How to Giggle: A Guide to Taking Life Less Seriously

Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo’s credentials and experience in the entertainment industry provide a strong foundation for the ideas outlined in How to Giggle. Both Berner and DeSorbo write as women in their thirties who have prioritized their desires and dreams to find happiness. In 2020, Berner and DeSorbo launched Giggly Squad, a weekly podcast where the best friends discuss and joke about a range of topics, from pop culture to fashion trends to dating to mental health. Berner and DeSorbo translate many of these conversations to the page in How to Giggle. They are known for their fun-loving outlook on life, their emphasis on healthy relationships, their promotion of self-care, and their general love for laughing, all of which contextualize their practical advice for women in How to Giggle. Their advice about realizing dreams and caring for oneself comes from personal experience: How to Giggle suggests that if Berner and DeSorbo can overcome obstacles to establish successful careers in the arts, any woman can pursue seemingly impossible goals.

Because both Berner and DeSorbo are cis-gendered, heterosexual women, How to Giggle is most relevant to women of the same demographic. This is particularly true in the context of the authors’ dating advice and emphasis on decentering men. However, Berner and DeSorbo acknowledge their biases on the page and at times speak directly to women whose backgrounds and identities differ from their own. Further, their advice on how to care for one’s body, make lasting friendships, and take steps to achieve one’s goals are relevant to a wide readership.