You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh.

Comedian Chris Duffy, many of you might know him as the host of one of Ted's hit podcasts,

How to Be a Better Human, or as the creator and host of the streaming game show,

Wrong Answers Only, where three comedians

try to understand what a leading scientist does all day. He wants people to know that he was both

a fifth grader and a fifth grade teacher. I know him as a great friend of mine. He's also a writer

of television and now the book, Humor Me, How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy.

We're living in a moment that feels more serious than ever, so why are we talking about humor?

Chris grapples with it in life and now in his book.

I'm excited to bring you a conversation between Chris and me.

We got together virtually

in front of a live audience of TED members a few weeks ago to talk about his journey to humor

and why he believes it's so important, even when the world feels overwhelming. It's not like

laughing in that moment fixed the pain or fixed the depression or fixed the underlying issue. It didn't.

But it released the tension and it was this moment of lightness amidst all the heaviness. And that,

I think, is a really important thing to not underestimate.

Through funny stories, we'll discuss his interviews with a wide range of cool people,

as Chris likes to say, and the realizations he's had along the way.

We remember the negative stuff so much easier. So the biggest takeaway for me that I think is

the easiest to apply and has the biggest effect is to keep a list of the things that make you

laugh. This conversation is part of our book club series

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