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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Discover and embrace the untapped power of your sense of humor
In The Humor Habit: Rewire Your Brain to Stress Less, Laugh More, and Achieve More’er, veteran speaker, corporate trainer, and comedian Paul Osincup delivers a hilarious and effective new take on how to make yourself and your team more productive and resilient by focusing on the funny side of work and life. In the book, you’ll learn why humor isn’t an in-born quality you’re either born with or without. Instead, it’s a habit you can develop over time.
You’ll find 100 ways to have more fun at work, methods to improve your resilience in dealing with adversity, and an explanation of the author’s “LAFTER” model that shows you how to leverage levity at work. You’ll also discover:
- The latest insights from contemporary positive psychology combined with timeless comedic techniques that enhance your wellbeing
- Strategies to help you battle “chronic seriousness,” a condition affecting virtually every professional, tradesperson, consultant, employee, manager, and business leader in the working world
- Ways to boost your team members’ brainpower and productivity using humor
Perfect for managers, executives, team leads, directors, and other business leaders, The Humor Habit is the practical, hands-on guide to improved productivity that’s actually fun to read—and even more fun to implement.
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Seitenzahl: 342
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Foreword
Introduction
How to Use This Book
Notes
1 Combatting Chronic Seriousness
Stress: The Hidden Costs to Show Your Boss
Notes
2 Let's Geek Out on the Research! (Why Humor Helps)
Some Benefits of Humor
Notes
3 Improv(e) Your Mindset
Be Present
Listen. Like,
Really
Listen.
Notice Gifts
Say “Yes, and … ”
Notes
4 Cultivate and Consume
Follow Funny
Have a Humor Homie
Take a “Funny 15”
Screening Your Screen Time
Learn to Laugh
Notes
5 Develop a Funny Focus
Three Funny Things Intervention
Humor Jar
Mirthful Mantra
From Seeing Funny to Being Funny …
Humorous Reappraisal
Guess the Punchline
Caption This
Hashtag Games
Notes
Bringing Humorto Work with L.A.F.T.E.R.
la-UGH-ter
Notes
6 Lead by Example
Confidence
Humility
Participation > Permission
Notes
7 Ask for Help
Punch It Up
Note
8 Fun over Funny
The
Fun
damentals of Fun
101 Ways to Have More Fun at Work
Notes
9 Tell Your Story
Job Descriptions and Interviews
Wynn L. White Consulting Engineers: Registered Engineer or Architect
Marketing and Social Media
Auto Responses, Chatbots, and Websites
At the Office
Ellie Mental Health: A Case Study in Making Humor a Part of Its Story
Notes
10 Earn It
Earn It by Building Trust
Meeting Deadlines > Writing Punchlines
Earn It by Creating Psychological Safety
Notes
11 Rituals
Daily Rituals
Weekly Rituals
Monthly Rituals
Annual Rituals
Other Times for Rituals
Notes
12 Take Your Pain and Play with It:
Humor Hacks
Notes
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1.1 Photo of me in sixth grade. “Mom, I think I'm gonna need a suit.”...
FIGURE 1.2 The stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue danger zone—“Literall...
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2.1 R
x
for a “Laughie.” (Adapted from [28])
FIGURE 2.2 R
x
for a deep belly laugh. (Adapted from)[29]
FIGURE 2.3 R
x
for stand-up comedy to cope with trauma. (Adapted from [
30
])
FIGURE 2.4 R
x
for improv comedy to ease anxiety. (Adapted from [
31
,
])32
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3.1 Twitter (now X) post of framed wall art. Turning their son's mist...
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6.1 Using humor in leadership.
FIGURE 6.2 My own leadership award for “Excellence in Leadership, Supervisio...
FIGURE 6.3 Four Ps Formula.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8.1 The
Fun
damentals of Fun cheat sheet.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9.1 Ellie billboard. (Credit: Erin Pash)
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10.1 Using humor positively.
FIGURE 10.2 Humor trust continuum.
FIGURE 10.3 What to do if your humor harms?
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11.1 Rituals.
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12.1 Amy O meme. (Credit: Marilyn Oestreicher)
FIGURE 12.2 Casey's head wraps. (Credit: Casey Shank)
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Foreword
Introduction
Begin Reading
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
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Foreword by Jenn Lim
Paul Osincup
the humor habit
Rewire Your Brain to Stress Less, Laugh More, and Achieve More’er
Copyright © 2024 by Paul Osincup. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Osincup, Paul, author.
Title: The humor habit : rewire your brain to stress less, laugh more, and achieve more’er / Paul Osincup.
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2024] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2023057839 (print) | LCCN 2023057840 (ebook) | ISBN 9781394234356 (hardback) | ISBN 9781394234370 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781394234363 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Wit and humor—Psychological aspects. | Positive psychology.
Classification: LCC BF575.L3 O756 2024 (print) | LCC BF575.L3 (ebook) | DDC 152.4/3—dc23/eng/20240126
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023057839
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023057840
Cover Design: WileyCover Image: Coffee Mug © New Africa / Adobe Stock, Napkin © sebra / Adobe StockAuthor Photo: Courtesy of the Author
They say behind every good man is a great woman.
For me, it took four.
For my mom, Debby; my sisters, Ali and Laurie;
and for my incredible wife, Kelly.
Foreword
When Paul first asked me to write the foreword for his book I thought, “Oh, great. Do I have to be funny?” Then I realized that in the world of comedy, a headliner wouldn't want the opener to be funnier than them, so I'm happy to temporarily shelve my inner comedienne—you know, for Paul's sake.
The next thought I had was to what do I owe this honor of writing the foreword to The Humor Habit, especially at a time we could all use a bit (if not A LOT) more joy and laughter. Since the world got 2020'd, it's taken some time for us to adapt. And as we've consistently seen in Gallup's reports of burnout and stress in the global workforce, I think it's safe to say that most of us still have yet to fully exhale with relief.
With all this talk of doom and gloom, you might be surprised that I've been in the happiness space for 15 years now. I helped launch a bestselling book titled Delivering Happiness and became the CEO of the culture consulting company of the same name. We've worked with hundreds of organizations around the world—from Fortune 500s and hospitals, to startups and the government of Dubai—to instill sustainable happiness in its processes and employees. Years later, I launched another bestseller, Beyond Happiness, a book and company that's prioritizing how we can all be more human at work (and therefore, life).
I share all of this in the context of how The Humor Habit couldn't be timelier and more relevant to our 2024 A.C. (After Covid) world. In my work with individuals and organizations over the past several years, I've observed that people might not want to be happy all the time (and let's be real, it's impossible to be), but no one denies wanting to be true to their authentic selves and having a desire to grow.
To me, The Humor Habit hits both those notes in a way that captures what Paul's purpose is—in this book, in his keynotes and comedy, in his every interaction with people he touches—to positively impact others with practical tools, knowledge, and inspiration. But the best part about his approach is that he does it with his superpower of sprinkling just the right amount of humor in any given situation, with tact and integrity. And it helps that he's damn funny too.
I first met Paul in 2019 at a retreat to become a Delivering Happiness certified coach. It was a stellar, experienced group of coaches joining the team, and it made an impression that Paul was selected by the group as the “Culture Champion” who best exemplified the team and organizational values.
Over the years, I've been impressed and entertained working with Paul and seeing him in action. Doing anything with him, whether it was in a meeting or podcast, was always a little more fun. Being known as the company's “funny guy” might seem to be a tall order to live up to, but Paul never disappointed.
Yet, something struck me most when the world got 2020'd with the pandemic, social unrest, climate change, and the umpteen other things that turned our lives inside out. Even when times were rough, when humor might be the last thing on people's minds, there was one thing that stood out in how he navigated it … with discernment.
During COVID, Paul reminded our team of coach|sultants™ about the value of levity and humor, not just for lightening the mood, but for human connection, well-being, and feeling both a sense of progress and control when VUCA (Volatility Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity) was relentlessly breathing down our necks. His empathy and sympathy showed in how seriously he took humor as a tool to keep things intentional, fresh, and playful for the greatest impact with our clients.
What also differentiates Paul is that he's not just an academic, but a practitioner too. You'd be shocked to know how many academics in the happiness space are simply not happy. I love how Paul keeps walking his talk as a humor expert by making me, the team, and clients laugh and learn at the same time—which is why you're going to love this book. I respect how he weaves his passions of improv and stand-up comedy into his content and delivery, making it obvious he is showing up as his true, authentic self.
It's been a few years since the pandemic, but with the constant drumroll of another news headline that makes us think WHAT THE WHAT?! the world is still a super heavy place. And by reframing the role of humor in our everyday lives, we can learn how to intentionally dial up a more meaningful, enjoyable life as we dial down the noise that just gets in the way.
Being in the science of happiness space for years, we know there are certain habits (like gratitude and optimism) that are tools to make us sustainably happier. I've always considered humor as a byproduct of happiness, but in this book, Paul shows us that it's not a result of happiness, but a means to it—another habit.
These days I'm all about what's beyond happiness, and I can't highlight enough what I appreciate most about Paul's approach in this book—it's not about using humor to avoid negative feelings or the shitty parts of life; it's about using it to face them, invite them into your living room, play with them, and learn how humor brings you closer to your authentic self.
I wish everyone could have a miniature-sized Paul they could keep in their back pocket. How cool would it be to have someone who can lighten up the room (even Zoom rooms) and communicate with safety, intention, and impact? While we haven't figured out the tech for cloning or miniaturizing yet, reading this book is the next best thing (and it protects pocket-Paul from being sat on or put through the wash).
So have fun learning, laughing, and developing your own Humor Habit!
Jenn Lim
CEO, Cofounder of Delivering Happiness
Author, CEO, and Founder of Beyond Happiness
Introduction
“I don’t want to live my life as an actor in a drama just to reach the end and realize I was the director, and it could have been a comedy.”
Do you get stressed out, burned out, or checked out? Do you feel overworked, overcommitted, and overwhelmed by the demands at work and home? If the answer is “no,” then thanks for scanning this page, AI bot, and please forward this book on to a human. I wrote this book for anyone who wants to be less stressed and live a little lighter—which really only excludes infants, transcendental philosophers, and Matthew McConaughey.
If you're like me … you're 5′4″ and bald. But now that I think of it, that's not really applicable to this book, so let's start over. If you're like me … you get stressed out. Sometimes the stress is manageable, maybe even helpful, and other times it's a full-blown freak-out. I speak about humor, happiness, and make people laugh for a living, so I feel like I'm supposed to maintain the image of always being this easy-going, fun, and light-hearted guy. While I do think I am all those things, the truth is, I also have my fair share of freak-outs.
I've screamed into pillows, stomped my feet like a two-year-old, I've even been so stressed I hit myself in the face. I know that sounds weird and it caught me by surprise too (apparently, I've got a jab like Mike Tyson), but at times my stress could get out of control. Even when I wasn't going full toddler Tyson, stress could get the best of me, keeping me up all night worrying about things that were never as big a deal as my brain made them out to be. When I was in graduate school, my doctor told me my stress was so bad, I had developed an arrythmia. I said, “An arrythmia? Oh, don't worry. I've never had rhythm.” He was like “No, idiot. Arrythmia is an irregular heartbeat.” Man, was I quite the catch—a short, bald, 24-year-old stress case with heart problems … and no rhythm.
But I wasn't always such a stress case. In fact, as a kid, humor was a core part of who I was. I loved getting laughs, and even began to see the power of humor at a young age. The first time I remember noticing the influence and effect of humor was in third grade. I was distracting other kids by talking and was promptly yelled at by Mrs. Temple, who glared at me and yelled “Paul, you have diarrhea of the mouth!” Half the class laughed, and the other half went “Ooooohhhh!” because it was a pretty sick burn. Now I was embarrassed, and without thinking, I put my open palm to my bottom lip, looked at Mrs. Temple and said “Aw, sick, it's running down my chin!” That unsophisticated, yet age-appropriate retort earned me a raucous laugh from my classmates … and a trip to the principal's office.
The principal asked me what happened, so I told her, “I said something inappropriate in Mrs. Temple's class.”
The principal replied, “Tell us what you said.”
“Well, she said I had diarrhea of the mouth, so I said, ‘Aw, sick, it's running down my chin.’”
The principal and the other staff members in the office laughed. Then they quickly tried to straighten their faces as little smirks were peeking out the corners of their mouths. They couldn't be that mad at me … because it was funny! Of course, she collected herself and told me it was inappropriate with a fake stern look on her face, but I knew deep down she was thinking, “Not bad, kid.” I knew I had discovered something, and I felt like a Jedi. Not only did the humor soften the blow in the principal's office, but it got me out of the stressful and slightly traumatic situation of being embarrassed by my teacher in front of the whole class.
Fortunately, over time, I learned there are more sophisticated forms of humor than diarrhea jokes. However, what I learned about humor instinctually at a young age, and have now relearned formally as an adult, is that our sense humor is an incredibly powerful feature in the human psyche that can be used intentionally to cope with distress, build relationships, and enhance well-being. It came natural to me as a kid, but somewhere on the road to adulting, I developed a bad case of chronic seriousness that I've been battling ever since. And, after speaking with people all over the world about the benefits of humor and how to use it strategically, I learned that I wasn't alone. Particularly, the past few years have been tough: even as far back as 2015 B.C. (Before Covid), the U.S. surgeon general warned that both stress and isolation were at an all-time high and were two of the most prevalent diseases in America. Now, after navigating a pandemic, we live in a strange new world where we're somehow even more stressed, more isolated, and more likely to clear a room with a cough than a fart. (Okay, perhaps my humor hasn't become fully sophisticated.)
A new reality brings new stressors to add to the pile of original stressors that have been sitting in the corner since 2020 like that old pair of work slacks—the only difference is, the stressors still fit. We need all the coping strategies we can find. For some, traditional mindfulness and stress-reduction strategies like exercise, yoga, or meditation may suffice. But for many, those strategies just aren't enough, aren't the right fit, or require too many essential oils. Here's the good news: In this age of overwhelm, there's an untapped resource we all possess that helps foster connection and boost productivity and enhances our lives—and no, it's not Zoom.
It's our sense of humor.
Don't worry, I'm not just going to review all the research proving that stress is bad and a sense of humor helps. And this book isn't just a bunch of old jokes about the pandemic—because the bad thing about a Covid joke is … you don't want people to get it. When we're faced with stress, overwhelm, and trying times, people often say “You just need to have a sense of humor about it” or “Just laugh it off.” It's great advice, but the problem is, nobody ever tells us how to do that. When am I supposed to laugh things off? When I lock the keys of my rental car in the trunk just before needing to return it to the airport? “Oh, ha, ha, ha, look what I've done! Life is just so silly!” Not realistic. I start to get pissed off, get stressed, and freak out. In this book, I'll provide you with practical strategies for developing your sense of humor into a powerful mindfulness tool. You'll learn specific approaches drawing on cutting-edge positive psychology and neuroscience research combined with timeless techniques from the world of stand-up and improv comedy that will help you freak out less and see the humor in life more.
My stress-induced heart palpitations started to subside toward the end of graduate school right about the time I began performing stand-up comedy, and my life began to change for the better. I met my future wife, lost weight, and got a great new job. Did writing and performing comedy really cure my stress, make me healthier, and make my life better? No. I'm pretty sure I lost weight by simply skipping my midnight “fourth meal” chalupas and there's nothing better for decreasing stress than finishing graduate school. The comedy thing is purely coincidental, although knowing what I know now about the relationship between humor and stress, I'm certain it helped me cope.
My master's degree is in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies. (No wonder I was stressed. Policy Studies? Gross.) As my career progressed, my focus narrowed to working with at-risk college students. Specifically, I worked with students who were in trouble with the law. I was a lead member of a multidisciplinary drug and alcohol treatment program for students with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health issues, and I taught graduate courses on communication and conflict resolution. Part of my job included investigating and adjudicating threats to campus including incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as having difficult conversations with parents, attorneys, and students when a suspension or expulsion was eminent. I worked with college students in some capacity for over 15 years and although it was stressful at times, it was extremely gratifying to watch people turn their lives around in the face of adversity.
I share my prior professional career details so you know that I haven't always just talked humor and comedy for a living, and I have actually had a real job. I understand what it's like to work in a high-stress, high-stakes environment where the decisions you make affect other people's lives.
What became clear to me is that when I became chronically serious, and focused solely on the intensity of the work, my sense of humor began to slowly evaporate. Just like other healthy habits like eating right and exercising can, my humor habit started to crumble under the pressure of stress. I wouldn't watch, write, or perform comedy as much, and before long I noticed my humor muscle begin to atrophy. I couldn't see the humor in life as easily—I was losing my funny focus. During these periods I found myself becoming more negative, always having grievances to bear for the smallest of slights, and becoming fluent in cynicism. I noticed when these changes happened, and although I didn't know how to fix it then, I knew I wanted to because I didn't like that version of me. I remember thinking “I don't want to live my life as an actor in a drama just to reach the end and realize I was the director, and it could have been a comedy.”
For years it didn't occur to me that the amount of humor in my life affected my mood, my relationships, and even my work performance. Humor is a mindset—a way of being. As I began dabbling in comedy again, I noticed that the simple act of immersing myself in humor helped me find the necessary perspective to balance the gravity of life with the levity of it.
The more I immersed myself in humor, the more I began to nerd out about it. I started to notice how much I used humor with my staff, colleagues, and students. Sometimes it worked to lighten the mood in the office, or to connect with students and parents. I remember one student who came in with his mom and his attorney to meet with me about an alcohol and vandalism incident. He tried his best to dress up in jeans, a dress shirt that was way too big, and a tie. He was extremely nervous as he drank several cups of water and then anxiously tore the paper cup to tiny little shreds on the table as he was waiting. I always tried to help students chill out a bit by getting to know them. When I asked what his major was he said, “I'm double majoring in Animal Science and Mechanical Engineering.”
I said, “Wow, double major, that's impressive! Animal Science and Mechanical Engineering? You could make mechanical bulls!” Okay, it wasn't a great joke, but it was off the cuff, so cut me some slack. The mom snickered, the attorney replied, “That was so bad, it was good,” and the student quietly looked up and said, “I think I'm gonna start telling my dad that's why I double majored.” The four of us laughed, and I saw the student take a deep breath, sit up in his chair and appear much more at ease.
As my professional career progressed, I became obsessed with learning more about the power of humor and began researching and speaking on the topic. As I learned more about humor, I realized that we can use it intentionally for reasons other than just entertainment. My nerdy humor obsession led to a career merging my inner educator and inner comedian, as I now share laughs and learnings, speaking to professionals all over the world about how to harness the power of humor to enhance their well-being and performance. Everything I've learned from the application of humor as a comedian and from the research as a humor nerd is what led to this book.
We can strategically use humor for communication purposes—to teach, lead, and influence. And we can use humor to enhance overall well-being—increase productivity, elevate performance, boost happiness, foster resilience, and decrease stress. That is what this book is about. I love entertaining people with humor and it's why I still perform comedy, but as I've learned about how essential and beneficial humor is to our well-being, I began to shift my focus from getting laughs to giving laughs. Speaking on this topic for over a decade, I've accumulated so many tools, tricks, and tips that no matter how long I'm asked to speak or give a workshop, I find I always want to provide the group with more material than will fit into my allotted time. So, I hope I can get all this stuff out of my head and into your hands so you can find ways to leverage levity in your own life.
Now, of course, I chose to be a speaker and not a writer—I LOVE making people laugh and the sound of a room filled with infectious laughter. When I'm in front of an audience I get instant feedback on whether I've done my job. In writing, however, the only sound I hear is my keyboard clacking and my yellow Labrador retriever Bridger snoring under my desk. There may be times when I try to make you laugh and fail, or times when I'm not trying to be funny and you smile or laugh anyway—but I may never know. Have you already laughed? I'm not sure, but I do know it still sounds like someone is under my desk blowing an air hose through a meatloaf. So, there's that.
I'm writing this book, not from a desire to be an author, but because I believe:
Humor and laughter are good for our mental and physiological health.
Humor can be used intentionally and strategically for desired outcomes.
Humor is not a talent. Humor is a habit.
Yes, there are people with the talent to do impersonations or who may be naturally quick witted, but everyone can develop their sense of humor, learn to use humor more effectively, and see the humor in life more often.
In an age where artificial intelligence bots are being trained with skills to assume the roles of humans, one thing they can't replicate is the human sense of humor.1 You've been developing your unique sense of humor since you were a kid sharing laughs with your siblings, your best friend, or your invisible friend. Your sense of humor is your personalized brand of funny—your distinctive view of the world, and it can be enhanced and developed as a productivity and leadership tool. If you don't want to be replaced by a robot, then don't act like one. One day it will be your sense of humor that separates you from the machines.
At work or outside of work, we're all struggling with something in our lives that others may know nothing about. And on some days, resilience comes a lot easier than on others. They say “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” but have you ever tasted lemonade made from just lemons? It's crap. It's sour. It's a glass of citric acid. To make lemonade, you need those crappy lemons life gave you as well as something sweet. Humor is life's sweetener. The great thing is, it's your life so you get to choose when, what kind, and how much sweetener to use at any given moment. This book is here to show you how to create your own endless supply of sweeteners to have at the ready for life's lemons so you can continue to fill your cup, and maybe one day open your own lemonade stand to share with others.
Ultimately, this is about your happiness. We often put too many obstacles into when we can start being happy. “I'll grind through the week, and then this weekend I can have fun and be happy.” Or “Once I get a new job or promotion then I'll be successful and that will make me happy.” There's no research that tells us this is how happiness works. In fact, there's an array of research tells us it's the other way around. Success does not lead to happiness. Your happiness will lead to your success.2 Overarching happiness isn't living a life absent of other emotions. Broad-scale happiness is more like the concept of climate versus weather. The climate in Arizona is overall hot and dry, however, the weather on any given day could be cool or rainy. While there will always be sad, frustrated, and angry “weather” moments in our lives, the more happy or joyful “weather” moments we can experience, the more it alters the overall climate of our psyche toward happy. The intentional use of humor is a way to create more joyful “weather” events to impact your climate, and research shows that people who engage in positive humor in their daily lives are happier and more optimistic.3
How to Use This Book
This is the part where, if you're standing at the bookstore or previewing the book online wondering if you should buy it, I'm supposed to tell you what it will be like. What's the overall vibe? Is there a roadmap or a blueprint? Honestly, I often skip the introductions of books, so if you've read this far—thank you! That being said, if you know you're going to read this book cover to cover then you can probably skip to Chapter 1 now because I'm just going to let people know what they're in for. If you're still reading, then you're either truly undecided (no pressure, but seriously just read it), or you're a true high achiever “type A” who doesn't want to miss a thing (in which case … gold star!)
Combatting Chronic Seriousness (Chapter 1)
We'll take a look at the epidemic of seriousness, the cost of workplace stress, and dip our toes into the fine art of balancing our professional side with our playful side. There's even a fun assessment to take at the end … if there's such a thing as a fun assessment.
Let's Geek Out on the Research! (Why Humor Helps) (Chapter 2)
Look, it's up to you. You can just trust me that humor helps you live longer, improves your memory, and makes you fly. Or, you can double-check my research on these things. This is the chapter full of humor facts that will make you sound smart at dinner parties or justify to your boss why watching Tik-Toks before your sales meeting actually optimizes productivity.
Improv(e) Your Mindset (Chapter 3)
This chapter is about getting your mind primed for humor and getting out of the logical, planning, executive functioning part of your brain and into the more creative parts necessary to play with humor. You'll also learn how to turn life's mistakes into gifts and use the principles of improv comedy as a way of life.
Cultivate and Consume (Chapter 4)
This chapter is packed full of strategies for how to stack the deck in your favor to start experiencing humor by choice and not by chance each day. From productivity breaks, to involving friends, and taking control of your social media feeds, you'll get more out of your screen time and literally learn how to laugh more often.
Develop a Funny Focus (Chapter 5)
Have you ever been thinking about getting a new car, and now everywhere you go all you see is that type of car? This chapter is all about how to make that same thing happen, but instead of seeing hatchbacks, you're seeing humor everywhere. Everyone has that one friend who just seems to live a little lighter and always sees the fun and funny side of things. The tools in this chapter are designed to make you that friend.
Bringing Humor to Work with L.A.F.T.E.R.
In these chapters you'll learn specific strategies for the application of humor in a professional environment using the six-step L.A.F.T.E.R. model.
Lead by Example (Chapter 6)
How to incorporate humor in your leadership style and be the spark that ignites the funny flame at work.
Ask for Help (Chapter 7)
If you're not feeling funny or don't have the time, this chapter provides a variety of ways to get help with humor.
Fun over Funny (Chapter 8)
Fun is literally 60% of funny, so it's a great place to start. You'll get real examples of companies using fun at work, the “Fundamentals of Fun” and over 100 ideas for fun you can try.
Tell Your Story (Chapter 9)
How even serious businesses incorporate humor into their marketing, websites, job descriptions, chat bots—and how you can too.
Earn It (Chapter 10)
With great humor, comes great responsibility. We'll cover how to use humor positively, what to do if you have a funny fail, and how to avoid being “that person.”
Rituals (Chapter 11)
This chapter highlights the importance of creating consistency in humor and fun for maximum impact on your work culture.
Take Your Pain and Play with It: Using Humor to Boost Resilience (Chapter 12)
This is where we really put humor to the test. You will learn how people have used humor to persevere through the darkest of times, and how to wrap your pain in humor to laugh through adversity. You'll have comedic exercises and formulas to follow as you mine your own pain points for nuggets of humor.
You don't need to be a comedian to benefit from the humor habit; in fact, you don't even need to be funny! All you need to do is strengthen your funny bones by rewiring your brain to see the humor in everyday life. Don't worry; training your brain is easier than training a puppy and shouldn't result in a stained carpet (if it does, you've made yourself laugh too hard). I'm officially passing the mic to you. This is your stage time. Your book. Your humor habit. Your life.
Notes
1
. Anderer, J. (2023, August 29). Funny file not found: Artificial intelligence tells jokes, but still doesn't get humor. Study Finds.
https://studyfinds.org/ai-jokes-still-doesnt-get-humor/
2
. Eichenseher, T. (2023, February 7). Success and happiness: Which is most important? Psych Central.
https://psychcentral.com/blog/does-success-lead-to-happiness#success-and-happiness
3
. Ford, Thomas E., Lappi, S.K., & Holden, C.J. (2016). Personality, humor styles and happiness: Happy people have positive humor styles.
Europe's Journal of Psychology, 12
(3), 320–337.
https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1160
1Combatting Chronic Seriousness
If you read the book introduction, you already know about my brief trip to the principal's office in elementary school. I swear I wasn't a troublemaker or a bad kid. In fact, I was a good student and an average kid who loved to play outside. Throughout elementary school, I wore one of two shirts every day. My red and white reversible mesh soccer jersey or my No. 81 Steve Watson Denver Broncos jersey. To accompany these fashion choices, I wore gray sweatpants with large holes in both knees surrounded by grass and dirt rings that had set into the fabric from repeated recess soccer and football games. It never occurred to me that I should or would care what other people thought of my appearance. I didn't choose my outfit for any reason other than I knew I'd be playing sports at recess, and this was the gear for an 11-year-old, 4-foot-tall, 50-pound, high-performance athlete like me.
In sixth grade, however, something happened that proved to be the launching point of my professional career … I ran for Glennon Heights Elementary Student Council President. To this day, I have no clue where the idea to become a politician came from as I wasn't really seen as that kid. I just don't think I put out very “presidential” vibes. I do recall having fun campaigning and knowing I wouldn't win because I was running against Shanele, the most popular girl
