Laughter and comedy

Photo of a man holding a hand-drawn sketch of himself on a city street, wearing a blazer with a colourful patch.
Psyche Exclusive
PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

Bad art, good laughs – a street portraitist’s lacklustre work animates a city

Directed by Rosie Baldwin

Close-up photo of a hand carving a pencil with a small knife, focusing on the pencil’s tip and wood shavings.
FOCUS AND ATTENTION

There’s joy in doing a job right. Just ask this artisanal pencil-sharpener

Directed by Kenneth Price

A smiling shirtless man with the outline of a child, as if cut out by scissors, sitting on his shoulders.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

No kidding! Inside one childless comedian’s choice to get a vasectomy

A film by Jordan Temple

Seven elderly people stand in front of an old church surrounded by a graveyard under a grey sky with trees in the background.
THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE

Some 40 years on, actors revisit the toil and trouble of a Macbeth fiasco

Directed by James Solden

Photo of a man in a suit and bowler hat holding a microphone performing on stage with spotlights in the background.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

Is absurdist comedy pure nonsense or is there more to it?

On stage as Mr Fruit Salad, I’ve seen for myself the power of the bizarre and ridiculous to convey what words can’t

by Joz Norris

Photo of two people at a dinner table laughing heartily with wine glasses and a plate in the foreground.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

Why it takes humour to sustain a long-term relationship

Maintaining a long and happy relationship requires a specific skillset. Learning to laugh at yourself and together is key

by Enrico Gnaulati

Ukraine postage stamps with a soldier gesturing at a warship, text reads “Русский военный корабль … ВСЮ!”. Dated 14.04.2022.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

A sense of humour – even a dark one – is a moral virtue

A sense of humour is a moral virtue that can help people flourish, even in dire conditions that are conducive to unhappiness

by Mark Alfano & Mandi Astola

A woman in period dress smiles while holding a small object depicting a nude seated figure.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

Just when in history did men decide that women are not funny?

Women have been witty and bawdy throughout history. It’s only recently that men haven’t been able to see their funny side

by Joy Wiltenburg

A Jewish man wearing glasses and a platchige biber hat, speaking into a microphone at a comedy club, with a brick wall and a blurred sign in the background.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

An Orthodox Jew struggles to balance his two callings – religion and comedy

Directed by Jonathan Miller

Photo of a humanoid robot with outstretched arms on a stage facing an audience in a dimly lit room.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

When will humorous AIs press our buttons with their jokes?

A sense of humour is a tough test of an AI. Our devices won’t be truly smart until they know how to make us laugh

by Tony Veale

Illustration from an ancient manuscript showing musicians and people socialising on two levels inside a vibrant room.
STORIES AND LITERATURE

Party-crashing was a serious business in medieval Arabic tales

More than just a light-hearted figure of fun, the medieval party-crasher had a multi-layered role in Arabic morality tales

by Emily Selove

Two people in a worn-out room with an old TV, a mirror reflecting more people, and various items on countertops and shelves.
ARTISTS AND ART HISTORY

One Kandinsky, one viewer and one guard, in a Moscow power station

Directed by Nastia Korkia

A candid photo of three smiling children slightly out of focus, showing joy and togetherness against a dark backdrop.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

How to laugh more

You don’t have to wait to be amused, there are ways to train yourself to enjoy the ‘cheap medicine’ of laughter every day

by Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky