6 Habits That Make You Fun to Be Around

If you want to be the life of the party, there's really only two things that you need to do. First, you need to be able to captivate people who you might not know. And second, you need to be able to make people with different senses of humor laugh. So in this video, I want to cover six easy ways to become the life of any party. These are things anyone can do, and you do not have to be a comedic genius. To illustrate these points, we're going to be looking at Jim Carrey. So let's go ahead and start with Jim's most obvious gag playing a character. Watch here how he tells the story of going out in public wearing disguises.

You know, so I got this mustache, and I applied it, and I had thick glasses. I had, you know, I had a baseball cap, and I kind of thought I was getting away with it. Okay, you know, I got inside. Did you? Did you?

Jim continues, and he finally takes his daughter to this concession stand inside the Cirque du Soleil, thinking that he pulled off this big disguise, and then this happens. So watch how the story that he tells isn't particularly clever, but it's enhanced by the way that he embodies and exaggerates the facial expressions, the tone, and the mannerisms of the characters that he plays.

And I kind of had my head down. I went, oh, let me see. I'll have a large T shirt and a small one for my daughter, please. And I waited, and he didn't seem to be doing anything. So I looked up, and he was staring at me like this, like you'd just seen Jim Carrey in a fake mustache. Then I started, you know, walking my daughter to the seats, and people were yelling out, nice mustache, Jim. Hey, guys, look. It's Jim Carrey and a fake mustache.

I've heard people say, and maybe you have, too, that their lives are just too boring for good stories. And whenever people say that, I know that they don't get into their characters. Yes, it's true, some people's lives just might lend themselves better to cool stories. But the truth of comedy is that you can make the most normal day hilarious if you give the characters life. And Jim Carrey demonstrates exactly how to do that. You know, you need to take on their mannerisms, their facial expressions, their tone, and then you exaggerate that for comedic effect. It's incredibly simple and incredibly effective. Playing a character is also really helpful when you want to use sarcasm without hurting other people's feelings. So watch here how Jim bashes the band that he's currently singing with, but does so in a way that is unlikely to make anybody upset.

Days be merry and bright.

Guys pick a key.

And may all your Chris.

You can see by the way that Jim is singing overly emphasized. And by the facial expression that he makes when he disses them that he is joking. Right? This isn't serious. He's playing the diva. In another video on Robert Downey Jr. I covered how sarcasm can often be a double edged sword since it makes people feel bad sometimes. But you absolutely can blunt that effect when you're playing a dopey character who's being sarcastic that communicates. It's not me saying this mean thing, it's this over the top idiot. So this next clip is a bit more more subtle. But note again how Jim shifts his face and tone when telling people not to sit down, which could come across as rude, but doesn't.

What are you sitting down for?

I was gonna milk that for a while.

You guys can stretch that out in post, right Again.

There you see that shift in tone to that deeper what are you sitting down for? Voice. And that marks the fact that he's kidding. So people are less likely to have negative feelings when he makes jokes. Their expense. Moving along now to the next ridiculously easy to use tool specificity. And I'm bringing Bill Burr in for this one because he doesn't do the over the top things that Jim Carrey does. But he's still a hilarious comedian in part because he gets very specific when he starts telling stories and jokes. So here he is talking about a Black Friday mob that formed outside of Walmart.

If you're gonna go there, you don't want to be at the front of the line. You want to be about 4. And I figure you pop out of the line and you wait till that first wave or two falls down and then you go over the top. Like Walter Payton back at the stage.

You see right there he uses Walter Payton's name and the specificity of this helps because he solidifies that ridiculous image in your head. Even if you don't know who Walter Payton is, there's just something funny about being specific when you're cracking jokes. Watch here again as Bill Burr continues.

But even then, even then, you gotta know where to go in the store. Like where is the thing that is on sale, right? Where are those mint Milano cookies or whatever they have that you're gonna make a beeline for?

If Bill Burr had just said cookies, it wouldn't have been as funny. And if he'd said mint cookies it would have been a bit funnier, but Mint Milano Cookies is super specific, and that adds to the humor. So when you are telling funny stories, remember that oddly specific details are your friend. The next gets to the core of confidence and charisma in general. I've talked about conviction in the six Mindsets video, but I want to show you what conviction looks like in a humorous setting. Watch now as Jim Carrey stays absolutely committed to the character that he's playing and how the laughs start coming in only after a few passes at the same joke.

New York City. I don't get to come to the big town very often. I lock it down here. You haven't been here in a while. Thank you very much.

I lock it.

Especially that Port Authority. You go over there, Jim. It's colorful. People there. That's right.

If Jim had backed out halfway through and looked around sheepishly, he'd just have looked dumb. You might have experienced this before. You start telling a story or a joke that you know is funny, but you're nervous because maybe you're in a group of people that you don't know so well. So you rush it. And by the end, people are just kind of confused as to why you started speaking in the first place, and then they just go back to resuming a different conversation. And if you have done this, it's because you didn't stay committed. You bailed too early, and maybe your body language even apologized for what you were saying as you said it. Staying committed to a bit, just a little bit longer, can be the difference between being the life of the party and just looking weird. For another example, watch how Jim plays out this gag with full commitment in terms of physical intensity and the amount of time that he spends on this joke.

Two, one.

Now, just to be clear, I am not suggesting that you start spitting out drinks at friends parties. Jim is a zany character, so he goes way over the top, but you get the idea of what commitment looks like. His whole body is into it. He does not hesitate before he runs off the stage, before he grabs the camera, or even before he grabs that woman out of the audience to kiss her. I can't show the whole clip, but two minutes later, he winds up back in the studio after having run around outside taking his shirt off, and he just continues to push that joke to the next level, which is where the humor comes from. Again, you don't need to do all that much. Just remember to stay committed, don't hesitate, and see if you can take your jokes to the next level. Rather than backing off because the first joke didn't hit. So the next tip is to use the element of surprise. A large number of jokes simply come from the fact that someone did something unexpected. And a really excellent way to incorporate this into your own life is to purposely misinterpret what people say. Watch how Jim does it here.

But the movie begins. I'm allowed to say how the movie begins, right? How it starts. It shows.

It's your show.

You walk into the theater and you sit down, you get some. No, no, no, no, no, no.

Every movie, Obviously, Jim knew what he meant, but he's able to create that surprise laugh by purposely answering a question that he wasn't asked. The nice thing about surprise is that it doesn't have to be witty. It doesn't even have to make sense. An odd surprise for no reason other than it's odd is. Is plenty to make people laugh. So check out again, Jim as he makes this joke that has basically no content.

Dumb and dumber, too. It's happening.

I mean, highly anti.

I cannot wait for this. It's not even a movie anymore. It's not even a movie.

It's a phenomenon.

It is a what?

A phenomenon. Okay.

All he has to do is pronounce the words weirdly, and the surprise is created. Now, if you're watching this and thinking Jim Carrey's too over the top, the nice thing is that surprise is really easy to create with the deadpan delivery. Jim Carrey's Persona makes people expect that randomness from him all the time. So it doesn't always hit as hard. But if you have a more deadpan style, you can really work the surprise angle. Watch here, as Bill Burr's tone makes you not expect a joke, and then when there is one, it hits much harder.

It's because people come out to my shows, they say, you know, I drove four hours. I drove six hours, so I want to go, like, to where they're at, and it's like, Boise, Deadwood, S.D. someplace in Monster City.

Yeah, basically that.

Yeah, yeah, it'll be. Yeah, it's going to be a lot of good people. A little bit of meth.

By doing the opposite of what Jim Carrey does and not setting the joke up with a zany character, the surprise is heightened. So the good news here is that all of these techniques can be adapted to fit your own style. You just use them in different amounts and with a different balance. But the truth is, all of these techniques together only form the action steps, which are important. I love to focus on the actions. But mindsets are going to drive a lot of those little micro cues that can be the difference between a joke landing and a joke bombing. So here's some comedic and life philosophy that underscores all of these techniques and is going to go a long way towards helping you become the life of the party.

But to find real peace, you have to let the armor go. Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world.

This is one of the paradoxes of being the life of the party. If you watch this far and you enjoy this channel, it's because part of you wants to be accepted by other people. You want to be liked, and you do want to be the life of the party. And honestly, there's nothing wrong with that. The thing that I would add to Jim's quote is that you need to figure out whose acceptance you want. If you want to be accepted by everyone. You will not do any of the stuff that Jim Carrey does. You won't be weird, you won't make faces or tell off putting jokes. You're going to try to blend in and you will be invisible. So I encourage you not to get attached to the acceptance of any individual or any particular cool social circle. Instead, behave in a way that is fun and amusing for you, treat other people well, and then look for acceptance from the people who like that. In sum, first define the kind of person that you want to be and the kind of people whose acceptance you care about. Do not try to be accepted by everyone, because then you truly become invisible. Here's another little mindset.

Disappear from show business forever and feel wonderful about what I've done, what I've experienced, what I've been given. But I am always grateful that wherever I go, somehow I did something that makes people bright.

That is the kind of attitude that leads to happiness. That's the kind of attitude that leads to jokes landing unfunny. People who come across as try hard ask, how can I be funny? And I get that. That is actually the title of some of my videos. I understand that's what people ask. But the funniest people ask themselves, how can I brighten up others? How can I be playful? How can I have fun myself? And once you get that, you'll find that a lot of the techniques I covered flow much more easily and sometimes without even thinking about them. And then lastly, there's this gem.

As someone who's done what you're about to go and do, I can tell you from experience the effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.

When he says currency, I think he's referring to the amount of freedom that it grants. Truly, if you can make people feel good or laugh, you are free in ways that that many people never experience. You're free to form relationships with just about anyone, to have career opportunities open up that otherwise wouldn't be there, or to date and marry the person that you want the most. And I include that quote to thank you for watching this much and to encourage you to continue checking out the channel. Because I really do think that your ability to affect other people and to form relationships is the most valuable skill out there. If you are more interested in that skill, specifically the blueprint to Making Amazing First Impressions we set up another video that covers the four emotions that guarantee a great first impression. Every time you hit those four emotions in the right order, any kind of environment from the boardroom to the bar or party, it doesn't matter. So if you're curious what those are, click the box here. It's going to take you to a page where you can submit your email and get immediate access to that video so that you can begin using those emotions today. If you've enjoyed this video and want to get all of our new ones, go ahead, click the button here and subscribe to the channel. That way you're going to see them on your YouTube home screen every single week and you won't ever miss one. We do breakdowns like these, but also fictional characters like Game of Thrones, plus actionable tips for being your most charismatic self. So be sure to subscribe if you want that. If you guys have any video suggestions please please go ahead, write them down in the comments. Jim Carrey was a suggestion that I got from you. I'm happy to have done it. Currently I'm working on Arnold Schwarzenegger, which a lot of you have asked for, and a few other topics. But I'm always open to your guys feedback, so let me know. I hope that you've enjoyed this video and I will see you in the next one.