Laughter is the best medicine and a great icebreaker for a first date, as a sense of humor is as the number one turn-on for many women. But it's one thing to have a great sense of humor, it's quite another to have everyone in stitches.

Well, look no further. Drop the rubber chicken and whoopee cushion, cause it's time to really be funny.

Okay, the first thing you need to do is relax. No one's going to throw tomatoes at you if you strike out, and you're not going for some life-altering test. You just want to add some spice to your life and conversations, and appear more easygoing.So don't put so much pressure on yourself -- you just want to get people to laugh, or at least smile.

Ease up on life and yourself; get used to taking things with a grain of salt. See the humor in situations; you'll see that most situations, even getting a $200 dollar speeding ticket or falling down on a banana peel have humor written all over them -- the trick is finding them and being able to laugh at yourself.

You can't be funny if you don't have any references or material. The broader your general knowledge is, the funnier the remarks you'll make. You can't say a Homer-esque comment if you don't know who The Simpsons are, and Allllrrriiighttty then! doesn't have the same effect if you've never seen Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

So the more you know film, TV, music, and everything pop culture, the greater the chance of being funny. Broaden your horizons and stay up-to-date with current events in the news, and you'll be surprised at how much material will randomly come to you. You may even get to be someone's lifeline on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.

You want to know about famous actors and comedians, but by the same token, you don't want to get caught using someone else's material. So rather than reciting that great Chris Rock line you heard the other night and passing it off as your own, use the joke in Chris Rock's intonation. That way, people know you're using his joke, and it can still be considered hysterical.

Or, if you're stuck waiting in a department store line with your buddy for 45 minutes, and when you finally get to the cash, the cashier just refuses to let you return a sweater that has a defect on it, say something like, "This is such a Seinfeld situation," thereby giving Jerry credit while getting a laugh or two.

Another reason to avoid imitating actors and comedians is because it may not suit your style. If you're not a very sarcastic or cynical person, it makes it hard to imitate someone like David Letterman or Chandler from Friends (besides, your friends will get annoyed when you keep saying, "Could this BE more [fill in the blank]?"). If you're rather quiet and subdued, it'll be nearly impossible to take on Robin Williams' or Jim Carrey's humor.

You can always take bits and pieces of others' humor, but you'll want to adapt your shtick to your own style and personality -- in turn, this'll be easier for you and sound more genuine as you won't have to try as hard.