Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/52767

Title

'I do it differently at work': differences in humour in different environments

Author(s)

Rawlings, Maren;  Findlay, Bruce

Abstract

Martin (2006) has suggested as the basis for the Humor Styles Questionnaire (Martin, et al., 2003) that people can be distinguished from each other in the ways that they see themselves using humour in everyday situations including work interactions. The aim of the present research was to find out if people differ in the way they report using humour in the work place compared with the way they report using humour socially or at home. As part of a larger study, participants responding to an Internet questionnaire, were asked to write free responses about their use of humour in these situations. The results were analysed using QSR NVivo 7. Generally people responded that they did have differences in the type of humour and ways of delivery between the three environments and these will be discussed. The amount and type of humour used at work also differed when they recalled they were stressed compared to when they were relaxed.

Publication type

Conference paper

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology

Source

Paper presented at 'Humour and satire in an "Age of Terror"', the Annual Colloquium of the Australasian Humour Scholars Network, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 11-12 April 2007

Publication year

2007

Keyword(s)

Humour;  Humour at work;  Organisational contexts;  Organisational psychology;  Psychological health

Publisher

Australasian Humour Scholars Network

Publisher URL

http://www.usyd.edu.au/humourstudies/events/2007.shtml