This book is the first-ever authoritative work on the use and management of humor in the workplace. It is a practical guide for everyone involved: the humorists (‘jokers’), the targets (sometimes ‘victims’), the observers (‘audience’) and most of all the managers who have to ‘set the tone’ and encourage, control and manage humor. Humor is part and parcel of every workplace. However, while it usually demonstrates and fosters a united, happy workforce, it can at times be deeply damaging and divisive. The authors – academics with vast organizational experience and a research-based understanding of humor at work – bring together state-of-the art knowledge of the topic, making it fun, accessible and readable for all humor participants. The topics include how humor works, humor cultures in organizations, the many forms of workplace humor and their pros and cons, humor rituals at work, digital humor, workplace jokers, the 21st century issue of ‘political correctness’, and both the ‘bright side’ of humor (assisting positive cultures, making work ‘fun’), and its ‘dark side’ (where humor offends and humiliates). With over 60 ‘real life’ illustrative stories of workplace humor, a self-completion questionnaire to measure the Humor Climate in your organization, end-of-chapter ‘takeaways’ and an end-of-book summary advocating ‘best practice’, the book is a ‘fun’, how-to-do-it guide that will both inform and entertain.

This important new book provides a comprehensive analysis of humor from a social-psychological perspective, addressing questions about the use of humor and its effects in daily life. It examines the social psychology of humor on micro-level phenomena, such as attitudes, persuasion, and social perception, as well as exploring its use and effect on macro-level phenomena such as conformity, group processes, cohesion, and intergroup relations. Humor is inherently a social experience, shared among people, essential to nearly every type of interpersonal relationship. In this accessible volume, Strick and Ford review current research and new theoretical advancements to identify pressing open questions and propose new directions for future research in the social psychology of humor. The book explores fascinating topics such as humor in advertising, political satire, and the importance of a sense of humor in maintaining romantic relationships. It also examines how racist or sexist humor can affect personal and intergroup relations, and discusses how to confront inappropriate jokes. Offering new, precise, and operational conceptions of humor in social processes, this book will be essential reading for students and academics in social psychology, media, and communication studies.

Satire, Humor, and Environmental Crises explores how satire and humor can be employed to address and mitigate ecological crises at individual and collective levels. Besides scientific and technological endeavors, solutions to ecological crises must entail social and communicative reform to persuade citizens, corporations, organizations, and policymakers to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and policies. This monograph reassesses environmental behavior and messaging and explores the promises of humorous and satiric communication therein. It draws upon a solid and interdisciplinary theoretical foundation to explicate the individual, social, and ecospheric determinants of behavior. Creative works of popular culture across various modes of expression, including The Simpsons, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The New Yorker cartoons, are examined to illustrate the strong if underappreciated relationship between humor and the environment. This is followed by a discussion of the instruments and methodological subtleties involved in measuring the impacts of humor and satire in environmental advocacy for the purpose of conducting empirical research. More broadly, the book aspires to participate in urgent cultural and political discussions about how we can evaluate and intervene in the full diversity of environmental crises, engage a broad set of internal and external partners and stakeholders, and develop models for positive social and environmental transformations. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in environmental humanities, communication science, psychology, and critical humor studies. It can further benefit environmental activists, policymakers, NGOs, and campaign organizers.

This book provides much-needed insight into current social marketing and advertising practices. The authors offer a framework for social marketing, before exploring the mechanics of social media and present marketing strategy. Chapters cover the use of both positive and negative emotions in social marketing and advertising, and explore the ethical challenges associated with the practice in the age of social media.

An organized home office is your key to finally getting things done. Start here if:â¢You are fed up with paperâ¢You are fed up with emailâ¢You are fed up with being disorganized throughout your lifeDon't have an entire room for a dedicated home office? Turn an alcove, a loft, a corner of your bedroom or the dining room table into an upbeat home office you want to run to...not from. Tame never-ending email. Organize electronic files. Add just a few essential tech tools, leading to an organized mind so you can enjoy your day more.Everyone deserves a home office. If you are an entrepreneur, run a home-based business or work remotely, a home office is a necessity. Even if you don't work from home, everyone needs a space to pay bills, answer email, and charge your electronics. You can learn to have better time management skills in a home office that makes you smile.Faster than you thought possible, you'll learn to:â¢Clear your deskâ¢Reduce unwanted emailâ¢Stop losing computer filesâ¢Go paper-less without scanningâ¢Never lose important papers againâ¢Save time with one change to your to-do listâ¢Stay organized longerThe SORT and Succeed system is just five simple steps to organize your home office one area at a time. Find time, save money, and overcome information overload with organizing strategies you'll actually use. Starting with an entrepreneurial mindset, you'll be motivated to complete your projects with a repeatable system for success.Darla DeMorrow is a Certified Professional Organizer ® with more than a decade of experience working in corporate offices and home offices. She developed the SORT and Succeed system to help you get organized and stay organized.

“This book is a contemporary classic—a shrewd and spirited guide to protecting ourselves from the jerks, bullies, tyrants, and trolls who seek to demean. We desperately need this antidote to the a-holes in our midst.”—Daniel H. Pink, best-selling author of To Sell Is Human and Drive How to avoid, outwit, and disarm assholes, from the author of the classic The No Asshole Rule As entertaining as it is useful, The Asshole Survival Guide delivers a cogent and methodical game plan for anybody who feels plagued by assholes. Sutton starts with diagnosis—what kind of asshole problem, exactly, are you dealing with? From there, he provides field-tested, evidence-based, and often surprising strategies for dealing with assholes—avoiding them, outwitting them, disarming them, sending them packing, and developing protective psychological armor. Sutton even teaches readers how to look inward to stifle their own inner jackass. Ultimately, this survival guide is about developing an outlook and personal plan that will help you preserve the sanity in your work life, and rescue all those perfectly good days from being ruined by some jerk. “Thought-provoking and often hilarious . . . An indispensable resource.”—Gretchen Rubin, best-selling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before “At last . . . clear steps for rejecting, deflecting, and deflating the jerks who blight our lives . . . Useful, evidence-based, and fun to read.”—Robert Cialdini, best-selling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion

The motto of this book is smarter through laughter. The Laughing Guide to Change combines humor and science to make you happier and healthier. To improve your well-being you need to master your behaviors, emotions and thoughts. These are important drivers of change that can be learned and practiced every day. To reinforce the learning, the scientific part of each chapter is followed by funny stories. In the Behaviors chapter you will learn how to set a goal and create positive habits. In the Emotions chapter you will study the secrets of cultivating positive emotions and managing negative emotions. After reading the Thoughts chapter you will be able to master the art of challenging negative assumptions and writing a new story about yourself. The Laughing Guide to Change is a user friendly manual for tackling different aspects of well-being, from psychological to interpersonal to physical well-being. If you are interested in improving your personal, family, or occupational life, this book is for you. The book will motivate you to take action through a series of achievable steps. The humor will keep you entertained, while the science will keep you engaged.