Humor Is No Laughing Matter

Anthropologists have concluded that since our early ancestors were without the means to communicate by text, email, or mobile phone, they developed a way of communicating using humor.

Put yourself in their place. If you saw another human or humans approaching armed with spears, how would you know if they were friendly or enemies? They were without the ability to text, call or email.

Their solution was to develop a way of signaling that they were friendly, predominantly by humorous gestures of some kind. Humor conveyed friendliness and therefore saved a lot of lives.

Fast forward to our century, as we have learned from neuroscientists, that our analytical abilities primarily reside in the brain's left hemisphere. And our ability to be creative primarily resides in the right hemisphere. Humor facilitates moving our thought patterns from the left side to the right side of our brain, the source of creativity.?

David Ogilvy, founder of? Ogilvy Empress & Mathur advertising agency and one of the most influential figures in the history of advertising, said it well:

"The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible."

As a newly minted CEO, I stumbled on that fact when the company I lead had just been embarrassed by the media story about us.

I called a meeting of the top management, 11 VPs, and asked them what went wrong—dead silence. Finally, someone asked me if they would get into trouble if they told the truth? I said of course not; we're trying to get to the bottom of this.

That VP then said, "Dan, it was your idea." There was a moment of silence, and I said, "That may be the dumbest idea I have ever come up with!"

Everyone broke laughing. We went on to develop some of the most creative solutions and turn around the media narrative.

So if you are faced with a vexing problem or some bad news, what I call "mountains," requiring you to come up with creative solutions, you need to inject more humor into your pursuit of the ideal solution.

There's another value to laughter. Humor bonds us to other people. When we all hear the same joke, even if it's a lousy joke, laughter is a team sport. It makes us feel connected with everyone else listening to the humor. Standup comics know that.

Who can forget the Seinfeld episode about the marble rye or when Jerry tells Elaine she could not sit in first class because she had no concept of what she would be missing.?

There's also a physiological response to humor in our bodies. By activating the neural pathways of emotions like joy and mirth, laughter can improve our mood and make our physical and emotional response to stress less intense. For example, laughing may help control brain levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, similar to antidepressants.

Therefore it makes great sense to build humor into organizational meetings. The meeting facilitator should encourage using humorous clips or audio recordings that get people laughing.

One other benefit is that when you laugh, you are smiling. Harvey Mackay, author of multiple best-selling books and CEO of a highly successful company, preaches the value of smiling.

He said that he learned years ago that one of the most powerful and effective things you can do to sell successfully is to smile at prospects.

People like smiles a lot more than frowns. Many careers have been enhanced because of the presence of a bright smile. It should be standard equipment for all people. You shouldn't come to work without a smile. And be sure to take it home with you at the end of the workday!"

And most importantly,? build humor into your daily personal life. It might mean playing a funny YouTube clip or ending your day with reruns from Seinfeld on Netflix.

Life Is Lived Forward and Understood Backward

After leaving the Peace Corps and finishing law school, Dan Steininger practiced law for a decade before joining the business world. He has led several private and public organizations, including the Port of Milwaukee.

He is the Founder and President of Steininger & Associates, LLC, in Milwaukee, WI.

Dan and his team advise companies how to drive revenue and growth through the use of innovative tools and creative practices.?

If interested, you can call Dan at 414 430 2204 or email him here .? You can also get on his calendar here .?