Laughter as a Barometer of Corporate Culture

Corporate culture is all about energy – that subtle, dynamic force that underlies all interactions.

Great workplaces have something of the vibe of a tightly-knit sports team after a narrow victory- lots of chat, excitement, appreciation, and, of course, a great deal of laughter.

Laughter is one of the best barometers of whether a corporate culture is healthy or not. Like death, it is the great leveller. When people laugh together, they laugh as equals. Which is why corporate cultures rooted in ego and hierarchy are laughter-free zones.

Here’s what the scientific research tells us:
– People are 30 times more likely to laugh when they are with others than when alone.
– There are, on average, 5.8 bouts of laughter in each 10-minute period of conversation.
– The average frequency of laughter did not differ when a person was in conversation with friends vs strangers.

Which brings me back to COVID and the impact it’s having on social interactions. Whether we are aware of it or not, almost all of us are laughing less because of COVID.

The prescription is obvious enough: watch more comedy, chat more frequently with friends and by-standers alike and will yourself to smile more often.

The laughter will surely return and, in the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, “May the Force be with you.”
Corporate culture is all about energy – that subtle, dynamic force that underlies all interactions.

Great workplaces have something of the vibe of a tightly-knit sports team after a narrow victory- lots of chat, excitement, appreciation, and, of course, a great deal of laughter.

Laughter is one of the best barometers of whether a corporate culture is healthy or not. Like death, it is the great leveller. When people laugh together, they laugh as equals. Which is why corporate cultures rooted in ego and hierarchy are laughter-free zones.

Here’s what the scientific research tells us:
– People are 30 times more likely to laugh when they are with others than when alone.
– There are, on average, 5.8 bouts of laughter in each 10-minute period of conversation.
– The average frequency of laughter did not differ when a person was in conversation with friends vs strangers.

Which brings me back to COVID and the impact it’s having on social interactions. Whether we are aware of it or not, almost all of us are laughing less because of COVID.

The prescription is obvious enough: watch more comedy, chat more frequently with friends and by-standers alike and will yourself to smile more often.

The laughter will surely return and, in the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, “May the Force be with you.”