Six years ago, I was sitting out with some friends in New York City

六年前，我和幾個朋友坐在紐約市的外面

when I got a notification on my phone,

當我收到手機上的通知。

and I was surprised to find that I had a text message from my grandmother.

而我卻驚訝地發現，我有一條來自奶奶的簡訊。

I was surprised because my grandmother at the time was 78 years old,

我很驚訝，因為當時我的奶奶已經78歲了。

and she had never sent a text before.

而她之前從未發過簡訊。

And I will tell you the first text was adorable.

而我要告訴你，第一篇文字很可愛。

It read, "Dear Andrew, trying out texting. Love, your grandma."

上面寫著，"親愛的安德魯，嘗試發短信。愛你的奶奶。"

I was like "Aw, she thinks it's a letter!"

我當時想："啊，她認為這是一封信！"

So I sent her a message back,

於是我給她回了一條資訊。

"Hey grandma, it's a text. You don't have to include all that."

"嘿，奶奶，這只是一篇文字。你不用把這些都寫進去。"

Her response was "Dear Andrew,

她的回答是 "親愛的安德魯。

Okay. Love, your grandma."

好吧，愛你的奶奶。愛，你的奶奶。"

My favorite part is it's always "Love, your grandma,"

我最喜歡的部分總是 "愛你的奶奶"。

like if it was "Love, grandma" I'd be confused.

如果是 "愛，奶奶"，我就會感到困惑。

If it was like, "Dear Andrew, have a good time in Texas. Love, grandma,"

如果是這樣，"親愛的安德魯，在德州玩得開心點，愛你的奶奶愛你的，奶奶，"

I'd be like "Grandma? Who's grandma?"

我會說："奶奶？誰是奶奶？"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

But my grandmother's still figuring some things out.

但我奶奶還在想辦法解決一些問題。

A couple of years ago, I went to Switzerland for work,

幾年前，我去瑞士工作。

came back, sent a message to grandmother:

回來後，給奶奶發了一條資訊。

''Hey grandma, just got back from Switzerland.''

''嘿，奶奶，剛從瑞士回來。

Her response was, ''Dear Andrew, Switzerland? WTF.''

她的回答是："親愛的安德魯，瑞士？'' WTF.

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

All right, so I called my grandmother up,

好吧，所以我打電話給我奶奶了。

''Grandma, what do you think WTF means?''

'奶奶，你說WTF是什麼意思？

And she's like,

而她的樣子。

''Oh well, someone at Bridge told me it means 'Wow That's Fun.''

''哦，好吧，橋公司有人告訴我，意思是'哇，真好玩''。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I was like, ''That is exactly what it means.''

我當時就想，''就是這個意思''。

I'm not going to explain that to my grandmother.

我不會向我奶奶解釋的。

But over time, I've come to realize

但隨著時間的推移，我已經意識到了

that I think the world would be a happier place

我想世界會變得更幸福的

if more people thought WTF -

如果更多的人認為WTF -

if more people were like my grandmother and thought, "Wow, that's fun."

如果有更多的人像我奶奶一樣，認為，"哇，這很有趣。"

Because in 2012, I left my corporate job at Procter and Gamble

因為在2012年，我離開了寶潔公司的公司工作。

to teach people about the value of humor.

讓人們瞭解幽默的價值。

I've worked with more than 35,000 people at more than 250 organizations

我曾在250多個組織中與35,000多人共事。

on how to be more productive, less stressed and happier, using humor.

關於如何利用幽默，提高工作效率，減少壓力，讓自己更快樂。

But when people hear what it is that I do, they are a little bit skeptical,

但當人們聽到我做的是什麼時，他們會有點懷疑。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

because no one thinks of humor as a bad thing.

因為沒有人認為幽默是一件壞事。

Is there anyone here that doesn't like to laugh?

這裡有人不喜歡笑嗎？

Anyone that's like "No, I hate feeling joy in my body?"

有誰會說 "不，我討厭在身體裡感受到快樂"？

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

No. People think of humor as a nice-to-have.

不，人們認為幽默是一件很好的事情。

Oh, if I enjoyed my work more, if I had some fun, it would be great,

哦，如果我更喜歡我的工作，如果我有一些樂趣，這將是偉大的。

but if not, oh well.

但如果沒有，哦，好。

The reality is that humor is a must-have.

現實中，幽默是必須的。

In today's overworked, underappreciated, stress-filled, sleep-deprived culture,

在當今這個過度勞累、不被重視、充滿壓力、睡眠不足的文化中。

humor is a necessity.

幽默是必須的。

Because humor gets people to listen,

因為幽默能讓人聽得進去。

it increases long-term memory retention,

它能增加長期記憶的保持。

it improves understanding, aids in learning

它能提高理解力，幫助學習

and helps communicate messages.

並幫助傳達資訊。

It also improves group cohesiveness,

同時也提高了團體的凝聚力。

reduces status differentials, diffuses conflict, builds trust

減少地位差異，化解衝突，建立信任。

and brings people closer together.

並拉近了人們之間的距離。

It does these things

它能做這些事情

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

and this stuff and on and on and on ...

還有這個東西，還有這個東西，還有這個東西......。

And it's all backed by research case studies and real-world examples.

而這一切都有研究案例和實際案例的支持。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And these are some impressive benefits, right?

而這些都是一些令人印象深刻的好處，對嗎？

Humor can help you to look better, live longer and make it rain, right?

幽默可以讓你的臉色更好，更長壽，還可以讓你下雨，對吧？

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Because people who use humor are paid more.

因為使用幽默的人，工資會更高。

And anyone can learn these benefits.

而且任何人都可以學到這些好處。

Because when I talk to people about humor or comedy,

因為當我和人們談論幽默或喜劇時。

sometimes they're intimidated.

有時他們會被嚇到。

That event that I went to in Switzerland a couple years ago

幾年前我在瑞士參加的那個活動。

that made my grandmother say WTF,

這讓我奶奶說WTF。

it was to speak at a conference.

是在一次會議上發言。

And one of the other speakers at that conference was this gentleman.

在那次會議上，還有一位發言者是這位先生。

His name is Kevin Richardson.

他叫凱文-理查森

He's also known as the lion whisperer.

他也被稱為獅語者。

If you've ever seen that YouTube video of a lion hugging a dude, that's this guy.

如果你見過YouTube上獅子擁抱男人的視頻，那就是這個傢伙。

He lives in South Africa,

他住在南非。

he raises lions from when they're really young,

他養獅子，從他們真正的年輕。

and they treat him as one of the pride.

而他們把他當成了驕傲的一員。

He's basically the human version of Rafiki from The Lion King.

他基本上就是《獅子王》裡的人類版拉菲基。

But Kevin and I were talking before the event.

但凱文和我在活動前就已經談過了。

He found out that I did stand-up comedy,

他發現我是做脫口秀的。

and he was like ''Huh, I could never do that, it's too scary.''

他就像''呵呵，我永遠也做不到，這太可怕了。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I was like ''But you live with lions!''

我當時想''但是你和獅子住在一起！''

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

As if telling a joke is somehow scarier than living with lions.

好像講個笑話比和獅子生活在一起更可怕似的。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

But so many people have this perception

但很多人都有這樣的看法

as if the ability to make people laugh is somehow encoded in our DNA.

彷彿讓人發笑的能力是以某種方式編碼在我們的DNA中的。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

But the reality is that humor is a skill,

但事實上，幽默是一種技能。

and if it's a skill, that means we can learn it.

而如果這是一種技能，那就意味著我們可以學習它。

Because I am someone who has had to learn how to use humor.

因為我是一個不得不學習如何使用幽默的人。

Because I've done over a thousand shows

因為我做了一千多場演出

as a stand-up comedian, improviser, storyteller, spoken word artist.

作為一名脫口秀演員、即興表演者、講故事者、口語藝術家。

I've spoken and performed in all 50 states in 18 countries and on one planet.

我在18個國家的50個州和一個星球上進行過演講和表演。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I have fans in more than 150 countries,

我的粉絲遍佈150多個國家。

based on people who have accidentally come to my website.

根據不小心來到我網站的人。

I've been called hilarious and smart, at least that's what my mom says.

我被稱為搞笑和聰明，至少我媽媽是這麼說的。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And I've been seen on The Daily Show with John Stewart, in the audience.

我在約翰-斯圖爾特的《每日秀》節目中被看到，在觀眾席上。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I recently went to my high school reunion though,

不過我最近去參加了我的高中同學聚會。

and when people found out that I did stand-up comedy,

而當人們發現我做了脫口秀，

they said, ''But you're not funny.''

他們說，''但你並不好笑。'

And in some ways they're right

在某些方面他們是對的

because I would tell you that this is not the face of funny.

因為我會告訴你，這不是搞笑的臉。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

There's a lot that's funny about this picture;

這張圖有很多有趣的地方。

none of it is intentional.

都不是故意的。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And I have the blonde tips up top like I wanted to be in a boy band.

我的頭頂是金色的，就像我想成為一個男孩樂隊的成員。

The theme was ''Into a Dream,'' I am no one's dream -

主題是''入夢''，我不是任何人的夢--。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

in this picture.

在這張照片中。

Because, growing up, I was never the life of the party or the class clown.

因為，從小到大，我從來都不是黨的生命，也不是班級的小丑。

My senior year - my senior superlative, I was voted teacher's pet.

高三--我的聯考超常發揮，我被選為老師的寵物。

And this is going to surprise many of you, but it's because I am a nerd.

這可能會讓你們很多人感到驚訝，但這是因為我是個書呆子。

And if you're wondering what type of nerd,

如果你想知道什麼類型的書呆子，

the answer is yes; computer, math, sci-fi,

答案是肯定的，計算機、數學、科幻。

Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Star Trek, Starbucks - all of them.

龍與地下城》、《星球大戰》、《星際迷航》、《星巴克》--都有。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

But most specifically, I'm an engineer.

但最特別的是，我是個工程師。

I went to the Ohio State University,

我上的是俄亥俄州立大學。

got a degree in computer science and engineering.

獲得了計算機科學與工程的學位。

And after I graduated,

而在我畢業後。

I started working at Procter & Gamble as an IT project manager.

我開始在寶潔公司擔任IT項目經理。

And that's what people expected me to do,

而這也是人們期望我做的。

because based on my personality assessment,

因為根據我的性格評估。

that's what it suggests I should be as a computer science engineer.

這就是它建議我應該作為一個計算機科學工程師。

But I've learned that we're not a personality assessment.

但我已經知道，我們不是一個人格評估。

Because my assessment is

因為我的評估是

I'm a Type-A, blue square, conscientious, INTJ with the sign of Aquarius.

我是A型，藍方，認真，INTJ，星座是水瓶座。

That means I'm an ambitious, stubborn introvert

這意味著我是一個雄心勃勃，頑固內向的人

who likes long walks on the beach,

喜歡在海灘上長時間散步的人。

but I've learned we're not our personality assessments.

但我已經知道我們不是我們的個性評估。

They might give us insight into our behavior

他們可能會讓我們瞭解自己的行為

or tell us what motivates us

或者告訴我們是什麼在激勵我們

or tell us which Disney Princess we would be - Pocahontas -

或告訴我們哪個迪斯尼公主，我們將是--風中奇緣。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

but they don't define us; instead, we are defined by our actions.

但它們並不能定義我們，相反，我們是由我們的行為來定義的。

So I started doing comedy in college.

所以我在大學裡就開始演喜劇。

My best friend there in the middle wanted to start an improv comedy group.

中間我最好的朋友想成立一個即興喜劇團。

He needed people and forced me to join.

他需要人，逼我加入。

And as you can probably tell from this picture, we were not very good.

從這張照片上可以看出，我們的表現不是很好。

At least to start out, we had no idea what we were doing.

至少在開始的時候，我們不知道自己在做什麼。

We watched "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and tried to repeat what we saw.

我們看了《到底是誰的臺詞》，想把看到的內容複述一遍。

And what I didn't have in comedy skill I made up in comedy project management.

而我在喜劇技巧上的不足，我在喜劇項目管理上彌補了。

"If we're going to do this for real;

"如果我們真的要這麼做。

we'll practice three times a week,

我們每週會練習三次。

we'll have a business meeting every Monday,

我們每週一都會有一個業務會議。

and we're going to go back and watch our shows as if it was game tape.''

我們要回去看我們的節目，就像看比賽錄像帶一樣''。

And over the course of two years, we got better.

而在兩年的時間裡，我們變得更好了。

We went from performing in the basements of residence halls

我們從在宿舍的地下室表演到現在

to performing twice a week at a theater on campus,

以至於每週在校園的劇院表演兩次。

never really learning how to take a good picture.

從來沒有真正學會如何拍好照片。

But that's how you learn the skill of humor.

但你就是這樣學會了幽默的技巧。

It's through practice and repetition.

這是通過練習和重複。

And anyone can do these things.

而任何人都可以做這些事情。

And you don't have to become a professional comedian to use comedy,

而且你不一定要成為專業的喜劇演員，也可以使用喜劇。

but we can learn from the professionals.

但我們可以向專業人士學習。

For example, from stand-up, we can learn about how to share your point of view,

比如，從站立中，我們可以學習如何分享你的觀點。

because Louis C.K. has a very specific way of seeing the world,

因為Louis C. K. 有一種非常特殊的看待世界的方式。

which is different than Ellen DeGeneres,

這與艾倫-德傑尼勒斯不同。

which is different than Tig Notaro, Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock.

這和Tig Notaro Dave Chappelle或者Chris Rock是不同的。

Everyone has their own perspective.

每個人都有自己的觀點。

Some people tell me

有人告訴我

that I kind of look like the intersection of Hugh Jackman and Conan O'Brien.

我看起來像休-傑克曼和柯南-奧布萊恩的交匯點

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Other people are like, "Ah, I kind of see David Tennant from Doctor Who."

其他的人都說 "啊，我好像看到了《神祕博士》裡的大衛-坦南特"

One woman told me,

一位女士告訴我。

''I think you look like Justin Timberlake but from here to here.''

''我覺得你看起來像賈斯汀-汀布萊克，但從這裡到這裡。'

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And we're going to ignore the guy that told me I look like Clay Aiken.

我們要忽略那個告訴我我看起來像Clay Aiken的傢伙。

Right, just completely.

對，就是完全。

Everyone has their own perspective.

每個人都有自己的觀點。

And we can use that perspective as a way to connect with other people, right?

而我們可以用這種觀點作為與他人溝通的方式，對嗎？

We can use it to say, ''Oh, we're alike.'' How many people here like desert?

我們可以用它來說，''哦，我們很像''。這裡有多少人喜歡沙漠？

People love desert. I love deserts. I am obsessed with milkshake.

人們喜歡沙漠。我喜歡沙漠。我對奶昔情有獨鍾。

So it's the most efficient form of desert

所以這是最有效的沙漠形式。

because of the deliciousness of ice cream in an easy-to-consume form.

因為冰激凌的美味，以一種簡單易行的形式。

But I don't understand mint chocolate.

但我不明白薄荷巧克力。

I don't know if we have any mint chocolate fan.

我不知道我們有沒有薄荷巧克力迷。

I've never been eating chocolate

我從來沒有吃過巧克力

and been like, ''You know what would go great with this? Toothpaste."

並一直喜歡，"你知道什麼會去 偉大的這個？牙膏。"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

We can share a perspective as a way to connect.

我們可以分享一個觀點，作為一種聯繫的方式。

We can also share a perspective as a way to make a point.

我們也可以分享一個觀點，以此來說明問題。

Because I will tell you

因為我會告訴你

that I have always understood computers much more than I understand humans.

我對計算機的理解一直比對人類的理解多得多。

Because when something goes wrong with the computer,

因為當電腦出了問題。

you get an error message.

你會得到一個錯誤信息。

When something goes wrong with a human,

當人出了問題。

you get feelings.

你得到的感覺。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Things would be so much easier if humans came with error messages,

如果人類自帶錯誤信息，事情就簡單多了。

wouldn't they?

不是嗎？

Say you're overworked, overwhelmed, a little bit stressed out,

說你工作過度，不堪重負，有點壓力。

it would just pop up: "Warning! System overload."

它只是彈出。"警告！系統過載。"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

"Please restart by taking a nap."

"請重新開始，睡一覺。"

Because we all know naps are the human version

因為我們都知道小睡是人類的版本。

of, "Just turn it off and then turn it back on again."

的，"只要把它關掉，然後再打開。"

Some error messages you wouldn't even have to change.

有些錯誤信息，你甚至不必改變。

Say, you're out flirting with a waitress, she's not really feeling it.

比如說，你在外面和一個女服務員調情，她並沒有什麼感覺。

It would just pop up: "Error. Unable to establish connection to server."

它只是會彈出。"Error. Unable to establish connection to server.無法建立與服務器的連接。"

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Things would be so much easier.

事情就簡單多了。

But the reality is that humans aren't computers,

但現實是，人類不是電腦。

no matter how adorable they are when they pretend to be.

不管他們假裝的時候有多可愛。

Because we, as humans, not only have to manage time, we have to manage energy.

因為我們人類，不僅要管理時間，還要管理精力。

Because it doesn't matter how much time we have

因為不管我們有多少時間

if we've never have the energy to do anything with it.

如果我們從來沒有精力去做任何事情。

From improv, we can learn how we can explore and heighten a point of view.

從即興表演中，我們可以學習到如何探索和提升一個觀點。

Because the fundamental mindset of improvisation is "Yes, and..."

因為即興創作的基本思路是 "是的，而且......"

It's how improvisers at UCB, Second City and ComedySportz make things up

UCB、Second City和ComedySportz的即興表演者就是這樣編排的

off the top of their head.

在他們的頭頂上。

And we can use that same thing,

而我們也可以用同樣的東西。

take what they do, accept and build, explore and heighten and say,

取其所長，納其所需，建其所需，探其所需，增其所需，說其所需。

''If this is true, what else is true?''

'如果這是真的，那還有什麼是真的？

Because it took me going to the state of Florida to realize

因為我去了佛羅里達州才知道。

that the rapper Flo Rida got his name from his home state of Florida,

說唱歌手Flo Rida的名字來自他的家鄉佛羅里達州。

and he put a space in it.

他在裡面放了一個空格。

That blew my mind!

這讓我大吃一驚！

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

We could say, ''If this is true, what else could be true?''