Little Buddha said
Humor is a powerful tool and a trait that many people want to have. A laugh, or a workplace atmosphere that encourages light-hearted humor, can foster interpersonal interaction and create cohesion within the group. However, failed jokes or offensive jokes can also backfire. Therefore, with humor, the occasion is important. So, where can humor be used? How to avoid anachronistic humor? After reading today's article, I believe that your sense of humor will be greatly improved. This is no joke.
Many of us know intuitively that humor has a big role to play. Ask your co-workers about the traits they value most in their friends or partners, and they're likely to respond (relative to other traits) as a sense of humor, like "someone who can make me laugh" or "someone who will be amused by my jokes." But ask them what they value most in their leaders, and this time there may be no humor. We tend to feel that humor is a secondary part of leadership.
In fact, humor is a powerful tool, some leaders will use it subconsciously, but many more people can use it consciously. Our research and that of other researchers have shown that humor can influence and elevate a person's status in a team, enhance trust between people, allow team members to form high-quality working relationships, and fundamentally shape confidence, ability, camaraderie, and clear communication in interpersonal interactions.
Humor can also influence important behaviors and attitudes, which in turn affect many aspects of leadership effectiveness, such as employee performance, job satisfaction, sense of organizational belonging, organizational civic behavior, creativity, a sense of psychological security in the team, and the expectation of continued interaction in the future.
However, failed jokes (not funny or no one laughs) and offensive jokes (seen as anachronistic) can make the joker appear unintelligent and incompetent, undermining their professional reputation. This situation can degrade people's status and, in extreme cases, even lose their jobs.
How do you apply a specific type of humor to become a more effective leader? How to avoid becoming a negative teaching material in the next employee training? This article provides some guidance.
Humor can elevate your status
Humor not only gives people a position of authority, but it also helps people who gain a position of authority to lead more effectively. Three professors, Cecily Cooper of the University of Miami, Tony Kong of the University of South Florida, and Craig Crossley of the University of Central Florida, found that leaders used humor as a human relationship tool with higher employee satisfaction, resulting in higher quality of communication and increased organizational citizenship (i.e., spontaneous and voluntary actions that help improve organizational efficiency). In other words, when leaders use humor, employees are more willing to take the initiative to do things outside of their responsibilities.
Why does humor have such power? Caleb Warren of the University of Arizona and Peter McGraw of the University of Colorado boulder conducted a study that examined the elements that make up humor. They found that the effects of humor most often occur when something is seen as a benign violation. The study showed participants several scenarios showing someone's benign scenario (such as a pole vaulter successfully completing a jump), a scene of discomfort (a pole vaulter failed to jump high and was seriously injured), and a benign discomfort scenario (pole vaulter failed to jump high, but was not seriously injured). Participants laughed at a higher proportion when they saw the third scene (which had both benign and uncomfortable elements) than in the other two scenes (pure benign or uncomfortable). The researchers concluded that what makes us interesting is something disturbing but somewhat acceptable and doesn't pose much of a sense of threat.
Because joking will damage the other party's psychological security and may be risky, it will make people appear more confident and capable. We found in one study that whether a joke was successful or anachronistic, participants felt that the person who was joking was more confident — because the person had the courage to try the joke. By showing confidence in this way, a higher status can be achieved (provided the audience does not have access to information that proves their lack of confidence). We've also found that people who go against expectations and conventions in an appropriate way can make people feel more competent and smarter. This conclusion validates how we feel about people who speak in a funny way: we appreciate and respect the intelligence of such people, so their prestige increases.
However, humor also has an uncomfortable offensive nature, so there is a certain risk. Jokes that are too anachronistic can be counterproductive and disgusting to the audience. At this time, the audience will not think that the joker is smart and capable, but will think in their hearts, this person is so stupid, I can't believe this guy said such stupid things. While people who don't make jokes are still seen as confident, failing to make jokes is seen as a sign of low ability, leading to a decrease in status. Our research shows that leaders fail to try humor at a high cost, even worse than serious leaders who don't joke at all and have no sense of humor at all. Finding a balance between benign offense and serious offense can be difficult — even professional comedians are often criticized for overdoing it — and requires some skill.
Occasions matter
When talking to others, we need to balance multiple motivations at the same time. The purpose of our conversations may be to exchange information accurately and clearly, to make a good impression on each other, to resolve conflicts, to have fun, and so on. Whether each motivation is considered normal and decent varies from occasion to occasion. Therefore, humorous occasions are very important.
The service at a hotel you've stayed in sucks, and it's safer to tell a friend at a party (the general motivation for such occasions is to have fun) than to tell it to the country's border guards (usually to exchange information) when you go to a foreign country. A joke tells a particularly well to a certain group of people, but it may be very unsuccessful to change to another group of people, and even to the same object, it may not be funny to put it on another occasion. And, while jokes can often act as a (well-intentioned) social glue, being treated as an almost undisguised show-off, or an insult to a particular group of people or ideas, can backfire.
Here are some ways to help you get the most out of your humor and avoid anachronistic jokes.
When can you tell internal jokes. The joke of this kind of joke requires a certain background knowledge to understand, and outsiders cannot understand it without relevant knowledge. Internal jokes are very common – our data shows that almost everyone has spoken or heard internal jokes. But how do such internal topics, especially internal jokes, affect the dynamics of communication within the group?
While everyone usually feels that light humor can bring each other closer together, it can also create discord within the team and make some people feel embarrassed to be excluded. Internal jokes certainly have a positive effect, such as expressing closeness and friendship, making people feel that they belong to this circle. This humor can be useful in transactional situations where there is no other follow-up effect, and it doesn't hurt for outsiders to understand the laughter. But the study of this type of humor gives clear advice: if team cohesion is important, pay attention to telling jokes that everyone can understand.
When can it be ironic. Irony is the opposite, so compared to direct expression, the use and understanding of irony requires a higher level of abstract thinking, and abstract thinking helps to improve the ability to innovate. The downside of irony is that it may make the other person perceive a higher level of conflict, especially if there is a low level of trust between each other. Moreover, because the actual meaning of the satire is contrary to the literal meaning, there is a risk of misunderstanding, or the other party fails to grasp the humor of the words and interprets the satirical comments literally. It's important to note that sarcasm can be used to spark creativity, but be gentle in the presence of new colleagues who are unfamiliar, in unfamiliar environments, and in teams where relationships are not yet solid. Before building a deep relationship of trust, it is best to communicate with respect.
When can you laugh at yourself. When John F. Kennedy ran for president, his wealthy father was accused of spending money to buy him votes. Kennedy responded to the allegations at the annual Gridiron dinner in 1958 by saying, "I just received a telegram from my generous dad saying, 'Dear Jack, just buy enough votes, don't buy more.'" If you want me to buy an overwhelming advantage, that's fine. ’”
Self-deprecation can effectively neutralize negative information about yourself. A study conducted by Brad, one of the authors of this article, along with Maurice Schweitzer, found that people who disclose negative information about themselves in a serious way are seen as friendlier and competent than those who disclose such information in a serious way. Using humor when disclosing negative information will make the other person feel that the information is less authentic and important. For example, the study found that job seekers humorously indicated that their mathematical ability was limited, saying that "I can do addition and subtraction, but when it comes to geometry, I will only draw lines" (drawing the line is pun, meaning "can't do it") will appear to be more mathematical than the person who gives this information seriously ("I can do addition and subtraction, but I can't geometry").
However, there are also forbidden areas for the use of self-deprecation. In lower-status people, self-deprecation can have a negative impact if relevant traits or skills are essential to being at the heart of a job. For example, statisticians who laugh at themselves for their lack of spelling skills will be safer than if they do not have sufficient statistical skills. Therefore, when it comes to core competencies, it may be better to choose other forms of humor. (There is an exception to this: if you can only seriously disclose your core abilities in addition to self-deprecation, and there is no other way to humor, then it is better to be self-deprecating.) You should also avoid admitting mistakes in a humorous way in situations that are not suitable for light humor (such as court testimony), or when the mistakes are very serious and the jokes will appear to be very low-grade. For example, at the 2004 White House correspondents' dinner, President George W. Bush played a video of him looking around the president's office saying, "Weapons of mass destruction must be somewhere." No, not over there... Maybe here? "This kind of topic is not suitable for joke at all. The video drew harsh criticism.
When to use humor to avoid sharp questions. In the second round of debate in the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign, then-reigning Ronald Reagan was asked whether age was an obstacle to his re-election as president. Reagan, 73, is already the oldest president in U.S. history and appeared very tired during the first round of debate. Faced with this question, he replied, "I will not make age the subject of this campaign." I will not take advantage of the youth and inexperience of my opponents for political purposes. Both the audience and opponent Walter Mondale burst out laughing. Afterwards, Mundell said he knew he had lost.
Few people like to be asked such sharp questions. Previous research has shown that people respond in many different ways when confronted with such questions: remain silent, clearly lie, be vague (deliberately misleaded with truth), or throw another question. Avoiding problems with humor is a very useful method in a particular situation. Because humor can be distracting, this is the result of the work of Madelijn Strick and others at the University of Utrek. Just as a good magician makes the audience invisible, a successful joke can divert our attention from a particular message. Successful humor also makes us laugh, and we are more willing to trust others when we are in a good mood. As mentioned earlier, interesting people are seen as smarter and more competent. Reagan's answer was so effective in part because of the ingenuity he showed when he was attacked. Reagan replied with humor (though perhaps just a pre-prepared line), showing the audience that he was still quick-witted.
When to use humor to give negative feedback. During the American Civil War, when General George B. McClellan failed to attack General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Abraham Lincoln, angry, wrote to McClellan, "If you don't want to use the army, lend it to me." Lincoln on the top". Giving negative feedback with humor like this allows the other person to remember the criticism firmly.
Giving negative feedback is hard, and it's easy to make people want to take a step back, make a joke, and make the atmosphere lighter. However, using jokes to convey criticism may weaken the intensity of criticism. Peter McGraw and others have done experiments in which participants are subjected to humorous complaints or serious complaints. Humorous complaints are more acceptable, but also milder, and don't force people to take steps to correct the problem like serious complaints.
Because humorous criticism weakens feedback, it can lead to a blurred focus when the problem is not obvious. If a manager jokes about a subordinate's declining performance, the subordinate may think that there is nothing wrong with his performance, or that the problem is not big — otherwise why joke about it?
When to use humor as a trauma coping mechanism. Remember the day after the 2016 presidential election? It was a happy day for Donald Trump supporters, but not for Hillary Clinton supporters. We took the opportunity to study how humor can help people cope with negative news. On the day after the election, one of the authors of the article (Alison) and several other researchers asked some of the people who voted for Hillary to participate in the study and ask them to write something humorous or meaningful about Trump's victory. The study found that humor seekers in this situation felt better at the time, and by the time the researchers returned a few months later, they still felt better about the matter.
Humor can be a very powerful tool for coping with trauma, even in the most difficult situations. Linda Henman, a leadership consultant, found that American prisoners of war in the Vietnam War often responded with humor to the harsh environment in which they lived. Stricker and other researchers conducted the study, asking participants to look at photos showing negative scenes (such as personal injuries or car accidents), followed by stimuli that make people laugh and positive but not funny stimuli, respectively. Participants exposed to funny stimuli reported fewer negative emotions than those exposed to the latter. Why? It's still because humor is distracting and prevents people from focusing all their attention on negative information.
But another study suggests that humor's role as a coping mechanism is influenced by its type. Andrea Samson of the University of Fribourg and James Gross of Stanford found that positive and friendly humor makes people feel better when dealing with negative news, while negative, gloomy or mean jokes make people feel worse. It's also important to note that when negative events haven't passed or have just passed, be cautious about jokingly offending others ("don't rush it").
You don't have to be a comedian with the professional standards
Go out and play golf with people at the company, and you don't have to be Phil Mickelson. Similarly, to properly use humor in the office, you don't have to be Amy Schumer, Ali Wonong, or John Mulaney. The style of many professional comedians, directly transferred to the workplace, may even pose a risk, because professional actors are to expand the boundaries of "decency". The success of a joke depends on the person, time, place and object of the joke, so it is important to be cautious about repeating the comedian's joke at work. But your colleagues don't expect you to be as good (or funny) as a professional comedian, or even to tell pre-prepared jokes.
Think of humor as a leadership tool, recognizing that people can make people laugh in a variety of different ways. For example, witty talkativeness, clever storytelling, clever writing emails, and a lively atmosphere when making presentations are all different, each requiring different reaction times, rhythms of expression, and an understanding of the audience. If you're not used to making jokes about a large group of people, or aren't good at making jokes when presenting, keep trying to use humor when communicating alone. If you're serious about communicating alone, try humor in an email. To incorporate more humor into your work life, you have a variety of options.
Workplace humor is a delicate craft, and the study of humor is just getting started. Researchers, including ours, are still collecting data on the different types of humor used, when and effectively. However, the principle of using humor must emphasize one thing: the occasion is important. The dynamics of communication between different cultures, different people, and different groups may be very different, and the elements of change are difficult to grasp, and even if you are in it, it is difficult to judge whether trying humor at this moment can achieve good results. Even if a joke is not funny or inappropriate, many people will laugh politely, so the feedback is not reliable.
If you feel like you can't use humor properly in the workplace, or if you're afraid to try it, that's fine. Not everyone has to make people laugh, not every attempt at humor can succeed, and professional comedians will also have funny failures. But you can still let light humor seep into your work life in a simple way: appreciate the humor of others, laugh more, appreciate the absurdity of life and the jokes you hear. A life without humor is not only boring, it can also make yourself and those around you less efficient and less creative. Don't think of humor as a secondary organizational act, but as the primary way to advance your status and achieve success in the workplace, so that you can benefit greatly.
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Read this article in the original English version ↓
Keywords: workplace
Brad Bitterly and Alison WoodBrooks | wen
Brad Pitley is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Alison Wood Brooks is the O'Brien Associate Chair Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.
Jiang Huirong | Translated by Niu Wenjing | Qingjing | at the school edit
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