale though, most people would find it more difficult to deal with the emotions that are lower on the scale than the ones higher. Anyway that’s maybe just how the scale is set up, I’m not sure.

Is the emotion at the top of the scale, is it referring to the absolute love that Leo talks about a lot, or is it referring to the relative love? If it’s the absolute love, then I would assume (according to Leo) that you would cease to be a human being anymore, because the absoluteness would transcend you above your finite human form, but the relative love would likely just make you feel strong positive emotions for whatever finite thing you love. At least this is how I understand it to be.

[Striving for more]

I'm lucky in that I was born very funny. 

For me my problem is not being in a confident mood or being stuck in my head or logical mind ect... This blocks my natural ability. 

I have mostly sucked in social situations because these blockers have got in the way, so my natural ability couldn't shine through. 

But in those occasional moments when I'm in flow & I don't give a fuck, I'm the funniest guy in the room, it's almost like a mythical superpower but again I'm not here to brag, I'm saying that normally I'm not able to access it, because normally i'm stuck in my head or not in flow. 

But 1 time this summer I was totally in flow & I had so much charisma & humour that night that it was like everyone there (all new strangers) had their attention on me because I would keep on cracking jokes, it was like this slightly cocky but  also very funny vibe, it was sort of like this vibration coming out of me, it's hard to explain. 

I compare my ability to Leo Messi in soccer, something mythical that you can't teach. 

My only key insight here would be > Remove all the barriers that prevent you from being funny, your state of mind & flow is as important as canned techniques. 

If you want motivation to be funny, see humour as a spiritual pursuit, also realize that it's one arsenal that can shortcut your success in life, especially in general popularity & gaining more female friends too, but the reason is spiritual, not logical (u could argue it's logical but lets not go there).

U want to be funny or u want funny friends for the related reasons that you want to hear music when you socialize, and it's lubrication, stimulation, emotional emancipation, it's relief, it's healing, it connecting, disarming, charming. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Striving for more

[Guest EmptyVase]

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

When you are in flow for comedy and humour

Not flow for comedy and humor, just flow, just feeling good. Everything else comes naturally to you.

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

I have changed the exercise that I do for humour to just trying to imagine myself being funny in different situations during the day, while interacting with other people. And it is very difficult; my mind struggles to find something that is funny, and when I do, it’s more like a hit or miss. Would you recommend telling yourself such a thing as ‘I see funniness’ many times for 5 minutes straight in order to help ‘prepare’ the lens of humour? You can push the latter too far though (5 minutes would very likely reach that point), because after a while, a certain psychological phenomenon that I have experienced in the past usually happens (I don’t remember what it is called though); the meaning of what you are saying is lost. So, saying a sentence to try to prime yourself seems pointless if you do it for too long. Do you think priming is helpful, or should you just try to look for funniness in day to day activities without repeating anything to yourself beforehand?

Thoughts multiply and manifest. Do, and think, what feels good to you. Acknowledge and drop every other thought that is not serving you (that's what the emotional scale is for).

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

I looked at the emotional scale and there were quite a lot of emotions, though I think I have seem wheels with much more emotions on them.

?

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

I don’t think I can differentiate between all the different emotions that are on the scale just by feeling, or at least I have not been able to do so yet. There are also some emotions that I may not have felt before but that is probably unlikely, I just have probably not been able to identify them.

You'll get more familiar with your emotions as time passes on. Just try to do your best in identifying them, you really can't do anything wrong when you're scrutinizing how you're feeling. Actually, you don't even have to scrutinize - you intuitively know how you feel.. because whatever is present is already present. If someone slaps you in the face, you don't start thinking, "Wow, that hurts. Well, is it more of a stinging pain or is it more like a rock hitting my face? Hmm.." - you just feel the pain of that slap. Labeling is secondary to feeling. Feeling is prior to thinking. This is not to say you shouldn't try to scrutinize, identify and label how you're feeling - by all means, do it. Just don't disregard that feeling is prior.

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

How do I practise this? Wouldn’t I have to find a way to trigger each emotion and then be able to identify whichever one comes up? Or is it more that I have this wheel at my disposal most of the time so I can try to identify an emotion that I feel whenever it comes up? The latter seems like it would work better, but idk.

You could start with how you're feeling now. How do you feel now? Bored? Content? Express how you're feeling and look for thoughts/perspectives which would make you feel better. Going from fear to insecurity might not seem like a betterment, because we'd usually label both as bad feeling emotions, but as you get more in touch with your emotions, really feeling all the subtleties, you can feel that there actually is a shift upwards. And it's that upwards-momentum that you want to ride with this scale.

Expression takes many forms: writing, talking, art, moving your body, crying, laughing, and much more. I'd recommend that you find a few methods that suit you best, but one way of expressing is also enough. Could be even something like cooking.

Another thing you can do: think of a situation, you get to choose which one. I'll make an example: you're at work. When you're thinking the thought that you are at work, which emotions arise? You don't have to trigger anything. Thoughts always come with emotions.

Overthinking and not-expressing (=repression) is precisely what keeps someone from being funny. You're literally repressing funny stuff from coming out of your mouth, or through your body. Stop holding (=pressing down) the cork under the water, and it will naturally float to the surface.

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

Why are negative emotions usually the harder ones to deal with?

Good question.

1 hour ago, caelanb said:

Is the emotion at the top of the scale, is it referring to the absolute love that Leo talks about a lot, or is it referring to the relative love?

I don't know, but it feels pretty fucking good.

[Heres Johnny]

look at funny memes and you will get the hang of it

 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Heres Johnny

[hyruga]

[ZenSwift]

Pick out a poorly placed assumption, and then overexaggerate a completely wrong interpretation under their assumption.

Utilize recontextualization.

Edited January 8, 2022 by ZenSwift