A skeleton walks into a bar.

The bartender says, what do you have?

And the skeleton says, I'll have a beer and a mop.

All right, it's an old joke, but maybe you laughed at it.

And if you did, why? What makes it funny?

And what is it about puns that tickles are funny bone?

Or dad jokes?

How about practical jokes? Or even a person slipping on a banana peel, what could puns, the tickles are funny bone, or dad jokes? How about practical jokes? Or even a person

slipping on a banana peel? What could possibly tie all of these very different things together

under the heading, humor? That's a question that's fascinated people for centuries, and not just

comedians. The writer E.B. White is supposed to have said that explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. The thing dies in the process. But scientists and philosophers, undaunted, have nonetheless long tried to figure out what makes some things funny and other things not. Today, just in time for April Fool's Day, we'll explore that question and maybe help you figure out

whether your practical joke is likely to soar or make people sore at you. Welcome to

Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that

examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills.

Our guest today is Dr. Peter McGraw, a marketing and psychology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, and director of the humor research lab, also known as Hurl.

He has spent more than a dozen years studying what makes things funny and has developed what he

calls the benign violation theory that explains why people find humor in everything from tickling to puns.

He's also explored humor on a more practical level, even trying his hand at stand-up comedy

and hosting a podcast where he interviewed comedians about their lives and work.

These days, he's exploring how people can apply lessons from comedy

to become more innovative and creative thinkers

in all areas of their life and work.

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