dance-dance-dance
Explanation
The comic plays on the concept of radical gratitude and mindfulness practices taken to an absurd extreme. A woman asks a man how he stays so happy all the time. He explains that every 20 minutes his watch reminds him to imagine he is "dancing on a stage, cheering, feeling amazing, hot hot hot." The woman reacts with "Oh my god."
He then elaborates with a pseudo-philosophical monologue: "It's an end-run around real psychology. No processing, no self-awareness, just vibes. Years. The happiness is eternal and perfect." The woman responds with "Thank you, thank you so much, this is everything."
The joke is in the final panel, where the woman says to a friend, "Oh he's bat-s*** insane." The humor comes from the contrast between the man's earnest conviction that his technique for happiness is profound and the outside observer's blunt assessment that it's simply delusional. Weinersmith is satirizing the self-help and wellness industry, where elaborate mindfulness techniques can sometimes cross the line from helpful coping strategies into disconnection from reality. The comic also pokes fun at how people sometimes confuse genuine mental wellness with simply refusing to engage with negative emotions.