It’s time to use your sense of humor to your advantage at the office. Recent research by the Wharton School suggests that a well-received joke can improve your professional status and workplace opinions of your skill.
This is a primary finding of the research paper “Risky Business: When Humor Increases and Decreases Status,” written by Wharton professor of Operations, Information and Decisions Maurice Schweitzer, graduate student Brad Bitterly and Harvard University assistant professor Alison Wood Brooks.
The researchers found that successfully using humor in the workplace causes others to perceive the joke-teller as both more confident and competent, thus increasing their status and recognition among peers.
Schweitzer thinks that humor is a useful professional tool that people often overlook, and his findings support the idea that when used effectively, humor can elevate one’s social position.
“We argue that humor should be thought of as a deliberate and important tool that profoundly shapes our interpersonal interactions,” he said. “So how we perceive other people, and in particular the status that we accord other people, is profoundly influenced by the use of humor.”
The funny person in the office, as long as they do not use humor inappropriately, is usually looked up to.
“When people make a funny joke, people think of them as higher status,” Schweitzer added.
Using humor, the research demonstrates, is a free way to increase standing, while many spend thousands of dollars buying designer brand clothing and bags to do the same.
“The example that we talked about in our research team is whereas a Louis Vuitton bag is really expensive, a joke is free,” Bitterly said.
As long as the joke is appropriate, it will still make the joke-teller appear more confident, even if it falls flat.
“Even the mere attempt at using humor signals confidence,” Schweitzer added. “So even if the joke isn’t funny or doesn’t land, the idea that people are attempting to use humor signals that they have some confidence.”
However, if the joke is not appropriate for the office or professional environment, it can offend people and ultimately backfire.
“It’s a risky approach,” Bitterly said. “If you successfully use humor, people say, ‘oh, that person’s really witty.’ If you tell inappropriate jokes, people will think that you’re more confident, but they’ll think, ‘what an idiot,’ and you’ll ultimately lose status.”
Bitterly recognizes the importance of their work and was initially surprised that researchers had not studied the connection between humor and status before.
“Humor pervades our lives, and when you actually hear people talk about traits that they look for in a date or in a wspouse, they consistently rate sense of humor,” he said. “But then the management literatures largely overlook the impact of humor and really haven’t done experimental work, prior to the work that we did on how humor changes perception.”
Bitterly also advises using humor in interviews, since an appropriate, funny joke can make one appear more confident and competent to a potential employer.
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