Jennifer Aaker, a professor at Stanford specializing in well-being, joins Naomi Bagdonas, an executive coach with improv training, to explore the importance of humor in life and work. They discuss the 'humor cliff' phenomenon, where laughter declines post-23, and outline four humor styles to help listeners identify their own. Aaker and Bagdonas emphasize humor's role in authentic communication and its transformative power for leadership. Practical tips on integrating humor into everyday interactions make for an enlightening and entertaining conversation.
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insights INSIGHT
Humor Cliff
We've fallen off a "humor cliff" around age 23, smiling and laughing less.
This coincides with entering the workforce, and laughter doesn't return until age 80.
insights INSIGHT
Workplace Humor Misconceptions
People believe they must be serious at work, suppressing humor for perceived success.
Focusing on truth and delight, rather than jokes or cleverness, unlocks natural humor.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Humor as a Tool
Use humor, especially during stressful times, as it releases endorphins and reduces cortisol.
Laughing together improves physiological well-being and strengthens connections.
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This book, backed by extensive research, teaches how to use humor effectively in professional settings. Aaker and Bagdonas debunk common myths about humor, explain how to identify and employ your own humor style, and provide practical tips on using humor to make a strong first impression, deliver difficult feedback, and foster a culture of levity and creativity. The authors emphasize that humor is not about telling jokes but about incorporating fun and light-heartedness into formal communication to form better relationships and relieve stress.
A common denominator among all of the great meditation teachers is a sense of humor. They take the teaching seriously, but they don’t take themselves seriously. So perhaps there’s a link between human flourishing and humor. That’s not to say you have to be hilarious in order to be happy, but it clearly helps a great deal not to take yourself so seriously. And it turns out that humor is a skill.
Dr. Jennifer Aaker is the General Atlantic Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business whose work has been published in leading scientific journals and featured in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Science. Naomi Bagdonas is a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an executive coach. She trained formally at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, teaches improv in San Francisco’s county jail, and performs in comedy venues.
This episode explores:
Why Naomi and Jennifer say we’ve fallen off a humor cliff
The four main humor styles and how to figure out which is yours
When self-deprecation works, and when it doesn’t
How to conduct a humor audit
How to sign off your emails
The relationship between humor and status
The connection between humor and love
A taxonomy of workplace humor
The different types of humor fails, and what to do about them
10% Happier with Dan Harris 