THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF BEING FUNNY
From improving wellbeing to ensuring our messaging connects, humour is more important now than ever before.
Frankly, over the past eighteen months there hasn’t felt like a lot to laugh about. No matter where you are or what you do, everyone has been impacted in some way. And even if you’ve been lucky enough to not have been negatively affected, the prolonged state of uncertainty still takes a heavy emotional toll.
Considering the state of things, it definitely feels a little strange, insensitive even, to share a piece about humour. Yet, given the positive psychological and physiological benefits, perhaps it should be the very opposite. Maybe now is the time we should be creating more opportunities for laughter? Seeking moments of levity amidst the ongoing backdrop of the pandemic.
If you didn’t laugh, you’d have to cry...
Like exercising when we’re feeling lethargic, when we’re feeling lowest is when humour is most necessary.
An extract from How to Speak Human (Wiley, 2018).
Perhaps the biggest instigator of The Serious Conversation is suggesting humour at work. Yes, quite ironically, nothing gets some people more straight-faced than the thought of other people laughing.
We understand the fear. Humour can feel like a massive risk, especially when communicating a serious or sensitive topic. There’s the concern of trivialising, making light or making fun of a situation that may be far from funny. The spectre of potential insult looms. There’s also the legitimate fear of a joke falling flat. We’ve all seen what happens when humour takes a big ol’ bellyflop from the high board. The impact is seldom pretty.
Let’s allay those fears. There’s a subtle but definite distinction between seeing humour around a situation, and making light of the message. Comedians walk that line every time they get up on stage. Advertising uses it frequently and very effectively. Let’s trust that empathy will aid us in determining what’s funny, and what’s appropriate.
But why even risk it?
Well, research by Wharton, MIT and London Business School has proven that laughter relieves stress and boredom, defuses tension and negativity, increases engagement, promotes wellbeing and positivity, inspires creativity, builds relationships, fosters collaboration, improves motivation and morale, aids learning, hones analytic precision and raises productivity. [Takes breath] Yeah — so there’s all of that.
Many companies are perfectly comfortable using humour in their marketing, advertising and communication with customers and clients. Which is telling, isn’t it? There’s obviously a recognition that humour is effective at building relationships, yet these same businesses frequently shy from using humour to connect with their own people.
Humour surprises and grabs our attention
Because it’s often in such short supply at work, using humour strategically can win us attention. It can make everyday communication remarkable and memorable. It can stop us in our tracks and make us look twice.
Humour builds trust and influence
Studies have shown that leaders who use humour authentically are thought of more highly. Humour makes us more likeable, and with that comes trust. A well-told joke is capable of dragging a begrudging snort out of even the biggest cynic. And for these reasons, humour is a powerful driver of influence.
Humour builds relationships... and culture
Big call, huh? It shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, though. Humour is inherently human, releasing a heady cocktail of pleasurable chemicals every time we’re amused. Laughter has also been proven to be important in building rapport. Considering strong relationships are fundamental to effective collaboration, as well as forming the foundation for any strong culture, there’s a compelling case for chasing a chuckle.
The universal appeal of being amusing
Humour is a full-brain workout: limbic system, cerebral cortex, occipital lobe, amygdala and hippocampus all pumped up. These are the areas associated with linguistics, meaning, emotional responses, motivation and behaviour.
Our physiological response to humour is laughter. It stimulates the production of serotonin, which makes us happy, and triggers the production of endorphins, which gives us a natural high. This is why we want to be amused; it’s the reason we like to laugh. Laughter is so potent, it can even briefly override other emotions, including anxiety and fear.
Researchers also believe that laughter serves a social function—essential to building and strengthening relationships. It’s no coincidence that humour is frequently used by advertising, marketing and sales. We tend to buy from people or brands we like, and laughter builds that rapport. Attention, likeability, shareability—these are the foundations those industries are built on, and humour ticks all three boxes.
When it comes to what makes us laugh, there are three common theories.
The incongruity theory explains humour that surprises us with the unexpected. We anticipate a certain conclusion based on logic or past experience, but an unforeseen twist forces us to experience two incompatible thoughts and emotions simultaneously. For example: There are two fish in a tank. One turns to the other and says, ‘Do you know how to drive this thing?’
The superiority theory involves jokes that make fun of someone’s/ something’s stupidity, mistakes or misfortune. This type of humour works when we believe ourselves superior. It’s a style that’s often used by comics, where the hero’s foolish nemesis is subjected to ongoing indignities for our depraved amusement.
The relief theory explains how humour can relieve tension. This type of humour is often used in movies. A witty one-liner gives temporary relief before suspense is built again.
Some types of humour are universally We tend to buy from well received. These include in-jokes, people or brands we slapstick and any joke relating to the like, and laughter builds fundamental similarities among all people that rapport.
(read: toilet humour). In contrast, highbrow, irony, sarcasm, puns, wordplay and subtle linguistics can translate badly. And political, religious, racial or cultural stereotypes are always a terrible idea.
That isn’t to say humour can’t be a little spicy.
Marketing and Psychology professor Peter McGraw’s Benign Violation theory suggests that humour happens when we find something wrong, unsettling or threatening, but simultaneously okay, acceptable or safe. It’s the balance of the two contradictory elements that makes a joke amusing and appropriate. Slip too far one way, the joke turns offensive. Tilt the other way, it loses its edge.
So what might humour look like when incorporated into communication at work? Gather round the metaphorical campfire and let your old pals tell you a story about Luke and his intrepid Nestlé Field Sales troop.
Case study: Luke laughs in the face of adversity
Let’s venture into the wilds and join the Field Sales team of the world’s largest food and beverage company. A demographically diverse group, these are the folk tasked with the crucial role of delivering product to various stores, setting up point-of-sale displays and arranging stock.
The Field Guide replaced the typical induction manual (you know the type: heavy on detail and light on impact) with a handbook that people actually wanted to read. Luke wanted an artefact that his Field Sales team carried with them at all times.
The solution was to strip the manual back to the bare essentials, visualising the content, and making it engaging for a diverse workforce where English was often a second language. It incorporated the content into a 12-month mindfulness journal, including plenty of planning space and interesting information to keep people turning the pages.
The concept for the Field Guide riffed on the fact that Field Sales people are generally out on the road, in the wilds (metaphorically) and out in the field (sort-of-literally). A field guide is traditionally an illustrated manual detailing wilderness environments, and in some cases teaching people how to survive in them.
The illustrations used in the guide were firmly tongue- in-cheek — bringing wilderness elements (think: bears) into typical urban retail environments, and depicting the Field Sales team as rugged, woodsy types clad in flannel. The writing was pulled back to basics and written in the straightforward, matter-of-fact tone found in typical field guides. A conversational (often cheeky) edge to the writing made it easy and fun to read.
Luke’s Field Guide worked exactly as he’d hoped. Feedback from new recruits expressed how they’d been drawn into reading the manual cover to cover and had learned a lot in the process. As a first step to preparing people for the realities of work and inducting them into Field Sales culture, it couldn’t have been a better result. Luke proved that humour doesn’t need to be over-the-top or laugh-out-loud. A wry smile can be enough.
The risky business of being funny
The Field Guide worked because it brought the right type of funny. The scenarios were ridiculous, but they were based on common situations that all Field Sales employees could relate to and laugh about together (remember the incongruity and relief theories). Most importantly, humour made the content interesting. It drew people’s attention and compelled them to keep reading. Ultimately, it achieved Luke’s objective of improving his Field Sales team’s performance out on the job.
Unfortunately, while leaders like Luke are bold enough to bring humour into their work, many workplaces are missing out on the potential benefits. A recent study of Gallup data found that we laugh significantly less on weekdays than we do on weekends. Research by Eric Tsytsylin describes working adults as in the midst of a laughter drought. Babies laugh on average around 400 times a day. Over 35, and we’re lucky to crack 15. Apparently, work has become serious business.
With all the benefits of humour, why is it still in such short supply in so many organisations?
One word: risk.
The hurdle to using humour effectively is that it can be subjective, contextual and culturally specific. If we can’t relate to the joke for any one of these reasons, we won’t find it funny. Worse, if we do relate to the joke, but perceive it’s in poor taste or at our expense, we’ll take offence. This makes it challenging to choose the right type of humour to appeal to everyone, especially in a large-scale or global roll-out.
The hurdle to using humour effectively is that it can be subjective, contextual and culturally specific.
Of all the factors that influence what we find amusing, culture is obviously important, but age also makes a significant difference.
When we’re an infant or toddler, we’re in a period of discovery. At this age, our world is an endless source of ridiculous, surprising and hilarious situations. This is one of the reasons youngsters find bodily functions so funny.
By the time we reach our teens, we’re at our most awkward and insecure. We’re amused by sex, food, authority figures and any subject considered taboo by adults. We tend to use humour for protection and to demonstrate superiority.
As we get older, though, our sense of humour changes. Don’t get me wrong, we’re every bit as amused by a fart, but in general our sense of humour becomes a little more cerebral. We’re amused by the typical stresses and embarrassments we experience. Politics, family and job pressures—if we didn’t laugh, we’d probably cry. Humour is one of our coping mechanisms (remember: relief theory).
With organisations comprising up to five generations, we need to be aware of our differences and similarities to ensure our humour hits the mark.
Finally, while humour can cut through the noise, it’s not immune to habituation (explored a few chapters ago). Wheeling out the same joke over and over causes an audience to tune out faster than when Granddad tells the story about the time when he was young and ...
Yeah, you get the idea.
