How humour can help reduce workplace stress

Research from ANU has found a bit of humour at work can help employees deal with workplace aggression and stressful situations. Lead researcher Dr David Cheng of the ANU College of Business and Economics said workplace aggression and bullying is a widespread problem which impacts the mental health of victims and the ramifications can be expensive for organisations. He said the results of his research show humour can be used to reduce the negative impact of aggression. "While obviously the best solution to workplace aggression is to stamp out the poor behaviour, our research shows if something stressful does happen to you at work, a bit of laughter can help," Dr Cheng said. The experiments worked by having participants exposed to a simulation of a colleague aggressively shouting at them and then shown one of two short videos, one of which was humorous. "The experiments consistently showed exposure to humorous stimuli is useful for victims of aggression," he said. "Humour helps reduce some of the damage caused to a victim's psychological well-being by bolstering their sense of power.