Peter McGraw

Peter McGraw (born in Okinawa, Japan) is an American behavioural economist, author, and professor known for his research on judgment, emotion, and humour. He teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he holds appointments in the Leeds School of Business and the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

McGraw is best known for developing the Benign Violation Theory of humour and for founding the Humor Research Lab (HuRL). McGraw is the author of The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny (2014), Shtick to Business: What the Masters of Comedy Can Teach You About Breaking Rules, Being Fearless, and Building a Serious Career (2020), and Solo: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own (2020).

Peter McGraw was born in Okinawa, Japan, and raised in Willingboro, New Jersey. He has described his early life as “constrained, chaotic, and impoverished.” He studied psychology at Rutgers University, earning a B.A. and M.Ed., followed by an M.S. and PhD in quantitative psychology from The Ohio State University.

He completed postdoctoral training at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School under Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman. His academic work has appeared in journals such as Psychological Science, Management Science, and Journal of Consumer Research, focusing on how emotions influence decision-making and behaviour.

At the University of Colorado Boulder, McGraw teaches behavioural economics, marketing management, and consumer behaviour. He has also taught at the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management and London Business School. In 2009, he founded the Humor Research Lab, dedicated to understanding why people laugh. Through this work, he and Caleb Warren developed the Benign Violation Theory, which proposes that humour arises when a situation is simultaneously perceived as wrong yet acceptable.

McGraw’s research led to The Humor Code (2014), co-written with Joel Warner. The book traces their travels across the globe, from comedy clubs in the United States to stages in Africa and Asia, in search of a scientific explanation of humour. His later book, Shtick to Business (2020), adapts lessons from comedians to entrepreneurship and leadership, arguing that humour, creativity, and risk-taking foster innovation.

Shifting focus, McGraw created Solo: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own (2020) and the accompanying podcast Solo: The Single Person’s Guide to a Remarkable Life. These works explore the lives of single people and question cultural assumptions about relationships. McGraw describes singlehood as “a foundation for living a remarkable life,” and his advocacy has made him a recognised voice for singles’ well-being.

He continues to speak internationally on decision-making, emotion, and the science of humour. His talks have included appearances at TEDx and global business events.

Peter McGraw now lives in Colorado.

Photo credit: petermcgraw.org