Haylie Johnson

Professor Hugetz

English 1302- AHS 05

21 April 2021

Causal/Proposal Essay

Humor should be in everyday life, especially at work. Work is super stressful and can

lead to tense, stressful situations. Laughter and humor are the sure for these situations. For

example, as the American Institute of Stress put it in their article ’50 Common Signs and

Symptoms of Stress’, “Chronic stress can cause a variety of symptoms and affect [one’s] overall

well-being. Symptoms of chronic stress include irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches, [and]

insomnia.” The AIS continue to explain how stress negatively affects the “Central nervous

system, respiratory and cardiovascular system, digestive system, muscular system, reproductive

system, and the immune system.” Since stress in the workplace, long hours, tight deadlines, and

loss of job are causing tense, stressful situations, then employers should do their best to make

time to ease the atmosphere with humor because of how stress can harm the body. 

Stress is something that all people have dealt with, especially in workplaces. Working is

already taxing enough on most people, but all stress does is adds on to the baggage. The amount

of stress one can receive from work can be overwhelming and can actually harm the body

mentally and physically. According to the American Psychological Association, who wrote

‘Coping with Stress at Work’ stated, “Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood

pressure, and a weakened immune system.” And that it can also “…contribute to health

conditions such as depression, obesity, and heart disease.” (July 2014). The authors are

explaining how stress can negatively impact the body. Chronic stress is just constant stress that
has extremely lethal symptoms. In order to decrease stress levels in a workplace one should start

with figuring out what stress really is. According to Oxford Language, stress is “a state of mental

or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances”

(Oxford).

Long hours from work can lead to significantly increased stress levels but drastically

decrease mental health. According to Sungjin Park, Hyungdon Kook, Hongdeok Seok, Jae

Hyoung Lee, Daeun Lim, Dong-Hyuk Cho, and Suk-Kyu Oh, who wrote ‘The Negative Impact

of Long Working Hours on Mental Health in Young Korean Workers’, “…stress level,

depression, and suicidal thoughts increased with increasing working hours.” They also wrote,

“… long working hours were associated with stress, depression, and suicidal ideation in young

employees… (2020).” The authors were informing the audience that as the hours worked

increases so does the stress levels but in return the mental health plumets. As the authors stated,

working longer than normal hours brings stress and causes other harmful mental and bodily

issues. Working long hours can ultimately cause mental and bodily harm.

Tight deadlines are a big stress factors at work. Some deadlines that are required may

seem impossible or out of the question and because of that, cause stress overload. A recent

survey conducted by CareerCast and written about by Dana Wilkie in ‘No. 1 Stressors at Work:

Deadlines’, found that “… almost 3 in 4 [participants] were experiencing higher-than-moderate

stress in the workplace.” And it was reported that “… the most common cause of stress was

deadlines (30 percent)” (March 2017). The survey shows that most people become stressed over

tight deadlines. Big tasks that need to be completed in a little amount of time require a lot of

sacrifice including sleep, meals, and being around family. Tight deadlines can also cause

problems in performance due to being rushed. Sacrificing important things like family and sleep
along with feeling rushed and moving at a million miles an hour can cause major symptoms of

stress like headache, raised heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. Tight deadlines mean major

stress and damage to the body.

Losing a job can be extremely stressful especially if that job was depended on to pay for

living. Not only is the financial aspect a part of the stress but also the relationship aspect.

Relationships are made between co-workers, bosses, and between employee and employer.

Losing a job means losing those relationships as well. According to ‘Job Loss and

Unemployment Stress’ written by Melinda Smith, M.A., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., and Lawrence

Robinson, “…the stress of losing a job can also take a heavy toll on [ones] mood, relationships,

and overall mental and emotional health.” The authors continue, “Even if [one] didn’t love

[their] job, it likely provided [them] a social outlet and gave a structure, purpose, and meaning to

[their] life” (April 2021). The loss of a job means more than just the loss of a paycheck. It means

stress about family security and provision, anxiety about what will happen next, and even stress

over losing healthy relationships. Losing one’s job can lead to a very stressful life.

Laughter is the complete opposite from stress and should be brought into the workplace.

Humor can ultimately cure what damage stress has caused. As stated by the Mayo Clinic Staff in

‘Stress Relief from Laughter? It’s No Joke’,

“Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by

bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast,

positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially

more-serious illnesses” (April 2019).

This means that when someone is in a stressful work situation it can ultimately weaken their

immune system, while laughter fights off the stress hormones and any illness that may come
from the weakened immune system. According to Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A.,

and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. who wrote ‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’ stated, “Laughter

strengthens [the] immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects [the body] from

the damaging effects of stress” (October 2020). The authors are explaining how laughter can

reverse and stop the dangerous symptoms of stress from any situation. Humor is the natural way

to reverse stress and keep stress at a very minimum level.

It should be highly sought after to have humor in the workplace. Laughter has many

benefits that could improve the workplace. In Fact, according to Alison Beard who wrote

‘Leading with Humor’, “Laughter relieves stress and boredom, boosts engagement and well-being,

and spurs not only creativity and collaboration but also analytic precision and productivity.” Beard

also points out that humor and laughter should “…factor into how [workers] communicate, allocate

[their] time, and even recruit and hire.” She also added in that “employees admire and feel more

motivated by leaders who use humor effectively” (May 2014). Another example of why humor

should be in the workplace was written about in ‘How a Little Humor Can Improve Your Work

Life’ by Jessica Lindsey when she stated, “Humor creates an atmosphere of levity and a sense of

perspective that can dissolve tension and, in turn, protect us from stress at work and even benefit

our health.” Lindsey goes on to explain, “Feeling comfortable in our work environment can

empower us to think openly and take risks—a foundation for finding creative solutions at work,

contributing to our productivity” and “…when supervisors integrate humor into their leadership

style, they become more likeable, while maintaining respect and influence” (October 2019).

Humor in the workplace will not cause division and disrespect but in turn it will grow

relationships and increase productivity and emotion.

 Others trying to decrease stress in the workplace would suggest taking breaks, going on

vacations, or therapy, while I propose that laughter is the best medicine for relieving any and all

stress. According to Brain and Behavior Research Foundation who wrote ‘The Importance of

Taking Vacation Time to De-stress and Recharge’, they want workers to “…take time off to

relax and unwind, so [they] come back to work feeling reinvigorated and ready to perform at

[their] best.” They also stated that if it is not possible to get time off, they stated that they should

“… get a quick boost by turning off [their] smartphone and focusing [their] attention on non-

work activities for a while” (July 2019). Others would also try to say that therapy can reduce

stress levels from work. For example, the Mayo Clinic wrote ‘Coping with Stress: Workplace

Tips’ and they stated that, “Through counseling, [one] can learn effective ways to handle job

stress” (February 2019). The problem with vacations and therapy is they can both be expensive,

and they are only temporary fixes. Laughter is free and benefits the body much more than

travelling or counseling combined. For example, “… laughing with others releases endorphins in

the brain — [people’s] homegrown feel-good chemicals — via opioid receptors.” David DiSalvo

also explains in ‘Six Science-Based Reasons Why Laughter is the Best Medicine’ that,

“Laughing activates the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, the same brain chemical

affected by the most common types of antidepressants…” and “Research has shown that laughter

has an anti-inflammatory effect that protects blood vessels and heart muscles from the damaging

impacts of cardiovascular disease [caused by stress]” (July 2017).

Laughter in the workplace to reduce stress could be implemented through starting

meetings with jokes, having company trips to comedy shows, or playing funny movies in the

break room. Starting meetings with a joke or two will cause a relaxed feeling among everyone

present. Laughing with peers or coworkers lightens the mood and makes a scary, uncomfortable
situation seem easier to bear. Many companies take trips to many places, but if they took a trip to

a comedy show, that would bring everyone closer together and provide relief from stress and

work. Even if a company could not afford to go on a trip, they could at least have comical

movies playing in the break room. So that anytime someone needs a break, they can laugh and

relieve stress that way. Humor should be in everyday life to protect the body against any harm

that stress may cause, especially in the workplace.

Humor should be brought into all workplaces to relieve one from everyday stress. Stress

in the workplace along with, long hours, tight deadlines, and loss of job are all factors that can

create a tense and stressful environment. Increased hours mean increased stress, depression, and

suicidal ideation. Tight deadlines mean loss of sleep and many sacrifices made on things that are

important like family, meals, and friends. Losing one’s job is more than financial it is

relationships lost as well. On the other hand, laughter fixes what stress has damaged, brings

people together, and helps with productivity in working. The act of laughing physically

strengthens the immune system and boosts one’s mood. In a working environment laughter will

increase creativity and productivity. Laughing and finding joy in the workplace is not

counterproductive to doing one’s job, it actually helps in more ways than one.
 Works Cited

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2020, www.stress.org/stress-effects.

American Psychological Association. “Coping with Stress at Work.” American

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Beard, Alison. “Leading with Humor.” Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business

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Borenstein M.D., Jeffrey. “The Importance of Taking Vacation Time to De-Stress and

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DiSalvo, David. “Six Science-Based Reasons Why Laughter Is the Best Medicine.”

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Robinson, Lawrence, et al. “Job Loss and Unemployment Stress.” HelpGuide.org, Help

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