第1498期:A happy place to work

Everybody likes to laugh sometimes, whether at a funny joke, an amusing incident or a hilarious photograph or sound. Comedians who parody well known people always tickle my funny bone! The great thing is that once we've had a good laugh, we feel happier. It would seem therefore, that bringing a bit of humour into more serious situations might be good for us.

每个人有时都喜欢笑，无论是有趣的笑话、有趣的事件还是有趣的照片或声音。模仿知名人士的喜剧演员总是逗我有趣的骨头！最棒的是，一旦我们笑得很开心，我们就会感到更快乐。因此，在更严重的情况下带点幽默似乎对我们有好处。

Places like a humourless office or a tense classroom could sometimes do with a good dose of laughter. I know that in my workplace, a bit of hilarity can go a long way towards making it a more enjoyable place to spend eight or so hours a day. Seeing the funny side of things can certainly lift our spirits and that in turn can make us feel better about what we're doing.

像没有幽默感的办公室或紧张的教室这样的地方有时可以带来很好的笑声。我知道，在我的工作场所中，一点点欢闹可以大大使它成为一个更愉快的地方，每天花八个小时左右。看到事情有趣的一面当然可以振奋我们的精神，这反过来又可以让我们对我们正在做的事情感觉更好。

Maybe we should get inspiration from Steve Carlisle, president of General Motors of Canada. When he walks around the firm's Ontario headquarters he shares his sense of humour to bond with his staff. He says "It can help people feel more relaxed, more comfortable and thus be more effective at what they do." Humour can be used by teachers in the classroom too. It's a good way to break the ice with students and create a more relaxed atmosphere which is good for learning, as long as everyone doesn't spend all their time in hysterics!

也许我们应该从加拿大通用汽车公司总裁史蒂夫卡莱尔那里得到灵感。当他在公司的安大略总部走来走去时，他会分享自己的幽默感以与员工建立联系。他说：“它可以帮助人们感到更放松、更舒适，从而更有效地完成他们的工作。”教师也可以在课堂上使用幽默。这是一个与学生打破僵局的好方法，创造一个更轻松的氛围，有利于学习，只要每个人都不要把所有的时间都花在歇斯底里！

But we have to be careful; not everyone laughs at the same things. While some of us may admire a work colleague or fellow student for their clever and well-told joke, others may consider them sarcastic, offensive or just an idiot! According to Professor Schweitzer, from the University of Philadelphia's Wharton School, a worker or boss who successfully uses humour is seen as both confident and competent, which in turn increases his or her status. He says "Being funny is taking a risk, and being risky shows confidence." His study 'Risky Business: When Humour Increases and Decreases Status' also found that someone who tells inappropriate jokes is also seen as confident but they're also regarded as incompetent.

但我们必须小心；不是每个人都嘲笑同样的事情。虽然我们中的一些人可能会钦佩同事或同学的聪明和讲得好的笑话，但其他人可能会认为他们讽刺、冒犯或只是一个白痴！根据费城大学沃顿商学院的施韦策教授的说法，成功运用幽默的工人或老板被视为既自信又能干，这反过来又提高了他或她的地位。他说：“有趣就是冒险，冒险表明自信。”他的研究“风险业务：当幽默增加和降低地位”还发现，讲不恰当笑话的人也被认为是自信的，但他们也被认为是无能的。

So telling the right jokes in the office or classroom can spread some happiness but if you still think working and studying is no laughing matter, take note of a study published in The Journal of Behavioural and Applied Management in 2006, that found for healthcare workers, emotional exhaustion was significantly lower among those who experienced greater levels of fun at work. And other research has discovered that teams who share more jokes gave more supportive and constructive statements to each other – and that's no joke!

因此，在办公室或教室讲正确的笑话可以传播一些快乐，但如果你仍然认为工作和学习不是笑话，请注意 2006 年发表在《行为与应用管理杂志》上的一项研究，该研究发现了医护人员，那些在工作中体验到更多乐趣的人的情绪衰竭显着降低。其他研究发现，分享更多笑话的团队会互相给予更多支持和建设性的陈述——这不是开玩笑！

词汇表

amusing 引人发笑的，好笑的
hilarious 非常滑稽的
parody 滑稽地模仿
tickle someone’s funny bone 令某人发笑
humourless 缺乏幽默感的
dose 一剂
hilarity 欢乐，欢闹
the funny side （事物）有趣的一面
lift somebody’s spirits 提高某人的兴致
inspiration 灵感
sense of humour 幽默感
bond 亲近，团结
break the ice 打破沉默、冷场
hysterics 狂笑
sarcastic 讽刺的，挖苦的
offensive 令人不愉快的，讨厌的
competent 有能力的
inappropriate 不恰当的，不合适的
no laughing matter 严肃的事情，不是开玩笑的事
supportive 鼓励的，支持的
constructive 积极的，有用的