Humour Is Intelligence Having Fun

A theory of wit, warmth, and why play is the sharpest thing you can do.

There are a few things I instinctively look for in people: punctuality, taste, timing, curiosity. But one is underrated.

Humour.

The way someone tells a story. The pause before a punchline. The kind of observation that makes you laugh not because it’s outrageous, but because it’s true.

I love to laugh. And I like people who are funny in a way that matters, the way that reveals intelligence, precision, and perspective. Because funny isn’t the opposite of smart. It’s actually, in my opinion, how smart shows up when it’s fully alive.

If you really think about it, funny people aren’t random…far from it, they’re brilliant. They’re observing the world with speed, drawing patterns, reading nuance, and editing reality into something digestible or delightful. They’re running mental models in real time and consistently delivering punchlines that land well.

There’s a quote I came across a while back and absolutely loved:

“Humour is intelligence having fun.”

Whether it was Wilde or Einstein who said it, the source is unknown, the point stands strong. The ability to make people laugh isn’t separate from intellect, it is intellect. It’s what intellect looks like when it’s socially fluent, emotionally precise, and lightly disguised as play.

Though humour, especially when expressed through joy, sparkle, or feminine charm often gets underestimated. Dismissed as unserious. Treated as decoration. We forget that behind the laughter is something sharper. Something that knows exactly what it’s doing.

So, let’s explore what humour actually is: cognitively, culturally, and personally. And why choosing joy - loudly, intentionally, and often - might be the most intelligent thing you do.

Humour Isn’t Random - It’s Cognitive Acrobatics

To be funny is to be fast. It’s cognitive agility at work.

Humour demands a cocktail of high-level brain function:

• Pattern recognition: spotting the mismatch or twist.

• Emotional awareness: understanding what others will find funny.

• Risk-taking: delivering the line, the take, the jab.

• Social mapping: knowing your audience, your timing, the energy of the room.

Neuroscientifically, humour lights up multiple parts of the brain the prefrontal cortex (reasoning, judgement), temporal lobes (language processing), and the limbic system (emotion and memory). It's a whole-brain workout, delivered in milliseconds.

A 2021 study from the University of New Mexico found that people with higher verbal intelligence were consistently rated as funnier by independent observers. That’s not coincidence. I’d call that brain chemistry in action. Being funny is multitasking in its purest form. It’s storytelling. Editing. Empathy. Observation. All while keeping a straight face.

Funny Women Have Always Existed, We Just Didn’t Let Them Be

Here’s where it gets interesting: men have long been allowed even expected to be funny. It’s coded as intelligence. As dominance. As charm.

But when women are funny, it’s often seen as something else.
“She’s quirky.”
“She’s a bit much.”
“She doesn’t take things seriously.”
“She’s unserious.”

There’s a quiet but pervasive cultural assumption: that gravity equals credibility. And that softness, sparkle, or humour = dilution.

And yet, some of the most commanding women I’ve ever met are funny. Not in a performative way, but in a dry, devastatingly precise, socially calibrated way. The kind of humour that makes rooms pay attention.

That’s power.

But it’s also taste. Because good humour isn’t loud. It’s not clownish. It’s not always laugh-out-loud obvious. Sometimes it’s just a pause at the right time. A comment with nuance. A slightly raised eyebrow. A text that makes you smirk. It’s a form of editorial trimming excess. Sharpening impact.

Why Humour Is a Career Asset (Yes.)

In professional spaces, humour is often coded as frivolous. A nice-to-have. A “culture fit” quality not a leadership trait. But let’s reframe that.

Humour in business is:

• Persuasion

• De-escalation

• Energy regulation

• Storytelling

• Brand identity

• Trust-building

The best founders I’ve met are funny. The best strategists have timing. The best negotiators know when to diffuse and when to punch. Even in law or finance the fields where “funny” isn’t a KPI humour travels well. It keeps people listening. It sharpens the point.

And in content? In personal brand? In public speaking, panels, client coffees, first dates? Humour doesn’t just add charm. It signals a control of some sort. Confidence.
Because when someone’s funny, you don’t just hear them, I think we go the mile to believe them.

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My Personal Theory of Humour

I’ve always loved humour, both experiencing it and using it. And the more I grow, the more I realise how deeply woven it is into my worldview.

• I love precision. And being funny requires it.

• I love charm - notably, not the manipulative kind, but the kind that makes people feel close to you.

• I love observation. Drawing subtle connections. Naming things that feel slippery to others.

• I love having fun and I refuse to pretend that joy is less valuable than ambition.

Being funny is one of the ways I know I’m sharp. That I’m paying attention. That I understand tone and nuance and timing and people. It’s not about being the loudest. It’s about knowing when to land the line.

It’s taste, wielded.

Joy Is Not a Distraction, It’s Direction

We live in a culture that idolises grind. That worships discipline, severity, seriousness. But what if, as important as all the rest is simply being joyful? Playful? Light? Alive?

Humour requires presence. It requires breath. It demands that you see not just react. And in a world that often dulls us into monotony, joy is a form of rebellion.

Letting yourself laugh deeply and allowing yourself to enjoy fully, is a return to self.

Letting others laugh around you? That’s generosity.

Letting your intellect play? That’s evolution.

So, a friendly reminder to let your laughter be loud. Let your intellect be louder.

With Love,

Mufaro