THE VALUE OF POSITIVE HUMOUR Daryl Peebles PhD Candidate University of Tasmania T ASMANIAN N EIGHBOURHOOD H OUSES What are you taking with you today? Anger Fear Grief (sadness) ANGER FEAR GRIEF Rage Frustrated Petrified Apprehensive Inconsolable Slightly unhappy Recognising these emotions is important..... ANGERFEARSADNESS clenched teeth / fists red face / hot shouting slamming doors shaking / nervy pale clammy needing to go teary sighing / sobbing slumped withdrawn Monday 7 October Costs the Australian economy $14.81 billion per year -Tasmania had 451 mental health injuries in per cent(or 311) of these related to stress - Western Australia is the most stressed state - Men experience significantly more stress than women 85% of Australian workers experience stress resulting in over 20 million sick days per year Is this sustainable? Some stress relievers:- exercise diet adequate sleep limited alcohol and smoking thinking positively LAUGHTER! Laughter (being light ) helps take us back to a state of JOY. ...and once in a state of JOY, we are no longer... Laughter an indicator that we are returning back to a state of JOY. Laughter..... mostly is a physical reaction associated with HUMOUR. ^ Other stimuli for laughter..... tickling nitrous oxide ~laughing gas embarrassment specific yogic exercises humour Benefits of humour..... physiological psychological sociological but what about workplaces? A lack of evidence to back up claims of workplace humour being beneficial..... Why? A lack of evidence to back up claims of workplace humour being beneficial because not all workplace humour is positive. My study.... The value of positive humour in the workplace.... examined 50 work-teams from south-eastern Australia included public, private and not-for profit sectors used questionnaires that were completed by both employees and their supervisors examined the relationship between Psychological Capital (hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism) and positive humour + X X X To be at your most productive, a state of joy should be accessible. Workplace humour is NOT about: Workplace humour IS about:..... taking your job seriously but taking yourself lightly. Workplace humour IS about: valuing, encouraging and nurturing the use of a normal, healthy human attribute allowing good humour to have a positive effect on workplace or organisational culture giving people permission to laugh ensuring the humour used is appropriate. Appropriate humour is humour that will lift people up not put them down! Cultural considerations Many middle-Eastern cultures do not get Fred Flintstone humour although those in Abu Dhabi do! Look for the laughter its all around us! The End with similar results for positive humour style and cheerful, inspired, calm, alert, excited and determined. ..... with similar results for positive humour style and worried, miserable, tense and uneasy.