By Eric Stock

NORMAL – A recent study claims being funny could elevate your status in the workplace.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School say humor can be seen as a sign of greater competence, creativity or intelligence.

PODCAST: Listen to Ringer’s interview with Scott and Patti on WJBC. —SEE LINK BELOW—

“We can see humor or something witty in the absurdity of organizational life or the difficulty of a meeting or the challenges of working with another department,” said Rick Ringer, Director of Illinois State University’s Organizational Leadership Institute. “It’s more than just telling a joke. Anybody can do that.”

Ringer warned humor can backfire if your workplace culture considers certain humor inappropriate – or if you aren’t funny, that could hurt co-workers perceptions of you.

“If it flops, if it’s a dud the perceived competence goes down,” Ringer said. “If somebody doesn’t really feel comfortable incorporating humor and trying to do that as part of their professional life, they probably shouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].