How to Avoid Laughing at Your Own Jokes

Edited by Wes Platt, Jonlandrum, mikki, Ben Rubenstein and 32 others

Ever spoiled a joke by laughing? Can't get through your punchline without rolling on the floor? Then read on! Laughing, although fun, can not only have the effect of being a socially crippling ability, but also one that could lead to great things. A person can tell a lot about another based on how they laugh, not just on what they say. Follow these steps and you are almost guaranteed a chuckle, although getting a laugh may require more practice.

Edit Steps

1. 
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   Find a joke that makes you laugh, and make sure that it is easy to understand if you want to tell it to younger people.
2. 
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   Tell the joke repeatedly to people who won't get it. (little brothers or sisters and cats both work really well!)
3. 
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   Don't act like you've practiced the joke! You should know it well, but don't recite it.
4. 
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   Think about something not funny. (like how your English teacher gave you a C for a 80.8%)
5. 
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   Practice in front of a mirror or your friends, as this will switch focus from the punchline to your delivery.
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   When you're alone, just walk around the house repeating it as though you're talking in a normal conversation, to make the words seem natural. You will have said it enough times to not think of it as "the funniest joke ever".

Edit Tips

• Even though a joke is supposed to be funny, treat it instead like you're telling about your last (fairly boring) trip to the grocery store. The more nonchalant you tell it, the funnier it will be to your unsuspecting audience.
• Don't build up the joke too much, make it as unexpected and natural as possible.
• Also, try not to have any kind of expression so that when you get to the Punch Line, your audience is unexpected. It makes them laugh harder!
• If you're doing an impression, act it out and keep your mind focused on the impression.
• If you say it to yourself over and over again, it may help you to not laugh. This is similar to saying the same joke over and over to friends.
• If you're telling jokes at a party or at a bar and you've got a dry sense of humor, you can almost certainly start to take a sip of your drink as the joke settles on your listeners. You come off looking centered and in control and even as if you're reloading for the next quip.
• If you tell it to yourself a lot you might think it is not very funny, therefore you won't laugh when you tell it. This will make it funnier, though it may make you like the joke less and thus tell it less often.
• Think about the people around you. It's easier to tell a joke to people you know than around strangers (such as trying to impress people at a party).
• Don't use a joke that's too long or you'll lose interest.

Edit Warnings

• Sometimes a joke is just INCREDIBLY funny and all you can do is make sure you don't laugh until you get the whole thing said and understood - because no one understands what you're saying when you laugh. You're allowed to join in if your listeners are rolling about on the floor, it's laughing alone because people didn't hear or understand you that's not the best.