Max Eastman wrote a book titled “The Enjoyment of Laughter”, which goes into detail analyzing the psychology behind humor. He presents four laws of humor, all related to the concept of being "in fun".

1. Laws of humor
Public Speaking Skills

2. Prepared By
TM Manu Melwin Joy
Kerala Toastmasters
Area – G3,Division G
District 92, India.
Phone – 9744551114
Mail – manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com
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3. Laws of humor
• Max Eastman wrote a book titled
“The Enjoyment of Laughter”, which
goes into detail analyzing the
psychology behind humor. He
presents four laws of humor, all
related to the concept of being "in
fun".

4. Laws of humor
• The first law is that things
can be funny only when
we are "in fun".
• Ask yourself, "Is this
audience "in fun"; do I
dare use humor; can they
be moved into "in fun""?

5. Laws of humor
• The second law is that when we
are "in fun", a peculiar shift of
values takes place.
• Pleasant things are still pleasant,
but disagreeable things, so long
as they are not disagreeable
enough to "spoil the fun", tend to
acquire a pleasant emotional
flavor and provoke a laugh.

6. Laws of humor
• Someone who can
think funny has the
natural ability to see
the humor in the
painful lessons of life.

7. Laws of humor
• The third law is that being "in
fun" is a condition most
natural to childhood, and that
children at play reveal the
humorous laugh in its simplest
and most omnivorous form.
• A speaker must be aware of
the mood of the audience at all
times.

8. Laws of humor
• The fourth law is that grown-up
people retain in varying degrees this
aptitude for being in fun and thus
enjoying unpleasant things as funny.
• But those not richly endowed with
humor manage to feel a very comic
feeling only when within, or behind or
beyond, or suggested by, the playfully
unpleasant thing, there is a pleasant
one.

9. Laws of humor
• Audiences made up of individuals
who have retained in varying
degrees the aptitude for being "in
fun" provide the humorous
speaker with a great challenge;
that of reaching all present. Like
Charlie says, some members of the
audience are thinking, "OK Buster,
lets see if you can make me
laugh....... "