Mathew Maurer: What can business leaders do to implement or make it known that there is still a place for humor in the workplace? Many believe that humor simply has no place amidst serious work, he says. But research shows that our businesses are facing a crisis of trust.Maurer: When we laugh with someone, be it in person or even over screens through zom,. Our brains released the hormon oxytosen, and were essentially cue to form an emotional bond with that person.
Humor does more than just make people laugh. It allows you to connect with your audience, diffuse tension, elevate status, and compel others to your point of view. Humor can also help you and your message stand out, yet most of us hesitate to use humor, especially in our professional lives.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams speaks with Stanford GSB Professor Jennifer Aaker and Lecturer Naomi Bagdonas about when and how humor operates in the work place. “Many believe that humor simply has no place amidst serious work,” Professor Aaker says. “Yet showing your sense of humor can make your peers and your friends attribute more perceptions of confidence and status to us while also cultivating a sense of trust.”
Aaker and Bagdonas are are the authors of Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life, which comes out in October of this year.
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