I received a lovely email recently from my old friend and brilliant improviser and business trainer, Neil Mullarkey. He was alerting me to an article he’d just been sent from Stanford University about the power of ‘humourbragging’ – a new term, even to me.
Neil, who was a wonderful early guest on The Humourology Podcast, shares my passion for humour in the real world. He suggested it might be a great jumping-off point for a blog, and I think he was spot on. The concept of humourbragging – sprinkling self-confidence with a smile – feels bang on for anyone trying to stand out in the age of AI-written CVs and personality-free profiles. Neil had recently read my blog about AI and CVs and saw the parallels. While AI might help polish your prose, it rarely captures the nuance of a nudge and a wink. And that’s where humour comes in.
Neil and I go way back to the early days of the alternative comedy world, having appeared on the same bills with our acts – Morris Minor and the Majors (mine) and Mullarkey and Myers (his). That’s a lot of alliterative ‘M’s. Around that time, his comedy partner Mike Myers taught a few of us the art of improv, having brought all the games and exercises from his training with Second City in Toronto. I then became a regular guest with The Comedy Store Players, whose originators included Neil, Mike, Paul Merton and Josie Lawrence.
For those who don’t know, Neil Mullarkey is a legend in the world of improv. As the co-founder of The Comedy Store Players, Neil has spent over three decades performing with the likes of Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, and Sandi Toksvig. Impressively, he still performs regularly at The Comedy Store in London. In fact, The Comedy Store Players hold a Guinness World Record for being the longest-running comedy show with the same cast.
So when Neil says something about humour and communication, I listen.
The article he shared was from Stanford Business and explored a study led by Professor Nir Halevy on the power of humourbragging. In a world flooded with self-promotion, Halevy’s research shows that a dash of levity can give job seekers a serious edge.
Take, for example, a CV line like this:
“I have a proven track record of turning caffeine input into productivity output. The more coffee you provide, the more output I’ll produce.”
Cringey? Yep. But it worked. That line helped the applicant receive three times more traffic and 1.5 times more recruiter contact than their more serious counterpart.
The researchers found that humourbragging – the clever coupling of confidence with comedy – makes candidates appear both competent and likeable. Unlike the humblebrag (which is trying to be modest and self-promoting), the humourbrag owns the achievement, then sweetens it with a smile.
As Halevy puts it:
“Humourbragging is a compound. I’m going to talk about an accomplishment but add another aspect of my personality.”
It’s a neat way to show you’re accomplished and approachable. And in high-stakes situations like job interviews or investor pitches, that dual perception matters.
The research also found that humourbragging outperformed other forms of humour – like self-deprecation or ingratiation – when it came to perceived competence and warmth. In one case, a baker bragged about receiving the biggest tip the shop had ever seen. Another told the same story but ended it with:
“I’m just glad I only had to make the soccer ball, not kick one.”
Guess who interviewers preferred? The one with the punchline.
How do you Humourbrag like a pro?
Here are a few examples of how to turn dry business statements into delightful ones:
Standard: “Led a high-performing team to exceed Q2 sales targets by 15%.”
Humourbrag: “Led a team so effective we hit Q2 sales targets early and still had time to argue about the best meeting biscuits.”
Standard: “Skilled at stakeholder management.”
Humourbrag: “I’ve got stakeholders on side faster than you can dodge a reply-all email chain.”
Standard: “Creative problem solver.”
Humourbrag: “Known for finding solutions faster than you can misplace a Post-it.”
Done well, humourbragging makes you sound not only competent but also confident, relaxed, and – dare I say – human. And let’s face it, in a world awash with robotic resumes, a little humanity goes a long way.
As I wrote in my previous piece Did ChatGPT Write Your CV? , AI might help polish your punctuation, but it can’t replicate personality. That’s where you come in. Humour is the ultimate Turing Test – it proves you’re not just another sentient spreadsheet.
So, next time you’re prepping for an interview or refreshing your CV, ask yourself:
Where can I let my personality peep through? What line might make someone reading this smile and say, “Now there’s someone I’d like to work with”?
Because humour, used wisely, doesn’t just make people laugh – it makes people listen.
See you next Tuesday.
Warmest,
Paul x
