My New Year's resolution was to read more.

This joke gets its chuckle from a clever bit of wordplay and a relatable twist on expectations. When someone declares their New Year's resolution is to "read more," our minds immediately conjure images of diving into dusty tomes, tackling classic novels, or finally getting through that stack of unread magazines. The punchline, however, brilliantly subverts this serious endeavor by interpreting "reading" in the most minimal and effortless way possible: by simply engaging with the captions on a television screen.

The humor also taps into the universal experience of New Year's resolutions themselves. Every year, millions of people set ambitious goals for self-improvement, whether it's exercising more, learning a new skill, or indeed, reading more books. And just as universally, many of these resolutions famously falter by February. The joke playfully acknowledges this common struggle, offering a hilariously low-effort workaround that technically fulfills the resolution without any of the actual commitment. It’s a lighthearted jab at our own good intentions and the shortcuts we might secretly wish existed.