A funny thing happened on the way to the weekly update edition
According to Astrologers (no reliable citation available), Valentine’s is only the 5th most romantic holiday of the year. The others include
When the Sun and “dreamy” Neptune are in conjunction.
When Venus trines Jupiter, and the Moon joins in as well.
When Venus trines Neptune’s transit, which heightens the feeling of love and compassion.
When there is a Venus-Jupiter sextile. I think we now know what “trines” means.
What Valentine’s Day has going in its favour is that it originated as a pagan fertility ritual in the middle of February. Some of the more popular pagan fertility rituals that exist today are
Placing a dragon statue on your bedside table (Asia)
Bringing a bowl of fruit salad to a Wiccan ceremony (and I’m probably going to Wiccan-hell for that overly simplistic description of the sacred ceremony).
Throwing your underwear on the roof during a waning moon (Congo).
Having sex under the Aurora Borealis (well, just a fun idea for anyone).
Notwithstanding its pagan street cred, February can feel like the longest short month of the year. The cold darkness seems–with all due respect to Bill Murray and the groundhogs–quite unfunny. And while we all know an office clown, the importance of laughter in the workplace is often overlooked and not just in February.
Research from HBR shows that leaders with a sense of humour are 27% more motivating and admired, their employees are 15% more engaged and their teams are twice as likely to solve a creativity challenge. This all leads to improved performance.
When we laugh, our bodies produce endorphins and oxytocin—neurochemicals that increase focus, creativity and empathy. The Mayo Clinic has identified short and long-term effects from laughter that include improving your immune system, relieving pain and increasing personal satisfaction.
So, what’s the trick to being funny and how do you inject humour to your workplace? It depends on who you are. Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas co-wrote the book Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life. In it, they identified 4 different kinds of humour styles:
The Stand-Ups are natural entertainers who aren't afraid to ruffle a few feathers to get a laugh.
The Magnets keep things positive, warm, and uplifting, avoiding controversial or upsetting humor while radiating charisma.
The Sweethearts are earnest and honest, and their humor often flies under the radar.
The Snipers are edgy, sarcastic, and nuanced, unafraid to cross lines in pursuit of a laugh.
We did this quiz as a team and this is what we found:
Key takeaway: don’t piss off Bob or Steph. And upon sharing these results at home, Philip was advised that there is a fifth typology called “not nearly as funny as you think you are.”
If you’re interested in finding out which kind funny you gravitate to, try the short survey here: Humor Typology. People will start laughing and you’ll be a better boss already. It’s that easy.
A helpful resource could be one of the litany of bad dad jokes available on the internet. You could use a different one every Zoom call as your background. Here’s one to get you started:
As we plod through the longest shortest month remember that a laugh can go a long way to improving personal and professional wellness.
Stay safe and cluckle often. Even at the bad dad jokes.