My friend Peter co-wrote this, and I was very glad to see it come out on Audible right away (I do hate to read books in the old-fashioned sense). It’s outside of my normal genres of sci-fi, startup, sci-fi, business, fantasy, and more sci-fi, but I’m glad I picked it up. Despite my bias, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Peter and Joel really do travel the world in search of what makes things funny. The combination of a researcher and a writer make for a great combo for a book.
Publisher’s Summary
Dr. Peter McGraw, founder of the Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, teamed up with journalist Joel Warner on a far-reaching search for the secret behind humor. Their journey spanned the globe, from New York to Japan, from Palestine to the Amazon. Meanwhile, the duo conducted their own humor experiments along the way-to wince-worthy, hilarious, and illuminating results. In their quixotic search, they questioned countless experts, from comedians like Louis C. K. to rat-tickling researchers, and answered pressing (and not-so-pressing) questions such as, “What’s the secret to winning the New Yorker cartoon caption contest?”; “Who has the bigger funny bone – men or women, Democrats or Republicans?”; and “Is laughter really the best medicine?” As a final test, McGraw uses everything they learned to attempt stand-up-at the largest comedy festival in the world. Funny, surprising, and often touching, The Humor Code is a revealing exploration of humor, society, and an unusual friendship.