Most of us have strange habits. Here’s one of Steve Sultanoff’s： From time to time， he goes out in public wearing a clown nose （and carries one with him always）. His reasoning is pretty straightforward： “You just never know when a clown nose might come in handy1，” he says. Sultanoff also carries a false Elvis driver’s license， which he presents at hotels whenever he checks in.
　　Strange as they sound， Sultanoff’s quirks2 serve a purpose. The psychologist and self-described “clinical mirthologist” is a hardcore proponent of the idea that humor，3 experienced often and in everyday life， can enhance one’s health， friendships， and even romantic relationships. And he’s right： Laughter， humor’s external measurement， is clinically shown to reduce blood pressure， increase pain tolerance， and boost the immune system. It even makes you sexier： A survey conducted this year by Discover and Match Media Group found that 67 percent of respondents cited having a sense of humor as “very” or “extremely” important in a potential mate.4

　　Of course， for many of us， seeing someone bust out a clown nose at the DMV is more likely to induce an eye roll than a laugh.5 But it makes Sultanoff chuckle6， and that’s the point. Many people misunderstand humor as a purely relational experience—they focus on making better jokes， or coming up with the perfect quip7. But according to Sultanoff， the path to a better sense of humor starts from within. That’s because the building blocks8 of humor are universal： Most of what we find funny will translate to others. So if you’re looking for how to improve your sense of humor， you would do well to start by making yourself laugh. Here’s how to get there.

Know what funny means.

　　Let’s start off by considering what humor really is. “You could start with the simple definition， which is that humor is what makes us laugh，” Sultanoff says. However， he notes that humor can be experienced without laughter， like when we type “lol” into a text message without laughing， or read a great Calvin