Humor Me - by Chris Duffy (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From a comedian and host of a hit TED podcast, a hilarious and enlightening guide to laughing your way into a fuller life. Ten years ago, when Chris Duffy was an exhausted fifth grade teacher, he taught the funniest person he's ever met: 11-year-old Gary C. Gary was the school newspaper's official food critic, blasting cafeteria pizza for looking like cardboard and alleging that the baked beans weren't "beany" enough. These days, Duffy is a comedian and the host of a podcast with millions of listeners, but he's never forgotten the joy of laughing with Gary during that bleak Boston winter. Gary taught him that a life without a sense of humor isn't much of a life at all. With curiosity and wit, Duffy takes us on a journey to learn how a good laugh can bring us closer to the good life. When he endeavors to pay more attention to the world around him, he discovers that his once-dreary commute is laugh-out-loud funny: think a rider catching a pigeon with his bare hands and Duffy's very own Russian mystic doppelganger. Using psychology and the wisdom of fellow comedians, Duffy reveals that a sense of humor can turn you into the kind of person others want to be around, someone who can be honest about their flaws without beating themselves up. It can teach us how to show up more generously in our most important relationships and how to handle the most painful parts of life without giving into despair. For anyone who has tried out meditation, a new year's resolution or gratitude practice as a self-improvement strategy, HUMOR ME offers a fresh and exciting path to greater presence, creativity, connection and joy"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From a comedian and host of hit TED podcast, How to Be a Better Human, a hilarious and enlightening guide to laughing your way into a fuller life

"Warning: this book may cause repeated smiling. It's a delightful read about how we can bring more levity into our lives."
--Adam Grant, author of Hidden Potential and Think Again

In his days as an exhausted fifth grade teacher, Chris Duffy taught the funniest person he's ever met: eleven-year-old Gary. Gary was the school newspaper's official food critic, blasting cafeteria pizza for looking like cardboard and opining that the baked beans weren't "beany" enough. These days, Duffy is a professional comedy writer and the host of a podcast with millions of listeners, but he's never forgotten the transformative joy of laughing with Gary during a bleak Boston winter. In Humor Me, he shares a road map for how to cultivate and strengthen a sense of humor in a challenging world.

Duffy embarks on a journey that takes him from comedy clubs to emergency rooms to a helicopter full of Navy SEALs and back to his own keyboard to reveal how--and why--a good laugh can bring us closer to the good life. Drawing on personal stories, insights from the social sciences, and the wisdom of comedians, Duffy offers practical strategies, including:

• How to hone the art of noticing, finding humor in the most unlikely places
• Why you should take social risks (to build connection through humor!)
• How to apply the comedy secret that laughs come in threes.

Humor Me promises to deepen your friendships, enhance your creativity, and lighten life's burdens, and is a genuinely funny read along the way.

Review Quotes

"Warning: this book may cause repeated smiling. It's a delightful read about how we can bring more levity into our lives."
--Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re: Thinking

"Practical ways to giggle more every day? Without enabling my crippling laughing gas addiction? Yes, please!"
--Bowen Yang, Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, and Saturday Night Live cast member

"Chris Duffy is the kind of writer who makes me angry. Not only is he hilarious, but he is able to do something almost no humorist can: Research. I came away from this book happier, full of information I can't WAIT to bring up casually in conversation, and with a newfound appreciation of elementary school lunch reviews."
--Bess Kalb, Emmy-nominated comedy writer and bestselling author of Nobody Will Tell You This But Me and Buffalo Fluffalo

"I missed my deadline for sending the publisher a blurb, because I kept re-reading passages, taking notes, and telling my wife my favorite parts of this book. Luckily, I got an extension so that I could write the following: What a wonderful book! Funny, wise, inspiring, practical, and many other positive adjectives. Thank you for writing it, Chris. "
--A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically

"Humor Me is, of course, a very fun read. But it's much more -- a master class in using humor as a powerful tool to build a more vibrant and more connected life."
--Robert Waldinger, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and New York Times bestselling author of The Good Life

"Chris Duffy has a great sense of humor and a great sense of curiosity which are both on display in this book. That mixture makes him an engaging tour guide into not simply the techniques one might need to be funny, but the impact laughter can have on our lives as we age, process difficult things, or try to connect with other people. Chris also agreed to rename his firstborn after me, so I'm putting that in print on his book to make sure it happens or to forever mark him as a liar."
--Wyatt Cenac, Emmy-award-winning comedian, writer, and actor

"Humor Me is a delightful and deeply wise reminder that joy isn't just something we stumble upon and that sometimes the smartest path to happiness starts with a good laugh."
--Laurie Santos, host of The Happiness Lab podcast and professor of psychology at Yale University

About the Author

CHRIS DUFFY is a stand-up comedian who has worked as a television writer (Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas on HBO, National Geographic Explorer) and is currently host of TED's hit podcast How to Be a Better Human, winner of the 2025 Webby Award for Advice & How-To Podcasts. He has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC News, and NPR.