My jocular, but well-respected health leader friend, Sharon Buchbinder, just wrote a wonderful blog on the value and state of humor in health organizations (http://portfolio.jblearning.com/health/2009/9/17/no-laughing-matter.html). She summarizes some of the psychological and physiological research findings. Here is my response to her blog:
BRAVO!!! Rubber pig snout lady! Sharon, I'm sooo proud to see you entrenched in the humor lit. Great summary, especially Berk citations. The limitations of the psychological and physiological research findings are rarely acknowledged by humor practitioners. Even humor professionals often misinterpret or overgeneralize the findings. The old adage "Don't try this at home; leave it to the professionals" doesn't seem to apply in this case.
I would add 2 refs to your list: (1) Rod Martin's The Psychology of Humor (2007) by Elsevier Academic Press, and (2) Moi's Top Secret Tips for Successful Humor in the Workplace (2009) by Coventry Press (http://www.coventrypress.com/). The former extends Rod's Psych Bull review; the latter summaries the "institutional and relational benefits" of humor in the workplace based on tons of surveys. That evidence is separate from the more rigorous experimental and quasi-experimental studies of the "individual effects" cited throughout your blog.
Again, thanks for bringing this topic to the surface for your blog readers.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
Thanks, Ron! =) Oink, oink!
ReplyDeleteSharon