The novelty of these lockdown days has worn off and many of us are at our wits’ ends—especially with all these video calls that are meant to replace in-person interactions. Last week, we shared some structural advice on how to deal with “Zoom fatigue”, the phenomenon of feeling … [Read more...] about How to fight Zoom fatigue with comedy
Comedy
Medicinal mirth: The health benefits of laughter
Mary Desmond Pinkowish | August 2009 issue The teacher gathers his laughter yoga students from the corners of this tiny studio on the second floor of a downtown Manhattan building. Most of us have never met and from the looks on some faces, aren’t quite sure what to expect. … [Read more...] about Medicinal mirth: The health benefits of laughter
The business of making people laugh
Janet Paskin | August 2009 issue What’s a laugh worth? You can get your yuks in a comedy club for $20 or less; for a few hours of humor in a movie theater, you’ll pay about $10. A whoopee cushion or a joy buzzer is significantly cheaper; to indulge in more highbrow humor—say, a … [Read more...] about The business of making people laugh
What makes the whoopee cushion so funny?
Marco Visscher | August 2009 issue After Trevor Cox, professor of acoustics at the University of Salford in central England, designed the world’s largest whoopee cushion (it’s six feet—two meters—in diameter), he was approached by the British charity Comic Relief to carry out a … [Read more...] about What makes the whoopee cushion so funny?
In the beginning was the joke
John Lloyd | August 2009 issue There’s a mysterious passage in the Bible, that goes like this: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." This passage has the unmistakable ring of truth, which is curious, because it also appears to be … [Read more...] about In the beginning was the joke