I love puns. Scratch that -- I really really love puns. I love laughing and I love making people laugh in turn, but sometimes my remarks sound wittier in my head than they do half-shoved out of my mouth.

One of the best things to do when telling a pun -- or any corny joke, for that matter -- is to watch the person's reaction. Some people roll their eyes, while other will groan but not try to prevent a cheeky smile from growing on their face. In high school I had friends dramatically shoot up from their seats and leave the room, but my favorite was one friend’s reaction: he would keep a straight face for a beat, then in one quick motion—almost as if he was sneezing—he would simply quip “NO!”

But there is something about quick, simple, sometimes groan-worthy puns that can be pretty appealing. They’re not really expected, not like a long-winded story with a punch line (I do have several of those stories, most of them end up with me tripping, accidentally setting something on fire, or in one case, slamming a taxi door into a drunk guy’s crotch because I was distracted and giddy from my first kiss).

Puns are a type of humor that can appeal to virtually anyone in any situation. I once wrote a song full of Fall Out Boy Puns. Or, for a unit in my high school anatomy class we studied the brain, and the real winner I came up with was “What does a neuron do when it’s feeling sassy? It synapse.” Sn-aps. Because it’s sassy. I’m funny. Give me an A. The thing is, I don’t actually remember what the word synapse refers to—that’s why I’m a political science major—but I remember Mr. Smith cracking up when I snapped a Z in the air when telling the joke.

But I think puns are pretty great because they’re not inherently mean, they’re not made at another person’s expense. I’m so tired of “edgy” humor and other excuses to make fun of people. Some comedians also complain about their audience complaining that their jokes be more “politically correct.” Sorry that your audience doesn’t want to feel uncomfortable, insecure, offended, or angry? Of course there is a time and a place for anything, so you might purposely make your audience uncomfortable to make them think about something in a new way. Still, I’m a fan of constructive or positive humor.

I was really awkward as a kid, especially in middle school. I wanted to be the class clown but was too shy, so I sort of ended up on the B-list. That time was filled with the middle school “LOL XD I’M SO RANDOM! RAWR IS DINOSOUR FOR I LOVE YOU!” sort of humor, which isn’t particularly complex or funny to anyone beyond eighth grade. I wasn’t necessarily teased or bullied in school, but I had a difficulty making friends and fitting in.

Then, sometime around the summer of my sophomore year, I watched nearly all the How I Met Your Mother episodes, and I really took to telling puns. I found that rather make someone laugh with me than have them laugh at me. When you tend to put your foot in your mouth and trip over things, it’s easier than it looks to make people laugh. It also gets easier to shake things off when you’re more willing to laugh at yourself.

People say laughter is the best medicine, and I believe that’s mostly true. I’d still recommend a nap, Advil, or Alleve, but finding the humor in a situation certainly helps take the edge off. Sometimes it even makes a person’s day a little brighter.