Dilbert: Humor Formula

Make someone smile or even laugh is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Super successful cartoonist Dilbert has a formular for great humor. Fire at least on two of the six cylinders: Cute (as in kids and animals), Naughty, Bizarre, Clever, Recognizable (You've been there), Cruel and you will succeed.

The Dilbert Blog: Humor Formula

I wrote on this topic more extensively in my book, The Joy of Work. So I’ll just give you the highlights here. The core of humor is what I call the 2-of-6 rule. In order for something to be funny, you need at least two of the following elements:

Cute (as in kids and animals), Naughty, Bizarre, Clever, Recognizable (You've been there), Cruel and you will succeed.

via Jeff Nolan