Life can feel pretty routine sometimes. Wake up, grab a coffee, get through work, make dinner, repeat. Most of the time, we barely pause long enough to notice what’s going on around us.
Thankfully, some people aren’t content with letting things stay that boring. They find ways to shake things up—leaving behind witty notes, signs, and random messages that make you do a double take and, more importantly, make you laugh.
Scroll down to see some of the funniest ones caught in the wild and posted online.
#1 Passing The Baton
Image credits: lunardownpour
#2 Came To Work Today And Saw This Note On The Bathroom Door
Image credits: Vital_Granade
#3 Not Same Truck
Image credits: aishpat
It goes without saying that anything that makes us laugh or even crack the slightest smile is time well spent. Laughter relaxes the muscles, eases stress, and releases feel-good hormones. What’s not to love?
The tricky part, of course, is that humor is subjective. What’s hilarious to one person might fall flat for another. And while most of us know that laughing is healthy, you may not realize that the kind of humor you use can actually say a lot about your wellbeing.
#4 Some Kids Note Got Confescated And The Teacher Started Giggling
Image credits: Benjaminzulo
#5 Creative
Image credits: Mr-RedT
#6 What I Got In My Fortune Cookie Today
Image credits: Cody_Fournier
Back in 2003, psychologist Rod Martin and his colleagues created the Humor Styles Questionnaire to explore how humor connects to mental health. It breaks down how we use humor in daily life into four styles: affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating.
Depending on which one you lean toward, it might reveal something about your personality and even your mental health.
#7 This Wet Floor Sign At The Toronto Aquarium
Image credits: mcastre
#8 This Sign Outside A Local Pub
Image credits: deepmobber
#9 My Husband Is In The Process Of Redoing Our Lawn. He Recently Began K*****g Off All Our Grass. I Didn’t Want Our Neighbors To Think We Were Neglectful Homeowners, So I Made A Sign
Image credits: csidlauskas
So, what do these styles actually look like?
Affiliative humor is the most universal. Think jokes or memes meant to bring people together and make everyone laugh. Sharing a ridiculous Bored Panda meme with a coworker or bantering with your friends are perfect examples.
#10 A Shot Of Espresso And A Free Puppy, What A Treat
Image credits: wintergreenboba
#11 Wrong Turn
Image credits: reddit.com
#12 Out Of Order Escalator Sign At My Local Shopping Centre
Image credits: -rabid-
Self-enhancing humor is about laughing at yourself and finding levity in life’s absurdities. It’s often a healthy way to cope with stress.
Imagine telling the story of walking into a glass door because you thought it was open while laughing at yourself afterward. That ability to turn an awkward or stressful moment into something amusing is classic self-enhancing humor.
Aggressive humor, on the other hand, is laughing at someone else’s expense. It often takes the form of sarcasm, teasing, or criticism.
#13 Finally An Honest Motivational Banner
Image credits: TeachMeImWilling69
#14 First I Was A Pebble
Image credits: Relevant-Deer-4971
#15 Utah Has Its Issues, But It’s Traffic Signs Are Top Notch
Image credits: B4ldy
Then there’s self-defeating humor—the art of putting yourself down to get a laugh or gain approval. It’s the kind of humor used when someone makes themselves the butt of the joke, sometimes as a defense mechanism if they’re being targeted by others.
Most of us use a mix of all four styles, though we often lean more heavily on one. And while laughter is generally good for us, some humor styles are healthier than others.
#16 Can I Sign This Twice?
Image credits: shivstar
#17 This Billboard Is Pretty Famous In Our Town For The Things It Says
Image credits: reddit.com
#18 Seagulls Freelancing, No Refunds
Image credits: MaxQ50
As you might guess, positive humor brings the most benefits. Julie Aitken Schermer, a psychological researcher at The University of Western Ontario, notes that self-enhancing humor is particularly powerful.
“People who engage in that type of humor can cheer themselves up by thinking about positive or funny events [and] experiences,” she told Discover Magazine. They are also less likely to show signs of depression, loneliness and poor relationships with others.
#19 Cats Are Always Shady
Image credits: Thenellyelmes
#20 Of Course This Would Be In A Science Room
Image credits: bazinga_the
#21 This Sign On A Vending Machine At My Work
Image credits: AlphaOmniWolf
By contrast, both aggressive and self-defeating humor styles can be warning signs.
“We find that those individuals are more likely to self-harm,” said Schermer. “Personally, I would argue that self-defeating humor is the most concerning style as it is also linked with loneliness and feelings of not mattering.”
Those with an aggressive humor style may not experience loneliness as much, however, since they rely on group dynamics in order to ridicule their peers.
#22 My Fortune Cookie Paper
Image credits: dinomaster25
#23 Surprise Me
Image credits: Ry-Ry44
#24 A Friend’s Note To Her Husband This Morning
Image credits: Tweetystraw
That doesn’t mean that if you use more self-deprecating humor you’re doomed or in need of a diagnosis. Instead, it’s a reminder to pause and reflect. How do you process events in your life? Do you replay only the negative parts, or can you also find the absurdity and laugh at it?
#25 Rule Of Thumb
Image credits: anon
#26 My Dad Saw This Earlier Today. Had To Share
Image credits: GyroBeats
#27 Taken In A Pretty Lofty Apartment
Image credits: Kinojitsu
Even if you tend to dwell on the downsides, Schermer points out that you can train yourself to look for more positive angles. Try recalling the lighter details of an experience and reframing them in a way that makes you smile, without tearing yourself down.
At the end of the day, laughter really does make life better—just try to use it in ways that lift you up rather than wear you down.
#28 Legit Sign Post
Image credits: nofomo2
#29 No Such Thing As Bad Publicity. Wally’s Pub Here On The Nh Seacoast, Brilliantly Seeing To It
Image credits: reddit user
#30 Good Advice
Image credits: graystone777
#31 This Sign Outside An Animal Hospital
Image credits: TheVentiLebowski
#32 I Pass This Everyday, Makes Me Laugh Everytime
Image credits: Odd_Order_7874
#33 The Sign In My Co-Worker's 2nd Grade Classroom
Image credits: SkippyBluestockings
#34 Comforting Sign Board At A Corn Maze
Image credits: AlwaysGroovy
#35 Is This Fine Restaurant A Good Place For A First Date?
Image credits: LimpMathematician247
#36 Sign Bandits At It Again!
Image credits: Limp_Orchid_7641
#37 Just Found This. First Accurate Fortune I’ve Ever Gotten. 👍🏻
Image credits: JessLovesNaps
#38 Valentine's Day Discount
Image credits: Obajan
#39 You’d Think They Woulda Seen That Coming
Image credits: spopoff54
#40 It Got So Bad They Had A Sign Made
Image credits: Advancedmayaca
#41 Sign Above Urinal In China
Image credits: Liggidy
#42 My 8-Year-Old Cousin Put This Note Up On Her Bedroom Door
Image credits: UseOnceandDestroy27
#43 Found This In My Local Carpark Today. Perfect 10
Image credits: mawktheone
#44 Obvious Sign Is Obvious
Image credits: TherianRose
#45 New Doormat
Image credits: Grasscutter101
#46 Good To Know
Image credits: SweetWaterSurprise
#47 Read The Sign. Or Don't
Image credits: Newfoundplanet
#48 This Sign At My Local Orthodox Church
Image credits: SilverSunrises
#49 Life With Coffee Is Good
Image credits: hodgkinthepirate
#50 Sign Me
Image credits: Justfortrolls
