soonish-3
Explanation
The Joke
This is a promotional comic for the book "Soonish" by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. The comic features a conversation about online dating, with one character complaining that dating sites have made people too picky. The other character suggests that instead of swiping through profiles focused on superficial traits, people should focus on "environmental enrichment" -- a term borrowed from animal husbandry and zoo management, where you improve an animal's habitat to improve its well-being rather than trying to change the animal itself.
The punchline comes when it is revealed that one character's dating site profile describes himself as "MWS: Enrichment-focused male looking for a similarly enrichment-focused mate. Enjoys environmental modifications." The joke is that this clinical, zoological framing of romance is both hilariously unsexy and yet arguably more honest than typical dating profile language.
The Humor
The humor derives from applying the cold, scientific language of animal behavioral enrichment to human romance. The idea that you should stop trying to find the perfect partner and instead focus on creating a better shared environment is, in a way, genuinely good advice -- but phrasing it like a zookeeper's report makes it deeply unromantic. The comic also pokes fun at how online dating profiles already read like clinical product descriptions, suggesting that going full "enrichment protocol" is only a small step further. The fact that this is a promotional strip for "Soonish" adds a meta layer, as the Weinersmiths are known for finding humor in the intersection of science and everyday life.
References
"Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything" is a 2017 book by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (the author of SMBC). Environmental enrichment is a real concept in animal welfare science, referring to modifications to an animal's environment designed to improve quality of life by stimulating natural behaviors.