--- title: For April Fools Day: How To Be Funny-Six Essential Ingredients To Humor description: So What Are The Six Steps To Being Funny? Mel Helitzer’s Comedy Writing Secrets is commonly used as a textbook in college courses on comedy... canonical: https://time.com/44168/how-to-be-funny-the-six-essential-ingredients-to-humor/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-01T04:01:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:53:54.371Z article:section: Ideas og:title: For April Fools Day: How To Be Funny-Six Essential Ingredients To Humor og:description: So What Are The Six Steps To Being Funny? Mel Helitzer’s Comedy Writing Secrets is commonly used as a textbook in college courses on comedy... og:url: https://time.com/44168/how-to-be-funny-the-six-essential-ingredients-to-humor/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26cd4945533b7fe6/69868835e53aba0c6a4d1c53/76382137.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: "I Think I Love My Wife" Los Angeles Premiere - Red Carpet og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: For April Fools Day: How To Be Funny-Six Essential Ingredients To Humor twitter:description: So What Are The Six Steps To Being Funny? Mel Helitzer’s Comedy Writing Secrets is commonly used as a textbook in college courses on comedy... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26cd4945533b7fe6/69868835e53aba0c6a4d1c53/76382137.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How To Be Funny: The Six Essential Ingredients To Humor > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Apr 1, 2014 4:01 AM UTC  Chris Rock (L) and Louis CK (R) Chris Rock (L) and Louis CK (R) Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic for Variety Magazine by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Apr 1, 2014 4:01 AM UTC **So What Are The Six Steps To Being Funny?** Mel Helitzer’s [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20) is commonly used as a textbook in college courses on comedy writing. **What does it say is the best method for how to be funny? Helitzer explains the “THREES” formula.** It’s an acronym for the six essential elements that are found in everything from good one-liners, to funny anecdotes to full comedy sets: 1. **Target** 2. **Hostility** 3. **Realism** 4. **Exaggeration** 5. **Emotion** 6. **Surprise** Here’s a breakdown: ## **1) Target** Via [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Louis CK’s target here is his doctor. (Note — All videos are NSFW): ## **2) Hostility** Via [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Lewis Black, the king of comic hostility, unleashes a torrent of anger regarding the milk section of the supermarket (around 3 mins 16 seconds in): ## **3) Realism** Via [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Louis CK is quite harsh — but hysterical — when talking about his daughter (1min 29 seconds in.) But it works because it contains elements any parent can relate to: ## **4) Exaggeration** Via [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Eddie Izzard explains World War 2\. For many, history can be dry but he exaggerates and dramatizes key moments to lighten the subject matter: ## **5) Emotion** Via [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Watch how Chris Rock leverages emotion to engage his audience: ## **6) Surprise** Via [Comedy Writing Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973571/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582973571&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- [UCLA film school professor Howard Suber](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-ucla-film-school-professor-howard-suber-explains-storyteller/) says surprise is the key to all storytelling. Jerry Stahl tells the story of how he managed to break his addiction to heroin… by switching to crack: (More on how humor works [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/5-reasons-why-humor-is-more-powerful-than-you/). More on how humor can improve your life [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/whydowelaugh/).) **What Can We Learn From A Pro?** My friend Andrew Goldberg, a staff writer on [Family Guy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000083C6V/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000083C6V&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20), gave a number of comedy tips in [my interview with him](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/interview-secrets-creativity-learn-writer-family-guy/). What can he add to the six tips above? Don’t get wedded to your first idea: --- > “” --- Keep at it. Keep trying new versions (“alts”) of a joke until one clicks: --- > “” --- **To read the extended interview with Andrew and learn more about how to be funny, join 45K+ readers and get my free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [5 reasons why humor is more powerful than you would ever guess](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/5-reasons-why-humor-is-more-powerful-than-you/) [Three secrets to creativity you can learn from a writer on “Family Guy”](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/interview-secrets-creativity-learn-writer-family-guy/) [What makes something funny? Can humor improve our lives?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/whydowelaugh/) _This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/44168/how-to-be-funny-the-six-essential-ingredients-to-humor/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/44168/how-to-be-funny-the-six-essential-ingredients-to-humor/"},"headline":"How To Be Funny: The Six Essential Ingredients To Humor","datePublished":"2014-04-01T04:01:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:53:54.371Z","description":"So What Are The Six Steps To Being Funny? 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