We create Ha-Has that become Ahas!

When was the last time your team really laughed together?

Not a polite chuckle on Zoom. Not a nervous laugh during an icebreaker.

I mean the kind of guffaw laughter that makes your sides hurt and your cheeks sore from smiling so hard.

Laughter has long been called the best medicine, but it turns out it’s also one of the most underused leadership tools.

The Science of the Smile

According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter fires up and then cools down your stress response, boosts oxygen intake, increases endorphins, and soothes tension. That means a good laugh literally changes what’s happening in your body. Long term, laughter can improve immunity, relieve pain, and elevate your mood. Not a bad ROI for something that costs nothing and can start with a simple grin.

Behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker and corporate strategist Naomi Bagdonas, who teach “Humor: Serious Business” at Stanford University, have spent years studying the link between humor and leadership. The pair cited a study from the academic journal Social Behavior and Personality, which found that leaders with any sense of humor are seen as 27% more admirable and motivating than those who don’t joke around. Their employees are 15% more engaged and committed, and their teams are twice as likely to solve a creativity challenge, Aaker and Bagdonas wrote in an accompanying Harvard Business Review article.

Meanwhile, research from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics found that participants who watched a 10-minute comedy clip were about 10–12% more productive on a work-related task than those who didn’t.

In other words, laughter doesn’t just feel good. It works.

When Humor Builds Culture

In Becoming a Cohesive Leader, Dr. Troy and I wrote that laughter is the sound of a healthy workplace. When humor is present, it’s a sign that people feel safe enough to be themselves.

But humor can also go wrong if it’s careless. So here’s a quick cheat sheet straight from the book:

✅ Use humor, don’t weaponize it. Never at someone else’s expense.

✅ Keep the message the message. Humor should enhance, not distract, from what matters.

✅ Skip sarcasm and shaming. Not everyone processes jokes the same way.

✅ Be authentic. You’re not auditioning for open mic night; you’re creating connection.

✅ Make it count. A well-timed laugh can lower stress, increase engagement, and improve retention.

When laughter fills a workspace, stress levels drop, collaboration rises, and communication becomes more genuine. It’s no coincidence that cohesive cultures tend to sound a little… happier.

Laughing on Purpose

At On Purpose Adventures, we practice what we preach. Whether it’s team building, leadership development, or our Cohesion Culture™ programs, we believe in creating “Ha-Ha’s that become Aha’s.” Because laughter is functional as well as fun. It helps leaders connect dots they couldn’t see before. It sparks creativity, deepens trust, and reminds teams that growth doesn’t have to be grim.

We’ve even built laughter therapy into our training toolkit. Think of it as an adaptive version of laughter yoga, designed not for performance, but for mindset.

Here’s how it works:

1. Round one: Cover your mouth and chuckle for ten seconds.

2. Round two: Hands at your sides, laugh gently for 20 seconds.

3. Round three: Both hands on your belly, laugh as hard as you can for 30 seconds.

4. Repeat as needed.

You’ll feel silly at first and that’s the point. Within a minute, your brain will release endorphins, your muscles will relax, and your mood will shift. It’s science with a smile.

The Cohesive Takeaway

When leaders model laughter, they give permission for others to do the same. They signal that joy is a catalyst for productivity. So maybe the next time your team feels the tension rise, skip the stern pep talk and share a good laugh instead.

You might just turn a Ha-Ha into an Aha.