The Value of Shared Laughter

By Marisa Geitner

When we look at the past 17 months, many strengths of humanity have endured, including courage, compassion and entrepreneurship. At Heritage Christian Services, we value humor, too, as the opportunity for “lightheartedness and joy and sharing laughter with one another.”

In March, the New York Times offered “How to Laugh at Work,” a summation of the work between a behavioral specialist and a media strategist. The strategist said, “Managers with a sense of humor are more motivating and admired. Their employees are more engaged. Their teams are more likely to solve a creativity challenge. There’s all this evidence around the R.O.I. of humor.”

We’ve made time for Zoom socials and corny jokes at Heritage Christian Services and there’s an appetite for more. Our staff is working on workplace memes and exploring other ways to share fun together. Let’s keep at this pursuit. As the experts said, “the shared moments of lightness…propel relationships forward and balance the seriousness of labor.” Here’s more from our own topic expert.

 

Humor at Work

By Vicki Reina, director of behavior services

“One minute of anger can weaken your immune system by five hours; one minute of laughter can strengthen your immune system by 24 hours.”

One of our core values is humor. Heritage Christian has long supported and recognized the benefits of good, fun workplace humor. We value humor, we celebrate humor, we encourage humor.

Is there any better time to use humor to help us get through than during a global pandemic? Ok, yes, actually. All of the time is the best time to use humor. The values of humor are almost endless:

1. Improved immune system
2. Improved trust
3. Improved relationships
4. Improved morale
5. Stress reliever
6. Relieves tension
7. Improves creativity
8. Improved learning

….and the list goes on. Below is an article about the benefits of humor and a TED Talk about humor as a superpower. Enjoy!

Article: 10 Reasons Why Humor Is A Key To Success At Work

 

Croon, Judy. May 31, 2018. The Superpower of Humour. TEDx. Accessed June 2021. [https://youtu.be/_oFQLllk_LM]

Purtill, Corinne. March 6, 2021. How to Laugh at Work. New York Times. Accessed: July 26, 2021. [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/business/dealbook/humor-seriously-work.html]

Smith, Jacquelyn. May 3, 2013. 10 Reasons Why Humor Is A Key To Success At Work. Forbes. Accessed: June 2021. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/05/03/10-reasons-why-humor-is-a-key-to-success-at-work/?sh=5e530a205c90]