Patrick House, a neuroscientist at Stanford University and a writer for The New Yorker, shared with Slate his approach to creating a winning entry for The New Yorker’s Cartoon Caption Contest.

Laughing out loud is, in this context, an unseemly act sure to draw unwanted attention. To avoid this, your caption should elicit, at best, a mild chuckle. The first filter for your caption should be: Is it too funny? Will it make anyone laugh out loud? If so, throw it out and work on a less funny one.