Humour Paints the Innovation Canvas

My husband came upon this brilliant fall photo opportunity, just around the corner from our home. Similarly, humour can be found almost anywhere, even in difficult situations. We will focus on how humour invites vibrant ideas (colors) and paints the innovation canvas.

Since the topic is humour, I’ll open with a quote about me. This is my caption (written by a friend) that was published in our high school graduation yearbook:

“Spend an hour with Debbie, and you’ll never be the same again. She’ll have you talking to your feet and dying with laughter at the same time!”

How does this quote pertain to my professional life (as Deborah) today? Psychological research has linked the propensity for humour with Big Five personality traits and perhaps that explains my keen sense of humour. Most importantly, I understand the value of humour and draw upon it to overcome challenges in my personal and professional life.

Let’s review the research that connects humour to creativity and innovation. Although humour and laughter may be used interchangeably, each have their own definition. Humour is defined as a stimulus (e.g. funny story or joke) that may elicit laughter, a physical response. Not all types of humour are constructive.

Di Fabio, Gori and Svicher (2023) conducted a study on four styles of humour, and the negative style is obvious:

1. affiliative (promotes human bonding through pleasant banter)

2. self-enhancing (finds humour in difficult life circumstances)

3. self-defeating (aims to make others laugh through self-deprecation)

4. aggressive (manipulates or injures others through cynicism or humiliation).

Numerous studies connect humour and laughter to quality of life and well-being, this includes physical and mental health. The physiological response to humour is complex, with the potential to lower stress hormones (e.g. cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine) and activate the mesolimbic pathway in the brain (dopamine reward system). Research has underscored the benefits of coping humour, it is a significant and positive predictor of psychological well-being, linked to resilience and change tolerance.

Humour and laughter may also improve physical health by decreasing the aforementioned stress hormones that contribute to an increase in blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels. Chronic stress has been associated with the risk for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, and possibly cancer.

This article published in the International Journal of Innovation Management captured my attention: “You Are Joking, Right? – Connecting Humour Types to Innovative Behaviour and Innovation Output”. Findings from various studies have linked humour to enhanced employee performance, motivation and innovative behaviours, at all corporate levels.

Barry Kudrowitz’s M.I.T. PhD thesis (2010) connected improvisational comedy training and humour to the generation of and connection between creative ideas for product design. Other studies have shown that humour helps our brains move from linear thinking (that is low in creativity) to off-the-beaten-neural-pathway-thinking where aha ideas await discovery.

Consider the hallmarks of a productive brainstorming session in pursuit of major innovation. Participants hurl seemingly wild (crazy) ideas that unleash laughter but follow with serious deliberation. This shatters the status quo and breaks into a new paradigm of thinking, where major innovation lies.

During teamwork, humour that evokes laughter can provide the relief required to dissipate a stressful situation. Moreover, studies link humour (and laughter) to a positive mindset and emotions such as levity that relieves tension and heightens capacity for flexible thinking and inspiration. Humour also plays a role in human bonding, it promotes cohesive teams and maximizes their potential for creative thinking. The appropriate use of humour helps build diverse relationships and expansive partnerships, essential for major innovation.

Leadership studies found that exceptional promoters of innovation draw upon humour more frequently and effectively. They apply strategies such as self-effacing humour to model comfort with making mistakes and learning from those experiences, while cultivating healthy power dynamics between leaders and those lower on the corporate hierarchy. Traditional leaders (who restrain humour) can extinguish creativity and the potential for innovation. Hence, the emergence of leadership training to develop the art of humour.

Cinder to Flame helps Corporations solve complex challenges with strategic services that energize people, fuel a healthy corporate culture and ignite major innovation.

My brand promise is that there will be humour and laughter when we tackle challenges and paint the innovation canvas together.

Do you need a little more humour in your life?

Click on #humour and enjoy a subset of Cinder to Flame articles with amusing personal stories.

© Deborah (Ellen) Wildish, Cinder to Flame 2022-Present. All Rights Reserved.

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