THE ROLE OF SENSE OF HUMOUR IN SUCCESS
OBJECTIVES:
In this chapter we will understand:
ü The meaning of sense of humour
ü Humour is the key to success
ü
Why
funny people are more success
ü What are the ways to improve sense of humor?
Everybody
wants to be likeable and center of attention in every gathering. For this your
personality matters a lot. There are a lot of charismatic traits in a person’s
personality, which make us so admirable and likeable the top of the list is the
sense of humor. The sense of humour
ensures the success in our practical life and makes our life charismatic and
highly influential.
The Sense of
humour
It is very important to understand that what does
"a good sense of humor" actually mean? Is it the ability to memorize
and tell jokes? Is in the ability to understand jokes and laugh at them. Is it
the ability to do something stupid and laugh at yourself for it ? What exactly
is it? And why is it considered a very important aspect of one's personality?
Being
going in details first we need to understand that what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means
“perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the
mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say
that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental
quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or
absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
I want you to take a few moments right now and think of the challenges
you are faced with every day, personally and professionally. Now I want you to
focus on a particular problem you may have at home or at work: health issues,
financial problems, divorce, job security or anything that is a current cause
for concern. Pay particular attention to the emotions you are feeling as a
result, such as worry, anxiety, anger or fear, and notice how difficult it is
not to take your problems from home to work and vice versa.
Not only is it important to know you have a Humor Being within you, it
is essential that you unleash its power every day throughout your entire life.
Your Humor Being will save you from despair time and time again, and before you
know it. Invoking your Humor Being as a habit will turn you into a better
person with a brighter outlook.
We go through our lives and we allow unfortunate situations, unlucky
circumstances and foul people to suck the energy right out of us, because we
don’t know that we have the tools that can help us cope well or even heal
ourselves after bad encounters. One such tool is your Humor Being. Those who
make the shift and live in harmony with their Humor Being always see the
brighter alternative to a negative situation. They embrace change and cope with
stress more easily. And they make conscious choices to enjoy themselves during
the process of whatever they are trying to achieve.
Humor Is The Key To Success
The ability to just
laugh something off – or get someone to laugh, all the same – is among the most
powerful tools you can be born with. Side note: ladies love a man that can make
them laugh ;). Funny people have the ability to sway crowds through humor and,
a lot of times, if you can keep them laughing, then you’ve already won half the
battle.
Realistically, life – or more importantly, success in life –
is all about connections. While that might be a far cry from a lot of the fairy
tales you’ve heard in a classroom, or what makes a person successful, from what
I’ve gathered, it’s also true. One quote that has always proven to be true for
me is, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” and you’ll only get to know
more and more people if you can entertain them. If you’re able to make good
first impressions and say the right things, you’ll almost always be able to
surround yourself with the right people. People, who have a sense of humor,
moreover a good one, will always be able to lead and direct conversations to
their advantage.
Surveys results about humour and success
· 75% of respondents in a survey said the number one kind of
workplace they’d be most reluctant to leave is one that was fun,
with good working relationships and high levels of trust
· Robert Half International Survey found that 91% of
executives believe a sense of humor is important to career advancement
· Robert Half study found that 84% of executives believe that
a person with a good sense of humor does a better job
· A Bell leadership study found that the two most
desirable traits of leaders were a good work ethic and a healthy sense of
humor
·
Several studies show
that people with a health sense of humor tend to be more liked,
trusted and respected
Why funny people are more successful in
life
Having a good sense of humor is an
essential social toolset. A perfectly placed and executed joke can get you out
of a tight corner. It can help you get away with things that most people would
not be able to get away with. It makes making friends easier. And, it also is
likely to help you become successful. Here’s 10 reasons why funny people are
more successful than most.
1. They
are more likeable.
It’s true, think about it. Who are you friends with? Chances are that it is the
people who you have the most in common with — who you have the most fun with
and who make you laugh. Laughter and comedy play larger roles in our lives than
most people realize or would like to admit. Funny people are easier to like
because they make us happy by making us laugh. How can you not like someone who
makes you happy?
2. They
are more detail-oriented.
Humorous jests are not easy to come up with — they cannot be planned, but random,
in the moment. We’re not talking about standup comedians here, but regular
people like you and I who happen to be very funny. In order to be funny, one
must pick up on certain details — whether physical or in conversation — and
work on them. The funniest of jokes are those that are focused on a minor
detail or phrase that a person says rather than focused on a general topic or
larger concept. Funny comments in the workplace are usually funny one-liners
and not long-format dialogues. Focusing in on such details transfers over into
the rest of your life and becomes habit. Funny people basically have trained
their brains to pick up on detail and are more detail-oriented than the average
person. It’s obvious how such detail orientation can come in handy when put to
use while working.
3. Comedy
allows for bonding. When you meet someone who knows how to make you laugh,
you immediately begin to feel as if that person understands you. You begin to
feel that you share a similar sense of humor and therefore most likely have
other things in common as well. When in a business meeting, cracking a quick
joke or two will allow your audience to feel more comfortable.
4. The
funny guy is always invited. When creating a list of people you are going to invite to
any event, I am sure the majority of the people you have on there are those who
you find to be funny. Funny people tend to be the life of the party, and
without them, events tend to be mediocre. Likewise, people like to hang out
with funny people — those that can put a smile on their face. Funny people are
more likely to be invited to dinners and events, as well as being more likely
to be introduced to other people. In
the business world, having a good sense of humor is a great networking tool.
If you are funny and are able to entertain others, then you are more likely to
meet the people you want to meet. Would you not prefer to introduce your
friends to a colleague who is funny rather than a colleague who is boring?
5. Humor
increases productivity and group effectiveness. Humor creates a cheerful atmosphere — an
atmosphere that is easier to work in. If
small mistakes are lightly poked at instead of scolded for, then people will be
less afraid of making them and will be more likely to think outside the box.
Not to mention that the psychological effects themselves increase productivity.
When we smile or laugh, our brains
release dopamine, which in turn literally increases productivity and
engagement. When a team of employees is happy they are happier to work
as well.
6. Facilitates
trust. You are much more
likely to trust someone who knows how to make you laugh than someone who you
feel has an awkward sense of humor. Humor, in a way, reveals the authentic
person within. A person’s sense of humor says a lot about who they are and if
they share your sense of humor then you find that you are getting a good look
at who they truly are as a person. Making others laugh will likely get them to
trust you, which is very valuable. Of course, if you are a lying, scheming,
untrustworthy person yourself, then you at least know to be on your guard the
next time a colleague makes you spew out your coffee from laughter.
7. Relieves
stress. Dopamine is a
magical, naturally occurring chemical in our brains. It makes us feel good and
gets rid of our stress. Stress does an incredible amount of damage on our
psyche and makes producing exceptional work near impossible. Being funny not
only makes others laugh, but will make the person delivering the joke laugh
too. Not to mention that it will boost your confidence. Being funny feels
really good.
8. Boosts
morale of the team.
Being successful in our day and age is no longer a solo mission — it requires a
strong team. Being a leader means that you are responsible for your team and
are responsible for making sure that their productivity and performance is at a
maximum. Being funny as a leader will put your team at ease and allow them to
feel more comfortable around you — their boss — and at the workplace in
general. Cracking jokes during uncomfortable or unfortunate situations will
make your team members remain calm and continue working to fix whatever issue
arises.
9. Boosts
creativity.
Being funny requires outside-the-box thinking. It gets you to look at things
differently, from a different angle and under a different light. Humor puts
your mind into a calmer mood, allowing you to better focus and be creative.
Being funny requires much creativity in itself. Be funny regularly and that
creativity is likely to spill over into other areas of your life.
10. Funny
people are more outgoing.
Being funny gives you more confidence. It allows you to feel more certain about
yourself and more certain about your social skills. If you know that you have
the ability to make people laugh, then you are more likely to interact with
people. Knowing that you can avoid awkwardness by making people smile will make
you want to talk and interact with more people. Being outgoing is one of the
most important characteristics of successful people. Feeling comfortable enough
to approach people that you do not know is great for networking and for picking
up clients or potential customers.
Ways to
Improve Your Sense
Laughter
is essential to make life worthy. Whatever may be the situation in your life, a
heartfelt laughter can make life livable and healthier. The pleasure of
laughter is beyond all rewards. Humour helps reduce the stress and strengthen
the immune system helping an individual to overcome any pain with utmost ease.
Humour also brings relationships to life. Without it most relationships become
lifeless and meaningless. The following ways will help you improve your sense
of humour in life.
1: Get back your smile
Always adore a
good smile on your face. There are many things in this world that demand a
smile. A toddler’s activities and talks, lush green surroundings with chirping
birds, a task completed successfully at work or home, the news of a friend or
loved one coming, watching a funny movie or humorous serial are just a few examples.
A person who smiles often is more likely to feel less burdened with the
pressures of work and life and hence revive his/her sense of humour. Absence of
smile is considered as a state of depression or stress where a person misses
many joys of life.
2: Learn to laugh at yourself
When your start to laugh at your own situations,
others begin to laugh with you too. Try to find humour in some of the most
embarrassing moments you remember from the past and learn to tell them like
stories with a funny side added. Self-deprecation will slowly become a way you
create a light environment around you and open yourself to humourous aspects of
your life. As you learn to see life in a different light positively and
humourously, you shall learn to make humour in most situations.
3: Try to laugh at annoying or frustrating
situations
Certain situations annoy you or spoil your mood. A
sudden fall amidst a crowd, a hole discovered in your favorite shirt that you
are just about to wear for a party etc. are some situations where you are
likely to get angry. It is expected about how you feel and thus very normal for
you to act annoyed. But the fact is that nothing is achieved or nothing can be
changed about what has been done. There is an easy yet funny way to get out of
such situations.
4:
Read Comics and joke books often
Cut out the jokes from joke books
that make you laugh the most and put them on the notice board or on some place
like your office table where they are on your horizon.
Frequently seeing those jokes and
comics will help you feel relaxed. Even if you read more comics, it has a very
positive influence on your humour and helps enhance the humourous outlook you
keep towards situations in life.
5: Listen to funny stories of friends and
colleagues
When you meet friends or colleagues
at workplace ask them to tell you some funny things of past week that happened
to them. Listening to humourous true stories is far better than hearing to
gossip and people will remember you as someone who has a penchant for humour.
6:
Watch Comedy shows
Watch the late night popular comedy shows where hosts
and comedians make everyone laugh with their well-timed and humourous talks.
Their expressions and style must be noted to see and understand what is it that
makes people laugh every time they mark a statement. It is way they put forth
funny statements that makes them more interesting and you find them humourous.
You can even use their one-liner jokes in your own talks and try to note how
people react.
7: Don’t go overboard with humour
Finding humour in awkward and offensive situations
isn’t the right way to have fun. If you try to force humour into situations, it
will only ruin your image as a person and people will try to stay away. Humour
is spontaneous and unplanned and that is why it makes people laugh in the most
8:
Share fun with family
Any time you sit with your family
members for dinner or supper, make sure that you share your funny moments of
the day with them. Sharing some light moments with family will reduce your
stress levels and bring a cheerful and humourous person out of you who does not
see embarrassment in things that go wrong in life but instead seeks fun and
humour in it.
9: Spend time with children
Children love fun and have the attitude of finding
humour in small things. Spending time with children can give you the sense of
seeking fun in strange situations, which you take very normally otherwise. A
light-hearted approach is an alternate perspective that you can learn from
children’s humour that can be refreshing and different from occasional jokes
that are developed for adults.
10: Laugh and make others laugh
As you learn to find fun in your own situations and
see how it eliminates the undue pressure that you face everyday, most of your
worries and stress fades away with a heart-felt laughter. Laughing may have to
be practiced to begin with until it becomes a part of your personality. People
who laugh often are counted as socially active and tend to succeed with their
attitude and sense of humour. Your
laugh will remove the toxins that you can never get rid of with any physical
exercise or any diet.
Conclusions
1. In today's personality stakes, nothing is more highly valued
than a sense of humor. We seek it
out in others and are proud to claim it in ourselves, perhaps even more than
good looks or intelligence. If
someone has a great sense of humor, we reason, it means that they are happy,
socially confident and have a healthy perspective on life.
2. Laughing
has natural wonders on your body and mind, which cannot be neglected. Our
mistakes become trivial when we shoo them away with a laugh.
3. People
who laugh often are more confident and have lesser insecurities and fears in
life. You shall find yourself more competent and capable with a smile around
the corners of your mouth.
4. Sense
of humour can be developed as easily as any other skill in life and bring a
positive change in your life and relationship. We are confident that following
this humour kind day- by- day makes you a more charismatic person with an
enhanced sense of humour.
5 Don’t
take life too seriously .You are not all that important for everyone around, so
never take yourself so seriously. Making you the target for jokes and humor can
be inevitably funny. Poking fun at your quirks and eccentric manners in a
humble way and with a smile on the face can make you seem approachable and
amusing. It is important to be able to laugh at yourself in a non-defensive
way. Also, it is healthy to do so and can give you a very light and happy feelings
