We’ve all heard that “laughter is the best medicine.” Did you know that it’s easier to smile than to frown? Scientists have discovered that your body has to work harder and use more muscles to frown than it does to smile. Why not add a little humor to your workday and reap the benefits?
Research has shown there are many benefits to using humor in the workplace and here are just a few from the experts:
Ten Benefits of Humor in the Workplace
- Humor gets people to listen. In a Harvard Management update “Let the Good Times Toll – Building a Fun Culture,” David Stauffer says: “Consistent use of appropriate humor makes people want to read and hear what you say.”
- Humor connects us with others. “Positive sounds such as laughter or a triumphant ‘woo hoo!’ can trigger a response in the listener’s brain,” says Jane E. Warren in a December 2006 article in The Journal of Neuroscience. “The response is automatic and helps us interact socially by priming us to smile or laugh, and thereby connecting us with the other person.”
- Humor encourages people to work together. “A growing body of research shows that when you share a laugh with someone, you’re mirroring not only one another’s body language, but also the hormonal and neuronal activity, prompting a mutual investment in each other’s well-being,” Drake Baer writes for Fast Company in “Why Humor Makes You More Creative,” May 2013.
- Humor improves decision-making. “Positive moods prompt more flexible decision-making and wider search behavior and greater analytic precision,” says Lydia Dishman in January 2013 for Fast Company,“Secrets of America’s Happiest Companies.”
- Humor boosts overall brainpower. “A dose of humor releases the chemical serotonin in your brain, which improves focus, increases objectivity and improves overall brainpower,” according to Robyn McMaster in a September article for Brain Based Biz.
- Humor provides motivation. In a 1999 Academy of Management Journal article, B.J. Avolio advocates humor for boosting morale. “The use of humor in organizations has been associated with improving morale among workers, creating a more positive organizational culture, … and increasing motivation,” Avolio says.
- Humor reduces absenteeism. “Humor is associated with enhanced work performance, satisfaction, workgroup cohesion, health, and coping effectiveness, as well as decreased burnout, stress, and work withdrawal,” says Jessica Mesmer-Magnus in a 1986 meta-analysis of humor in the Journal of Managerial Psychology.
- Humor improves productivity. Employees buy into it. “In one study of more than 2,500 employees, 81 percent said they believe a fun working environment would make them more productive,” according to Lauren Breeze, in a 2014 article in Perspectives in Business.
- Humor burns calories. In an article “Give Your Body a Boost with Laughter” in WebMD in June 2012, R. Morgan Griffin writes: “Laughing 100 times can burn as many calories as 10-minutes on a stationary bicycle.”
- Humor improves blood flow. “Watching 15 minutes of funny video can improve blood flow to your heart by 50 percent,” Denny Watkins writes in 50 Ways to Beat the Reaper” in Men’s Health in October 2007
Do you need more tips for making your workplace more productive and efficient? Let the HR experts at BCN Services assist you. Contact us at 800-891-9911 or contact us here.
Lisandra Quinones, Human Resources Administrator