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Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas: Why great leaders take humor seriously | TED
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Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas: Why great leaders take humor seriously | TED

How Often Do You Laugh at Work?

In this section, the speakers discuss the frequency of laughter in the workplace and introduce the concept of humor as a teachable skill.

The Power of Humor in Leadership

  • "Rarely" and "seldomly" were common responses when people were asked how often they laugh at work. One person even mentioned studying climate change as a reason not to laugh.
  • The speakers, Naomi Bagdonas and Jennifer Aaker, teach a class on humor in leadership at Stanford Business School.
  • Humor is an underappreciated asset at work and can be taught as a skill.

The Humor Cliff

  • Studies show that people tend to smile and laugh less as they enter the workforce.
  • However, things improve again around the age of 80, which unfortunately is beyond the average life expectancy of 78.
  • Jennifer Aaker, a behavioral scientist, emphasizes that her research focuses on what truly creates happiness in life.
  • Naomi Bagdonas, a corporate strategist with experience in improv comedy, aims to bring humor back into our lives.

The Impact of Humor

  • Connor Diemand-Yauman, co-CEO of a nonprofit organization, used humor during a virtual offsite meeting to create levity and relieve tension among his team members.
  • Leaders with a good sense of humor are seen as 27% more motivating by their teams.
  • Adding lighthearted lines or jokes into sales pitches can increase willingness to pay by nearly 20%.

Laughter Builds Connection

  • Laughter shortens the path to connection between individuals. Strangers who share a laugh before a conversation tend to disclose more personal information and feel closer to each other.

The Brain's Response to Laughter

  • When we laugh, our brains release endorphins (similar to a runner's high), lower cortisol levels (making us feel calmer), and release dopamine (the hormone released during sex, making us feel more bonded).
  • Laughing is like exercising, meditating, and having sex at the same time, but logistically easier.

Fixing the Humor Cliff

In this section, the speakers discuss how to fix the humor cliff and find humor in our lives by noticing what's true and shifting our perspective.

Noticing What's True

  • Instead of actively looking for what's funny, we should focus on noticing what's true in our lives.
  • Examples include only combing the front part of one's hair while working from home or admitting to only liking one's own kids.

The Priming Effect

  • Our brains are wired to see what we expect. By living our lives on the precipice of a smile, we shift how we interact with the world and how it interacts back.

Being Human at Work

  • When work gets serious and life gets busy, we often become transactional in our interactions.
  • Small shifts towards being human can make a difference. For example, using more casual language in communication can inspire trust in leaders.
  • Even small changes like choosing different sign-offs for emails can add a touch of humanity to work interactions.

Conclusion

The speakers emphasize that humor is a teachable skill that can have significant positive impacts on leadership, team dynamics, creativity, and connection. By noticing what's true and embracing humor in our daily lives, we can bridge the humor cliff and create a more enjoyable work environment.

Humor: The Power of Levity

In this section, the speaker shares a story about Secretary of State Madeleine Albright using humor to shift the energy in a meeting with the Russian foreign minister. The speaker highlights the power of humor and its ability to create positive change in serious situations.

The Power of Humor

  • Secretary Albright wore a bug pin to her meeting with the Russian foreign minister after learning about the bugging incident at the US State Department.
  • The use of humor shifted the energy in the room and changed the conversation entirely.
  • Humor is a choice that can be made in both small and big moments.
  • Balancing gravity and levity gives power to both serious matters and lightheartedness.
  • Humor allows us to approach serious things without taking ourselves too seriously.
  • When using humor, consider how it will make other people feel rather than focusing on sounding funny.
  • Avoid making fun of someone of lower status (punching down).
  • Start incorporating humor into daily life by starting small and choosing to live on the precipice of a smile.

Benefits of Humor

  • Laughing together creates a sense of connection among individuals.
  • Humor floods our brains with hormones associated with love, leading to more joy and love in our lives.

This summary focuses on highlighting key points related to humor's power and benefits as discussed in the transcript.

Channel: TED
Video description

There's a mistaken belief in today's working world that leaders need to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. The research tells a different story. Based on the course they teach at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker and corporate strategist Naomi Bagdonas delve into the surprising power of humor: why it's a secret weapon to build bonds, power, creativity and resilience -- and how we can all have more of it. Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. Become a TED Member: http://ted.com/membership Follow TED on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks Like TED on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://youtube.com/TED TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com