This week Pope Francis, a sober spiritual leader of the Western world called in the clowns, 150 comics (Whoopi Goldberg, James Fallon, and Conan O’Brien).  The Vatican keeps track of the buzz among its flock, and it’s hearing chuckles.  Recently Stanford University Business School also invited the jokers in to instruct our future billionaires on how business benefits from laughter. (MKTG 346: Humor: Serious Business, Stanford Business School Catalogue)

we should pay attention. The world is making technological progress in every part of our lives from telephones to intelligence machines, and flush toilets. Laughter can’t remain court jesters in the Dark Age. Any late-night host or stand-up guy pays a dozen or more professional comics who work long hours to test market a hundred jokes to get one audience-tested delivery. This isn’t nickel-and-dime silly stuff.

Pay attention: The witty/funny business has become a booming industry, leaping ahead with a healthy return on dollars invested. It is no longer just the setup and punchline. Scholars study every detail of the audience reaction in every market to perfect what makes the chuckles needle move.

Don’t get left behind on this one. Your grandfather gave up his black-and-white, rabbit ears TV. You replaced your clunky Palm Pilot phone. Now’s the time to explore what’s going on in humor.

Dust up your comic routines and test what humor material can do for you. Just have fun with it. When something feels wrong in your daily routine, you may suffer from a humor deficiency. Cultivate a youthful; funny spirit in your life. See the world through humor-colored glasses. Or you may be just too adult-grown up and need to implant in your mind some youthful yucks.Get started by focusing on enjoyment. Make people feel it’s fun to be with you. Permit them to do so.