My guest is Tom Segura, renowned comedian, writer, actor and director. We discuss the “how-to” of comedy writing and storytelling, and what the science of humor and the creative process reveal about human emotion and memory. We explore why surprise and the act of “saying the unspoken truth” activate the brain’s reward circuits, as well as the subconscious mechanisms that shape our sense of what is funny. The episode also examines the bi-directional influence between comedy and cultural standards. It will interest anyone curious about the science of humor, the art of performance and emotional contagion. Read the episode show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/ADV8QSH *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: ⁠https://drinkag1.com/huberman Maui Nui: ⁠https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Helix Sleep: ⁠https://helixsleep.com/huberman David Protein: ⁠https://davidprotein.com/huberman Function Health: ⁠https://functionhealth.com/huberman *Follow Huberman Lab* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter *Tom Segura* Website: https://tomsegura.com Tour: https://tomsegura.com/tour Your Mom’s House (podcast): https://ymhstudios.com/yourmomshouse 2 Bears, 1 Cave (podcast): https://ymhstudios.com/2bears Tom Talks (podcast): https://ymhstudios.com/tomtalks YMH Studios: https://ymhstudios.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seguratom YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tomsegura X: https://x.com/tomsegura TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seguratom Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TomSeguraTour *Timestamps* Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer