Humorphobia and Humordoomers

Humorphobia is the fear of fun, laughter, and humor. Humorphobia exists as a transparent thread often woven into the fabric of our lives.  Most leaders are passionate about creating a happy work environment, yet are hampered by unspoken negative belief systems that permeate our organizations.

Have you heard statements like this in your workplace?

• We need to be professional here. What will the public think if we are having fun and laughing?
• We cannot measure humor. It’s “soft data” and not meaningful in the workplace. We only operate from solid research.
• We don’t have time for fun and games. Let’s just get this meeting over with.
• I don’t do “touchy feely.”
• I’ve tried humor before and it didn’t work!

The belief systems behind humorphobia are deep rooted fears that include'

• Fear of not having time for humor because of accountability expectations
• Fear of being perceived as silly, unproductive, an airhead, and unprofessional
• Fear of losing “control”  
• Fear of inadequacy or inability to tell a joke coupled with inexperience in the use of humor (because humor is not taught or modeled in most training programs)
• Fear of punishment or retaliation in an environment that is hostile or unaccustomed to humor
• Fear of being made fun of or being the brunt of jokes
• Humorphobia is often barely perceptible, but has a tremendous impact on humor practice. The fears that generate humorphobia create substantial barriers for creating and sustaining humergy.

Humorphobia breeds humordoomers. Humorphobia impacts both the administrator and employee by undermining confidence, stifling creativity, and sabotaging humor practice. Working long and hard seems to be the societal norm for proving commitment and effectiveness. Time is a precious commodity and the increased demands require employers to make every minute count.

A humordoomer is a person who consistently uses negative humor to control and manipulate others. Humorphobia breeds humordoomers, skilled crafters who use subtle techniques to suppress humor in the workplace. Humordoomers are usually unhappy individuals stressed by the dual demands of accountability and limited time constraints; they’re pessimistic leeches that can suck the humergy right out of you. Grown in a petri dish of fear and anger, these folks are threatened by joyful energy and enthusiasm. They often use humor to manipulate others and to maintain a level of control of their world. Their negative humor reflects their unhappy immersion in the confining straits of a workaholic world. Often their techniques are so woven into the fabric of a culture that not only are they unaware of their own webbing effect, their unsuspecting prey are oblivious as well.

Humorphobia and humordoomers create a toxic work environment.   

What strategies do you use to combat these types of beliefs and behaviors?  I have a chapter devoted to this topic in my book, "Using Humor to Maximize Living", however I know creative and caring people have workable ideas.  Would love to hear what you think!