Life — November 23, 1922 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This is a **subscription advertisement disguised as editorial content**. The "Humor-Assimilation Chart" compares two readers' engagement with *Life* magazine over ten weeks: a regular subscriber versus an irregular one. The satirical point: missing even one issue of *Life* causes your "humor assimilation" to drop significantly—the irregular reader's curve plummets after week seven when they missed an issue. The ad argues that *Life* reading must be **habitual and complete** to maintain comedic benefit. The pitch is tongue-in-cheek but serious: readers shouldn't risk missing *Life* for fear of social incompetence or incomplete enjoyment. It's early advertising psychology, using mock-scientific charts to encourage annual subscriptions (saving $2.90).