A happy place to work
工作学习中幽默的“功效”
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.
每个人都喜欢笑，有时无论是一个有趣的笑话或事件事件，亦或是或一张滑稽的照片或一种搞笑的声音都能让人发笑。戏仿名人的喜剧演员总是逗我笑！最重要的是，一旦我们开怀大笑，我们就会感到更快乐。因此，在更严肃的场合中加入一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.
像无趣的办公室或紧张的教室这样的地方有时也需要开怀大笑。我知道一点点的欢乐就可以让我每天待8个小时左右的工作场所成为一个更愉快的地方。看到事情有趣的一面肯定能振奋我们的精神，反过来也能让我们对自己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!
或许我们可以从加拿大通用汽车总裁史蒂夫·卡莱尔那里得到启发。当他在公司安大略总部周围走动时，员工们都感受到了他的幽默感。他说：“它可以帮助人们感到更放松、更舒适，从而在工作中更有效率。”老师在课堂上也可以运用幽默。这是与学生打破沉默，创造一个更轻松的学习氛围的好方法，前提是别一直引起哄堂大笑！
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.
但我们要注意的是：不是每个人都会对同一件事发笑。我们中的一些人可能会钦佩同事或同学的聪明和幽默，而其他人则可能会认为他们滑稽，无礼或只是一个白痴！据费城大学沃顿商学院的施韦策教授说，成功运用幽默的员工或老板被认为既自信又能干，这反过来又能提高他或她的地位。他说：“搞笑就是冒险，冒险就是自信。”他的研究《风险行业：当幽默增加或减少地位》还发现，讲不恰当笑话的人也被视为自信，但他们同时也被视为无能。
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!
所以适当地讲一些笑话会使办公室或教室充满欢乐,但是如果你仍然认为工作和学习时该严肃一些,那就看看2006年发表的一项名为《行为与应用管理》的研究。研究发现,工作中缺乏欢乐的人群更有可能情绪衰竭。另一项研究发现，分享更多笑话的团队会给彼此更多支持和建设性的建议——这可不是笑话！
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