Humor, Seriously
Think you might want to read this book?
Whether you use humor to lead and want to know how it works or just wish work was more fun, Humor, Seriously is the book for you. Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas use their research, experience with improv, years of teaching about humor, and their vast network of comedians and writers to produce an impressive (and witty) book about humor. Clever graphs and anecdotes blend in with high quality research to make this a pleasant, informative, and humorous read.
What Would Socrates Ask?
What if humor was part of teacher training?
Does humor assist with student learning?
Are humorous leaders better leaders?
Research
We don’t need to take ourselves so seriously in order to grapple with serious things.
The frequency with which we laugh or smile each day starts to plummet around age twenty-three.
Leaders who use self-deprecating humor are rated higher on measures of both trustworthiness and leadership ability by their employees.
Viewers of humorous news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report remembered more about current events than people who consumed information from newspapers, cable news, or network news.
Research does reveal a correlation between sense of humor and longevity.
Concepts
The Humor Styles
The Stand-up (Aggressive-Expressive)- Stand-ups are natural entertainers who aren’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers to get a laugh. They come alive in front of crowds…
The Sweetheart (Affiliative-Subtle)- If you have an optimistic bent to your humor, aren’t interested in the limelight, and prefer to plan out what you’ll say (and how it will make people feel), you might lean toward the Sweetheart style.
The Magnet (Affiliative-Expressive)- Their delivery tends to be animated and sometimes even slapstick-they readily slip into impersonations and characters. Magnets often crack up when delivering a goofy joke because it’s just too fun to tell…
The Sniper (Aggressive-Subtle)- Snipers are edgy, sarcastic, and nuanced, unafraid to cross lines in pursuit of a laugh. They describe their humor as an “acquired taste”- one that not everyone will acquire-with a delivery that tends to be dry and under their breath.
Four Benefits of Laughter
Power
Bonds
Creativity
Resilience
Incongruity-Resolution Theory- humor comes from the incongruity between what we expect and what actually happens.
Comedy equals tragedy plus time.
Priming Effect- a principle in psychology wherein exposure to a stimulus impacts your response to a subsequent one.
Callback- refer back to a previous joke or funny moment that happened earlier.
Peak-End Rule- the moments people remember most from an experience are the most emotionally heightened one and the final one.
Comedy- three key components:
Truth
Pain
Distance
Quotes from the author
“Today’s employees yearn for more authentic, human leaders. Aspirational, yes, but also flawed.”
“Humor is a powerful leadership strategy to humanize oneself to employees, break down barriers, and balance authority with approachability.”
“...a culture that balances serious work with levity and play can actually improve team performance.”
“When we feel safe enough to make light of our mistakes, in other words, it gives us the courage to take on bigger and bolder risks.”
“A common misconception among our clients and students is that humor involves inventing something from thin air. In reality, humor more often comes simply from noticing the oddities and absurdities in the world around you and identifying them in an unexpected manner.”
“Whether it’s face-to-face or over email, refuse to check your personality at the door.”
“By channeling their unique sense of humor, leaders can better unite, persuade, motivate, and inspire-and, ultimately, be the kind of people that others want to follow.”
“Look for organic moments of delight, support them, and then get out of the way.”
Quotes from others
“Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.” - Mark Twain
“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” - President Eisenhower
“You don’t have to be the quickest wit in the room. The easiest way to have more humor at work is not to try to be funny-instead, just look for moments to laugh.” - Dick Costolo, Former Twitter CEO
“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” - Mark Twain
“You can always tell how smart someone is by what they laugh at.” - Tina Fey
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” -attributed to Albert Einstein
“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” - abolitionist clergyman Henry Ward Beecher
“Never look for what’s funny. Look for what’s true and go from there.” - comedian Sarah Cooper
“What’s funny right now, to this group only? That’s the fastest and best way to get a group laughing.” - comedian Seth Herzog
“I’m struck by how laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re just howling with laughter.” - John Cleese
Gateways to further learning
Referenced books with the potential to impact leading and learning in education
The applicability of this book to education is ….
Resources
