Laughter: The natural high

Can you identify this description of a physical reaction?

• The neural circuits in your brain begin to reverberate;
• Chemical and electrical impulses start flowing rapidly through your body;
• The pituitary gland is stimulated, and hormones and endorphins race through your blood;
• Your body temperature rises half a degree;
• Your pulse rate and blood pressure increase;
• Your arteries and thoracic muscles contract, your vocal cords quiver, and your face contorts;
• Pressure builds in your lungs, your lower jaw becomes uncontrollable, and breath bursts from your mouth at nearly 70 miles per hour.

Okay, all you Grey’s Anatomy fans, what just happened? Should we call an ambulance?

Better to call a friend and share the joke with them. You just laughed!

Starting your day with a good laugh, or at least a big smile, is as beneficial to your health as it is to your mood. Scientific studies at Northwestern University and Fordham University concluded that laughter benefits the heart, lungs, stomach, and other organs. It relaxes tensions, changes attitude, and increases the body’s natural painkillers. It has no harmful side effects. Why don’t we do it more?

We used to, at least when we were little kids. Children laugh an average of 150 to 450 times a day, depending which study you believe, but all the research says adults laugh a paltry 15 times a day. That’s pathetic. Aren’t we supposed to work hard so that we can enjoy life?

Laughing isn’t hard work, and hard work isn’t funny. But it is possible—even desirable—to merge the two. There is no place that needs humor more than the workplace. Considering the number of hours you spend there, and the huge effect it has on your life, wouldn’t you like it to be just a little more fun?

Marty Grunder, who owns a very successful landscaping business in Miamisburg, Ohio, shared his formula for recruiting interesting (yet competent) people. He told me about the following ad he had run: “RECEPTIONIST/Rude, lazy, disorganized slob needed to answer phones for national award-winning company. Ideal candidate must talk fast, not listen well, read magazines a lot, and chew gum loudly. Inability to work in a fast-paced environment a must. Sense of humor required….” Marty got 42 resumes from that tongue-in-cheek ad. I’d be willing to bet applicants would pay him to let them work there. I’d also wager they’ll work hard and love the job.

Where do you start to lighten up? First, you have to be able to laugh at yourself. The people who can laugh at themselves will never run out of things to laugh at. Telling a funny story about your foibles or a common dilemma at your office is fine; poking fun at others is risky at best. This is a good time to remember the Golden Rule. Keep it friendly.

Humor builds positive relationships and improves morale. With so many projects dependent on teamwork to be successful, open communication is essential. Laughter is the ultimate icebreaker and bridge-builder. Have you ever noticed how many brainstorming sessions contain a larger than usual amount of chuckles? Humor and creativity are closely linked. I don’t know of any companies that deny the importance of creativity. I surely wouldn’t want to work for one.

To me, the responsibility of the NASA launch teams seems huge. They are working on multi-billion dollar projects, sending courageous astronauts into the great unknown, their every move monitored around the world. In short, it IS rocket science. Most folks don’t connect astrophysics with raucous laughter. But have you ever listened to the conversations between mission control and the astronauts in orbit? They’re hysterical! The music that wakes the astronauts up in the morning—“Fly Me to the Moon,” “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” “Up, Up and Away,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane” … somebody knows how to mix business with pleasure.

You may also recall Alan Shepard’s famous golf game—on the moon. I’ve had trouble shipping my clubs to Phoenix. These super brains decided to give the folks watching at home a good laugh. They still had a long, scary flight home, but they understood how to take the edge off. Maybe we should all sign up for a rollicking week at space camp!

A sense of humor is no joke

There is an Apache legend that the creator gave human beings the ability to talk and to run, and to look at things. But in addition, the legend says he was not satisfied until he also gave them the ability to laugh. After giving humans the ability to laugh, the creator said, “Now you are fit to live.”

A good sense of humor helps to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable.

“A sense of humor is the one thing no one will admit not having,” said none other than Mark Twain.

Life is too short to be serious all the time. How dull our existence would be without the potential to see the lighter side of situations. And how hopeless, too! Humor often represents hope, that the worst is behind us and better things are coming.

True, not all things are funny. Knowing how and when to apply a filter is critical. And it’s usually better when the joke is on you, so your obvious amusement signals permission to see the humor in a situation.

“If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation, it would be the ability for each individual to learn to laugh at himself,” said Charles Schulz, creator of the long-running “Peanuts” comic strip.

I value a sense of humor very highly when I am hiring people, especially for sales and customer service jobs. My employees know I love a good laugh. For years I started every sales meeting with a funny story or joke and asked other managers to do the same. I wasn’t looking for the next Tina Fey or Jimmy Fallon. I just wanted to loosen up the group and put them in a good mood.

The same attitude is important for anyone who comes into contact with customers. If you’ve ever flown on a Southwest Airlines flight, you might have heard the safety instructions delivered in a variety of amusing ways. The message is quite serious, but their approach serves a number of purposes: encouraging people to actually listen to what’s being said, putting passengers in a more relaxed mood after the stress of airport hassles, and letting folks know that the flight attendants are enjoying their work and want you to enjoy your trip.

Do you watch the Super Bowl? Or more specifically, do you watch the commercials? At a cool $5 million for a 30-second spot, the price tag is enough to make a business cry. But year in and year out, the ads command almost as much attention as the game itself—because they make people laugh. And then talk about them the next day. And buy those products. Beer isn’t inherently funny, nor are tortilla chips or car insurance, but somehow humor makes those items more memorable.

Some of the funniest people I know are also among the quietest. You have to listen closely to what they say, because the quips sneak out when you least expect them. For example, a woman approached President Calvin Coolidge, aptly nicknamed “Silent Cal,” at a dinner and said, “Mr. President, I have a bet with my friend that I can get you to say more than two words.” Coolidge replied, “You lose!”

You may think you have to be born funny, but I disagree. Finding the humor in everyday life is easy if you just look for it. People who take themselves too seriously are a constant source of amusement for me. Take this young job-seeker, for example:

At the end of a job interview, the human resources person asked a young engineer fresh out of a top university, “And what starting salary were you looking for?”

The engineer said optimistically, “In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package.”

The interviewer said, “Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50 percent of salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?”

The engineer sat up straight and said, “Wow! Are you kidding?”

And the interviewer replied, “Yeah, but you started it.”

Humor works at work

Life is funny, the saying goes. And when it isn’t funny, sometimes a sense of humor is what gets us through the tough times. Humor plays a special role at work. As critical as it is to take your work seriously, it is equally important to NOT take yourself too seriously.

Many years ago, a Fortune magazine article talked about how executives should be funnier. I remember it well, because one of my biggest pet peeves is people who cannot laugh at themselves. The wonderful example the magazine used involved auto executive Eugene Cafiero.

When he was president of Chrysler, Cafiero went to England to meet with troubled employees at the company’s plant there. Conflict between management and union employees was tense. As Cafiero entered the plant he was confronted by a man who loudly said, “I’m Eddie McClusky, and I’m a communist.”

The composed Chrysler executive extended his hand and replied, “How do you do. I’m Eugene Cafiero, and I’m a Presbyterian.” The subsequent laughter squelched this potentially explosive confrontation.

I like to say if you can’t take a joke, then you’ll have to take the medicine. That can be a bitter pill to swallow.

Think about your coworkers who you most enjoy working with: They typically have a good perspective on the importance of specific projects, get work finished on time, offer to help out when it’s crunch time, and keep a smile on their faces through it all. And they often manage to put a smile on your face too.

Humor can make unpleasant tasks more palatable. It can diffuse difficult situations and improve already good relations.

I have a friend in a business that you would usually not associate with humor—he’s a funeral director. He doesn’t joke around about the seriousness of his work, but he does encourage his clients to allow themselves to laugh and share humorous memories about their loved ones. He says it helps break the tension and brings comfort to a trying situation.

There is plenty of evidence to support the benefits of humor at work. In a new study, researchers from Harvard’s Business School found that cracking jokes at work shows your employer an increased perception of confidence and competence. The study shows the most effective joke-tellers are more likely to be chosen as group leaders.

Just make sure the jokes in the office are appropriate. Researchers found inappropriate jokes lead to a perception of low competence. In other words, save the locker room banter and personal insults. Those are never funny anyway.

The most difficult part of using humor at work is knowing where to draw the line. You can joke with a customer, but never about a customer. You can tease your coworkers, or even your boss, but when it gets personal or hurtful, you are in dangerous territory. Refer to the Golden Rule if you are wondering whether your remarks are appropriate: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you have to ask someone, you already have your answer. No joke is funny if you are the only one laughing.

Here’s a great take on how one company used humor—as an April Fool’s joke—to deal with requests for taking a day off:

• There are 365 days per year available for work.
• There are 52 weeks per year in which you already have two days off per week, leaving 261 days available for work.
• Since you spend 16 hours each day away from work, you have used up 170 days, leaving only 91 days available.
• You spend 30 minutes each day on coffee breaks; that accounts for 23 days each year, leaving only 68 days available.
• With a one-hour lunch period each day, you have used up another 46 days, leaving only 22 days available for work.
• You normally spend two days per year on sick leave. This leaves you only 20 days available for work.
• We offer five holidays per year, so your available working time is down to 15 days.
• We generously give you 14 days of vacation per year, which leaves one day available for work and no way are you going to take it.