develop sense of humor

I just completed a course in beginner's improv (each class is 3 hours long x 6 weekly sessions), which culminated with a student performance show. It was nerve-wrecking and challenging, but extremely fulfilling.

I decided to take improv because:
• It cultivates humor, spontaneity (quick on feet), and creativity.
• Yet, it teaches me to STOP thinking, let go of my left-brained mind, be present in the situation, and just feel and flow.
• Teaches me to exaggerate emotions and explore other aspects of communication: facial expressions, gestures, tonality, volume, etc.
• Conditions me to care less about looking "stupid"
• Makes a great DHV story.
• All of the above are useful in learning/practicing pickup and communicating well with women.
• Improv is something really out of my comfort zone and personal growth is important to me.

Hopefully you live in a big city and can find a local place to take improv if you choose so. I live in LA and the cost of my 18+ hours of instruction and practice was $285, which seems to be close to the average. So for that amount, it was a no-brainer for me to take them.

I took Level 1 from here:
http://www.westsideeclectic.com/Classes.aspx

If you sign up before Christmas, it's $250 instead of $285. Just call the theater to sign up.

Yes, I USED to think i was funny with my snidey comments and sarcastic remarks with my asian poker face. I can gage people's responses so much better.

I took improv for one year and performed for a few mo's too. www.bangstudio.com

Congrats C-dub on getting out there. Improv has taught me soooo much. I consider it mandatory for people to take.

If you're going to do Improv, I highly suggest being "BIG CHARACTERS" that are totally outside of your personality. One of my communications problems is having a monotone personality.

On a budget??? Try Pasadena City College.... Comedy Improv....2 1/2 hrs each for 5 weeks.....$75..

I'm planning to take that in Jan 2009..

wow..that's a deal..

i just found one here in Vegas...$200 for 6 sessions...

i am sure they have some kind of beginners acting class available in China.

how about watching the movies by "Chou Sing Che"(stephen chow)...the actor in "kung fu hustle"..he made a lot of funny movies during his career..

that's how you learn...my humor comes not from a classroom but what i observed...I watch a lot of comedy shows..in fact, it is what I mainly watch...after awhile..you start absorbing the humor and the mannerisms of comedians...

the great thing about the human mind is that we are great at imitation..

That's why the bootcamps are great...you learn so much faster when you watch someone do it...it is better than reading a 1000 page book. Human beings seem to learn so much faster by learning other's do their magic.

There is an active community there, just that they don't mingle in forums like ABCs except for a few( you know who you are :-) )

I am actually interested to know how different it is, gaming Chinese girls in China and girls in the states and europe.

There should be subtle, but important differences that sets females of different culture apart.

For example, when I club in China, it's harder to lock into a group as people usually come in a group and exclude others(people there think that there are some bad ass dude in clubs), so they tend to chat just amongst their friends. Else in Europe, people are more receptive if you interrupt a mix set.

people think i am funnier these days after the bootcamp. it has a lot to do with my expressing myself in a spontaneous manner. here are some suggestions;

you could actually change your mood on command.
If you put yourself in a fun playful, spontaneous, high energy mood, this will help you be funny.
If you are in a playful mood, you can tell playful whimsical stories from your life and that will be funny.

I don't suggest learning material, i suggest trying different things with people.
humor is a way of seeing the world; not necessarily a matter of learning something. A book could help you perceive things differently with tips; but I think, the important thing is, to be in a mood where you are having fun, spontaneous, and where you care about pointing out the fun things in life.

the other day, i was in a fun mood. a girl stood in front of a balloon tied to the table. So i poked the balloon at her and smiled a ridiculous grin.