Effectiveness of a Humor-Based Training for Reducing Employees’ Distress
An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that humor can impact interpersonal relationships in organizations and employee well-being. However, there is little evidence coming from intervention studies in organizational settings. In response, we developed a training following the principles o...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/54d1af816845475d97cffe380242e9d2 |
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| Summary: | An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that humor can impact interpersonal relationships in organizations and employee well-being. However, there is little evidence coming from intervention studies in organizational settings. In response, we developed a training following the principles of positive psychology that aims at improving employees’ adaptive use of humor as a successful mechanism to deal with stress. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of such training and its impact on employee well-being. Results from this one-group intervention study in an emergency ambulance service (N = 58) revealed that the participants reported higher levels of cheerfulness (<i>Z</i> = −3.93; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and lower levels of seriousness (<i>Z</i> = −3.32; <i>p</i> < 0.001) after being exposed to the training. Indeed, the participants reported lower scores on psychological distress after the training (<i>Z</i> = −3.35; <i>p</i> < 0.001). The effect size of the training was medium (<i>r</i> = 0.31 to 0.36), suggesting that interventions to improve adaptive humor at work can be a useful resource to deal with workplace stress and foster employee well-being. These results may have interesting implications for designing and implementing positive interventions as well as for developing healthy organizations. |
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