[MrPink]

Has anyone here run into the problem of being able to be witty, but only after a long while? I've always been a guy who thinks very deeply about things and doesn't say much. I've found that approaching women is easy for me. After starting the conversation and engaging in useless banter for a couple of minutes, I often find myself able to make witty comments but these relate to "expired" conversation threads. Obviously these types of comments don't come across as funny since they've become stale. Consequently I come across as being boring or too serious and I notice any attraction signals the woman has been giving off begin to fizzle out. To try and get a feel for comedy, I've begun watching many dry humour, black humour and satirical comedy videos and TV series, but apart from myself laughing it seems to make little difference.

Has anyone else here run into a similar type of problem?

[Ellroy]

(07-25-2011 09:00 AM)MrPink Wrote:  

I often find myself able to make witty comments but these relate to "expired" conversation threads.

In the simplest terms, wit is like a muscle that you need to tone and keep in shape. You're interested in improving your reaction time, and that's a question of how well-toned your wit is.

And if your wit is out of shape right now, you're going to have to dive in and endure some failure while. It's not a whole lot different than Game in that respect.

Fortunately, you've got the immediate feedback of laughter to let you know you're on the right track.

So essentially start cracking wise in your day to day life. Get addicted to the pleasure of making people laugh. You'll tell a lot of duds starting out but you'll hit a few times as well. Analyse your success and figure out and optimise what works.

As you go, develop some canned material, fall back lines, running jokes, sure-fire things. Everyone's humor is different but some things are universally funny. (Of course, this stuff can be abused. It takes some finnesse to manage a repetoire, but then if you can't cultivate finnesse you're alread pretty far in the weeds.)

Also, hang out with witty people. Compete with them for laughter. Hang out with competetive people; encourage them to be witty. If your milieu is witty you'll be like Oscar Wilde when you're in the presence of dullards.

That's all for starters. Humor is a dark art. It can't really be explained. Wit is a full field of study within the subject of humor. Wit in the context of Game... vast and mostly uncharted territory I'd guess.

[Basil Ransom]

In my pickups, I find myself going over the same topics repeatedly. Sometimes I'll say something off the cuff, and she finds it funny, and I'll remember it for future girls. Especially while drinking.

My other main tactic is cold reads + teasing. Maybe she says something that makes it sound, slightly, like she chases after guys. Accuse her of being a sexual predator, and make fun of things she says in that light.

IMO, girls don't enjoy wit or pith so much as banter and teasing; that is, when the joke revolves around them. I always get the strongest reactions that way. And you don't have to be a comic genius to tease a girl well. The stuff she laughs at may be only marginally funny to outsiders. Maybe it's just me, but the girl's attention wanes when she ceases to be part of the joke.

There's also roleplaying.

[Stitch]

I actually took some improv workshops for fun, but I can somewhat see applicability to game in the sense that you're encouraged to pay attention to the people around you and escalate conflict. That sounds nonintuitive, because by human nature we try to defuse conflict, but as mentioned above if it's teasing--that's actually very good for introductions.

But you don't have to take a class obviously--just practice. You do get better at ANYTHING with practice.

[hypesession]

(07-25-2011 06:07 PM)Stitch Wrote:  

I actually took some improv workshops for fun, but I can somewhat see applicability to game in the sense that you're encouraged to pay attention to the people around you and escalate conflict. That sounds nonintuitive, because by human nature we try to defuse conflict, but as mentioned above if it's teasing--that's actually very good for introductions.

But you don't have to take a class obviously--just practice. You do get better at ANYTHING with practice.

nice comment

[Gmac]

Absolutely you can. It's just like anything else... as you improve your conversational skills through practice it will become natural.

[dk902]

I definitely agree with Basil says above. I think it's not necessarily about wit as per se, but certainly becoming a master in the fine art of teasing and banter. So you effortlessly bounce off each other and make her giggle.

For example I was at a bar last night and I was asking a girl about what drink to pick from a menu, she says 'Dark and Stormy.' I told her I didn't want to know what sort of men she goes for, I want a drink! I think having a playful vibe is cool. But remember you've got to be cool and feel comfortable with it, as game is all about your individual personality and customising your style to it.

[CJ]

Watch a lot of funny shows on TV and hang out with funny people, you'll pick it up.

Thank God I was born in a crazy sarcastic family though.

[Clown]

I found that when I started to weight train seriously, I became more quick-witted and more verbally fluent in general. There's probably several explanations for this:

1) I was more confident because I looked and felt better
2) I was going out more because I looked and felt better
3) Increased testosterone, not only from lifting but from abstaining from masturbation. I had my levels checked 6 months after my weight training and sex-only period began and they increased 30%. For an insightful look at the psychological effects of testosterone, google "andrew sullivan testosterone"

[Frank Valentine]

Sounds like your half way there as far as the pickup. Switch off the logical thinking and work more on building an emotional convo. This is one really helpful concept if you can really grasp it. I get playful and sexual real quick. Kino more and be playful.

[Russ]

Yes, you can. just seek out a good local Improv comedy workshop and join it and do as they say.

[at350zguyy]

i used to be super slow on my feet but have developed some quick responses. just like the rest of this it comes with experience. id still call myself a noob, but i think im figuring a few things out little by little.

[Tier3]

The thing is though, how often does it annoy people to practice humor and wit when you mainly fail at it? I have on and off periods of attempting it and disappearing back into my shell after feeling like I've made a fool of myself...

[Giovonny]

Quick wit is a vaginal moisturizer. Humor is powerful tool when used correctly. Sense of humor is a skill similar to public speaking.