What if I told you, your high school class clown would be a Fortune 500 CEO one day? Would you laugh at me?
This may not be as off-base as one might assume. Laughter not only creates positive affects for the individual, but also can create a contagious and viral benefit – to those you are surrounded by in the workplace.
Personal Benefits
When you laugh – there are a number of different things happening in your body. Your blood flow increases, your immune system boosts, your blood sugar levels are reduced and you may even adapt healthier relaxation and sleep patterns.
Medical studies, like this one, from the University of Maryland Medical Center have shown that laughter offsets the impact of mental stress as well as decreasing cardiovascular disease. So, while your brains’ cognitive area is thinking and getting a joke, benefitting your personal intellectual abilities, you also have the ability to bring these positive attributes to others, in the workplace. Not to mention, laughter decreased your stress levels which, as we all know, is a huge benefit to your own personal performance in your job.
Funny person = Creative person
Generally, a funny person, or one who gets humor, and is able to use it to their advantage, provides a number of different benefits in the work place. Individuals winning in the “Comedy Category” are seen as approachable, and individuals who can instantaneously make others feel at ease around them. You’ll also notice benefits in communication, whether it is with your boss, cross-functional team members or Executive leaders. Just by creating that humor-filled bubble with positive thoughts, you are fashioning a space that is more bonded and cohesive.
A number of companies have seen productivity, employee retention and workplace performance associated with positive emotions, while exercising humor in the workplace. This enthusiasm can create trust, and though you may think can easily go un-noticed, companies have stated in interviews– they have seen intelligence and creativity stem from funny people.
So whether or not at this time you are looking back, wondering if your high school class clown is now a Fortune 500 CEO, as you think of your day to day job – think about lightening up the workplace by spreading some cheer. You may find yourself interacting with cross-functional team members more positively, able to give a funny “elevator pitch” while you catch a top ranking executive in the sandwich line, or generally start the branding process as an individual who is a team leader, who is approachable and caring, all because you simply have the aptitude to lighten-up a situation, or have a few chuckles each morning with a few co-workers.
Be the leader you would like to see in your leaders, today. Ones who make you feel at ease, ones who are amicable and good-humored and who can simply have a smile on their face at the coffee machine right before their first eight-am meeting. These positive affects not only can help within your body’s immune system and de-stressing, though can assist indefinitely in your advancement in the workplace.
You can find some additional reading on laughter in the workplace below:
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/laugh.html
http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/5-ways-laughter-can-boost-productivity-and-earnings.html