I think I’ve told you that my laugh is among my most defining characteristics.  I’ve been recognized (that is, without being seen) on Ben Yehuda street in Jerusalem, in a crowded bar at Christmas in Los Angeles, and at a demonstration in New York.  All by folks who recognize my laugh.  (Trust me- mine is so much better than the one you hear on Roseanne.)

I decided long ago that if we’re not having a good time, then there’s probably no good reason to be doing what we’re doing.  It’s why a few of my professors were not happy with me- to them, a PhD candidate needed to be serious– always.

At the time, I wondered how those folks would handle Tom Lehrer in their labs.  After all, Tom was a fantastic mathematician- who provided the world with a great chemistry tune- among so many others.

Just the other day, a new client was telling me about his situation and I was providing answers- albeit in an irreverent fashion.  He asked me if I was a fan of “Car Talk”, to which I responded that “Click and Clack”  started with two MIT grads and a small car garage (Hacker’s Haven) in Cambridge.  And, they were famous long before they were famous (assuming you lived near Cambridge and liked cars).   He thought I should start a similar program for financial management.

And, later that night, I was catching up on my reading.  I hadn’t read “Nature” since before Passover.  So, like some folks who “campaign” House of Thrones or the House of Cards, I campaign technical reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2qM1I-JCEQ

I happened upon an interesting article by Amber Dance.  Why laughter in the lab can help your science.  (Hmm. I wonder where she was when Dr. C took issue with my antics and laughter in the lab!)  Of course, Amber agrees with me.  She notes that jokes and pranks are signatures of a healthy workplace- and foster trust and communication among those working in the lab.

Drs. J. Mesmer-Magus, D.J. Glew (both from UNC-Wilmington) and C. Viswesvaran (Florida International) published a meta-analysis demonstrating that humor was critical for effective workplaces.  Not only did the presence of humor diminish the possibility of burnout,   the researchers found it promoted stress-coping mechanisms, group cohesiveness, and demonstrated employee performance.

Now, we all know how humor can sometimes only amuse a few- or none.  Anyone who’s been to a comedy club knows when someone bombs, and we’ve all heard way too much about Michelle Wolf’s edgy performance.  (I only thought she was too liberal with her F bombs- and that’s something coming from me!)

The trick is to not force humor on anyone.  Especially scientists and engineers, who admittedly tend to be among the most nerdy of individuals. Thankfully, our staff never fell into the humorless category.

But, then again, I was the one choosing the folks for my lab.  Or office.

Did you hear the one about…

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