The HUMOR Process

Humor unleashes our internal creative process, which allows us to mentally neutralize a situation and decide within a split second how we're going to react. Most people react to things they hear and see instantaneously; few think about how that reaction came to be. Not necessarily because it is so difficult to figure out, but because it sort of blends into the background leaving visible only our reactions. 

Perceiving something outside ourselves is the first step in reacting with our external environment (i.e,. taking notice). Once we notice something, we mentally categorize what's caught our attention and then we decide how to respond. These steps are not easily observed, which is why they usually go unnoticed. In what seems like a split second, we create a scenario and then express it. 

The mechanics of this process is a complex scientific enterprise that mimics a natural psychophysiological one. 

When an external situation is conceptualized as humorous, our internal process, with great style, fulfills its potential, the sum of which leaves a fingerprint on the external world. The explanations that accompany what goes on in the center of all this activity could fill a decent chunk of the Library of Congress, however, in simpler terms, it looks a little like this: 

Whatever decision we make in the presence of something that could yield a humorous reaction (smile, laugh, giggle...), it is us as a creative director making that call. It's creative problem solving (the problem of how to react). 


Creativity is our most valuable resource and as such, a priority. Studying, understanding, and appreciating the nature of the creative process contributes significantly to culture and our quality of life. 


While thinking isn't generally associated with being observable, observe your creativity at work with the following blank comics. There are no captions except for the ones that formulate in your mind. 

The nice thing about the creative process is that when you don't like what you came up with, you can crumble up that thought and throw it in the trash bin!

AND START OVER!