Curious Minds at Work

CM 315: Chris Duffy Makes You Laugh

Apr 4, 2026
Chris Duffy, stand-up comedian, TV writer, and author of Humor Me, argues humor is a life practice to boost presence, creativity, connection, and resilience. He recounts shifting from teaching to comedy, building a humor muscle through presence and rituals, using timing and escalation in jokes, taking social risks, and treating humor as generous service to help others feel seen.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Rejection Therapy Sparked Unexpected Yeses

  • Joe Zhang's rejection therapy required asking for daily rejections to desensitize fear and unlock opportunities.
  • Examples include asking a security guard for $100 and getting curious responses, or requesting interlocking Olympic-color donuts at Krispy Kreme.
INSIGHT

Being A Little Messy Makes You More Likable

  • Imperfection increases likability: people prefer candidates who appear human over flawless performers.
  • Study: job applicants with a giant coffee stain rated more likable and competent than a perfect interviewer.
ADVICE

Use Punchline Placement And The Rule Of Three

  • Follow comedy 'math': put the funniest word last and use the rule of three for callbacks.
  • End lines to allow laughter, and deliver a third callback for the biggest payoff; avoid over-repeating a joke a fourth time.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app