How To Be Funny at Work

Collaboration And Teams
How to Be Funny at Work

by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
February 05, 2021
Hill Street Studios/Getty Images
Summary. Research shows that teams that laugh together are more engaged and
creative. So how do we bring more humor into the workplace, even in trying times?
First, recognize that you don’t have to be a class clown or a comedian to be funny.
Everyone has their own humor... more
Work is often a humorless endeavor. Whether we’re earnestly
attempting to solve big problems or striving for profits, jokes and
laughter often seem out of place. But levity can actually help us
achieve those serious goals.
Research shows that leaders with any sense of humor are seen as
27% more motivating and admired than those who don’t joke
around. Their employees are 15% more engaged, and their teams
are more than twice as likely to solve a creativity challenge — all
of which can translate into improved performance. Studies even
show that something as simple as adding a lighthearted line at the
end of a sales pitch — like “My final offer is X and I’ll throw in my
pet frog” — can increase customers’ willingness to pay by 18%. A
bad dad joke can literally help you get paid.
So why does this work? Part of it is that shared laughter

accelerates a feeling of closeness and trust. For example, when
pairs of strangers were prompted to laugh together for five
minutes before completing a self-disclosure exercise, their
interactions were viewed as 30% more intimate than duos who
conversed without laughing first. Even reminiscing about
moments of shared laughter causes couples to report being 23%
more satisfied in their relationships. And research by Gallup
shows that one of the greatest drivers of employee performance is
having a close friend — presumably one you laugh with — at
work.
A lot of humor’s power is chemical. When we laugh, our brains

produce less cortisol (inducing calm and reducing stress) and
release more endorphins (which give us something like a runner’s
high) and oxytocin (often called the “love” hormone). It’s like
meditating, exercising, and having sex at the same time. Plus, it’s
HR-approved.
So how do we do more of that at work?
First, recognize that everyone is funny in their own way, and that
it’s possible to both hone your sense of humor and learn to deploy
it more effectively. A lot of us worry that because we aren’t natural
class clowns or comedians, we shouldn’t even try to make
colleagues laugh. We worry that their jokes or stories will fall flat.
But remember what the research shows: People appreciate almost
any kind of levity, provided it’s not hurtful or offensive. And it’s
not hard to stay on the right side of that line.
The next step is to get to know your own and others’ humor styles.
There are four:
Stand-Up: bold, irreverent, and unafraid to ruffle a few feathers

for a laugh. (Example: Wanda Sykes)
Sweetheart: earnest, understated, and use humor that lightens
the mood (Example: James Corden)
Sniper: edgy, sarcastic, nuanced — masters of the unexpected
dig (Example: Michelle Wolf)
Magnet: expressive, charismatic, and easy to make laugh
(Example: (Jimmy Fallon)
If you’re not sure which category you or your colleagues fall into,
take our test here. The more you understand everyone’s styles, the
easier it is to read the room and know when to drop that perfectly
timed frog joke.
You’ll also be better able to mitigate risks. For example,

sweethearts and magnets need to watch out for excessive self-
deprecation that can undermine their reputations, while
standups and snipers have to make sure they don’t offend or
alienate. You should always avoid poking fun at others’ expense or
anything that a casual observer would deem NSFW.
Then, try a few simple attempts at humor. One way to do this is to

start with a simple observation and then build misdirection to
reveal the “unusual thing” you’ve noticed. For example, if there’s
something you find even remotely amusing — like the realization
that you have no idea what people videoconferencing from home
are wearing below the waist — you can use a technique called the
rule of three, creating a short list with a last, unexpected, item.
You might say, “I miss so many things about the office: having
spontaneous chats in the break room, leaving encouraging notes
on my colleagues’ desks, and wearing anything other than pajama
pants.”
You can also play around with small everyday communications

like out-of-office replies and email sign-offs, which help enrich
the texture of your workplace in an easy, risk-free way. A few that
have made us laugh include “I’m abroad with the most
inconsistent wifi I’ve ever experienced… I will pick up with you
again on July 10 when I’m back in New York, where the data flows
like a subterranean stream,” “Yours, heavily caffeinated,” and
“Still wondering who let the dogs out,” following an unexpected
appearance by a pet on the last team Zoom. (That last one gets
bonus points for using another technique: the callback, in which
you joke about a previous amusing incident.)
Ready to take it one step further? Try being a bit cheeky with
potential customers, business partners, and negotiation
counterparts. Consider how Spanx founder and CEO Sara Blakely
first approached the head buyer from Neiman Marcus: She sent a
shoe and handwritten note that said “Trying to get my foot in the
door; have minutes to chat? And get this: Former Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright once sang a funny duet with a Russian
official after a particularly tense first meeting; it was a takeoff on
music from West Side Story called “East West Story.”
Finally, play along with the levity that springs up around you
organically. Practice saying “yes, and” to your coworkers. For
example, when a member of the marketing team at trendy shoe
company Allbirds, suggested to CEO Joey Zwillinger that the
company could hit $1.25 million in sales by the end of August
2016, following a sluggish summer, they decided to make it a silly
wager: The loser would buy a frosé machine for the office. Sure
enough, they hit the target, the machine was purchased, and
employees started celebrating Frosé Fridays. What’s more,
Zwillinger managed to create a signature story that expressed
his personality, showcased his and his sense of humor, and gave
others at the organization the courage to do the same.
Now let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: We’re writing
this in February 2021, a year into a pandemic that has killed
millions and put many out of work. Is this really a time for
laughter? Yes. We believe that the leaders weaving humor into this
weird new world are the ones truly helping their employees to get
through it. From the executive who had her five-year old make
signs for her to hold up in meetings (“What are the next steps?,”
“You’re on mute”) to the CEO who “accidentally” left his screen-
share on during a company wide Zoom call as he typed “things
inspirational CEOs say in challenging times” into Google, to the
senior director who challenged her leadership team to create
TikTok dance videos to share with the broader group, these
managers are showing that a sense of humor — and humanity —
are welcome at work, especially during difficult times.
Humor comes across as a kind of magic, but it’s learnable. It’s up

to all of us — and especially leaders — to bring more of it into our
workplaces, thereby boosting our wellbeing, team performance,
and even our organizations’ bottom lines. Now more than ever,
it’s time to take humor seriously.
Jennifer Aaker is a professor at Stanford

University’s Graduate School of Business and the
co-author of Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a
Secret Weapon in Business and Life.
Naomi Bagdonas is a lecturer at Stanford

University’s Graduate School of Business, an
executive coach, and the co-author of Humor,
Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in
Business and Life.

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Collaboration And Teams

How to Be Funny at Work

Hill Street Studios/Getty Images

So why does this work? Part of it is that shared laughter

A lot of humor’s power is chemical. When we laugh, our brains

So how do we do more of that at work?

Stand-Up: bold, irreverent, and unafraid to ruffle a few feathers

You’ll also be better able to mitigate risks. For example,

Then, try a few simple attempts at humor. One way to do this is to

You can also play around with small everyday communications

Humor comes across as a kind of magic, but it’s learnable. It’s up

Jennifer Aaker is a professor at Stanford

Naomi Bagdonas is a lecturer at Stanford

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