Research: When Laughing Becomes Labor

Imagine you’re sitting in a team meeting when your manager cracks a joke. Everyone laughs, the meeting carries on, and your manager likely feels good about themselves—after all, leaders are often told that humor is a way to lighten the mood, reduce stress, and boost morale. Indeed, scholars and practitioners alike have highlighted its benefits:  Leaders with a sense of humor are seen as 27% more motivating, executives rated as outstanding tended to use humor twice as much as those deemed average, and leader humor, in general, can relieve stress and boredom by boosting engagement and well-being.