There was this interview where Rihanna and Jim Parsons were promoting a movie together, and the interviewer asked Rihanna: "Has it been difficult living under his shadow?"

It was a trap either way — say yes and you look insecure, say no and you look arrogant. Instead, Rihanna playfully threw a fit: "I have had ENOUGH of living under his shadow. I am the superstar!"

It instantly broke the tension broken, nobody was embarrassed, and everyone was charmed. That tiny interaction proves why humor is one of the most underrated skills you can develop.

Funny People Are Actually the Most Emotionally Intelligent People

To be genuinely funny, you have to read the room, nail your timing, manage your own nerves, and adjust in real time based on how people react. That's a lot of emotional awareness happening at once!

And because we as humans are influenced by our emotions, whether we like it or not, people who can manage and influence emotions gain a quiet but powerful ability to influence people — not in a manipulative way, but in a way that creates real connection and trust.

When you make someone laugh, you're triggering a dopamine release in their brain. In other words, you're literally making them feel good biologically and chemically, and their brain is associating that feeling with you. That's why funny people seem so effortlessly magnetic.

And the ROI of LOL is real.

Think about Hailey Bieber — years of bad press, rumors she couldn't shake no matter how many times she tried to address them. Then she did one Vogue interview where she leaned all the way into the jokes: pulling out her "Eau de Nepo" perfume, a collection of burner phones, a love potion from a witch. Ten minutes of satire did more for her public image than years of PR ever could.

In professional settings, humor makes you more likable in interviews, easier to promote, and more persuasive in negotiations. In dating, humor consistently ranks as a top-3 most attractive quality. Socially, funny people get invited to more things — and in a world where who you know matters just as much as what you know, that really adds up

The good news? It's a skill, not a talent.

Every successful comedian has a story about how awful they were when they started. Being funny is something you build. A few ways to get started:

For the full breakdown — including more real-life examples and a deeper dive into each of these — check out the full episode here.

The past few weeks have been incredibly busy, but productive. That said, I have some great news to share…

A catalog of ebooks will be live on our website very, very soon! 🎉

Thank you for your support in our growing community, it means the world to me.

xoxo,

It Girl Playbook 💋