LAUGHING RATS: Okay, I know humans are not (usually) rats, but significant laboratory studies on rats suggest that laughter may be a key to reducing aggression. The old phrase that “laughter is the best medicine” could be useful in defusing conflict and preventing the rise to more aggressive conduct such as bullying, harassment or worse.
Rats, it turns out, laugh at such a high pitch that we can’t hear the sounds with human ears. They also tend to “laugh” with this sound when they want to be tickled, and the more often that baby rats were tickled, the more they will “ask” to be tickled as adults.
WHY WE LAUGH: In the early 1990’s, neuroscientist Robert Provine and colleagues conducted a study to find out what sparked laughter in conversations. Some of the “hilarious” phrases that prompted laughter 80-90% of the time included:
“I’ll see you guys later.”
“It was nice meeting you, too.”
“I see your point.”
“Look, it’s Andre!”
It turns out, Provine posits, that laughter is more of a social construct than a clever turn of phrase. People respond to other people when they laugh, not necessarily the situation or context. We use laughter to communicate agreement or fondness, not necessarily the best joke or performance.
THE MEANING OF LAUGHTER: Sophie Scott is a neuroscientist at University College London who studies how the brain processes laughter and she believes that we should take laughter seriously.
What Should You Do?
USE APPROPRIATE LAUGHTER: Obviously, workplace humor based on gender, ethnic background or any other protected characteristic would not be useful or appropriate. Yet laughter can help defuse the very aggression that may lead to these kinds of behaviors.
USE CONTAGIOUS LAUGHTER: Scott finds that laughter is an example of “social contagion”. We don’t catch laughter from someone that we don’t know and don’t like. People can have fun talking about nothing.
LAUGH AT YOURSELF: The one person in the room that’s safe to laugh about is our self. If you can find ways
to laugh at yourself — and to increase the amount of time you spend laughing — your team will pick up on that modeling and follow along.
CAUTION – IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE GROUP: When you don’t know a group and you hear them laughing you probably won’t be amused. We may even think that they’re joking about us. Use laughter to include, not exclude. If you’re in a group and you notice others staring, try to explain why you’re laughing so that they won’t feel excluded. (Realizing, of course, that they may not see the humor if they’re not part of the squad.) Try to avoid creating “in” and “out” cliques.
For more information about using humor at work read the following articles:
Want to Inspire Others as a Leader? Just Smile!
Can You Take a Joke? Rules for Humor in the Workplace
 Did You Know
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July 15, 2017
