When things get stressful and crazy at Morningstar Communications, inevitably someone cracks a joke. A quick one-liner, a sarcastic comment. And we laugh. Now there’s a new book on laughing at work to be released later this month, The Levity Effect, Why it Pays to Lighten Up. Penned by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher, the book asserts being fun helps the bottom line.
According to The New York Times write up, being fun helps land the job, making people laugh makes them more loyal, and if you’re funny, you’ll go farther. Not to mention the health benefits! It doesn’t mean you have to be a joker, it just means a sense of humor may be exactly what the boss, and the coworkers...and maybe even the clients...called for.
Granted, limits definitely exist. Forced happiness doesn’t work (no pun intended). And, what tickles everyone’s funny bone in one workplace might come across as offensive in another. But, it appears the old adage “laughter is the best medicine” definitely holds some truth…even at the office.