“The social interaction at lunchtime gives me a lot of positive energy”

“I am perceived as a friendly person by those around me. When I work at the cash desk in the cafeteria, I can always sense when guests are lost in thought. Then I always ask how they are doing so that the person engages with me. If I then manage to make them smile, that’s even better. The social interaction at lunchtime gives me a lot of positive energy, especially if something didn’t quite go the way I had imagined earlier on in the office. Then I am also introspective. and I really appreciate it when someone with a sense of humor approaches me. As deputy manager of the vonRoll cafeteria, my job is to resolve conflicts. I always remain serious, not least because we come from different cultures. Because humor is very culture-dependent. But if someone hasn’t cleaned the floor, I’ll still say something like: ‘Didn’t you find the cloth?’ and tease the person a little.”

“Humor can only arise spontaneously in interaction”

“Using humor at the right moment can defuse a situation, but you must be able to sense whether it is appropriate or not. As a forensic scientist, I make sure that humor never comes at the expense of the people involved. But lightening up a situation at the institute by talking about one of my everyday mishaps is valuable. It has also happened that a report that had been reviewed several times contained a spelling mistake on the title page, which contributed to the general amusement. I also use this in lectures in connection with our teaching material, which otherwise tends to be emotionally stressful.
As Head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, I try to establish a humorous working atmosphere in which you can admit to mistakes so that others can avoid them. But I don’t force anyone else to behave like this. Because humor can only arise spontaneously in interaction. When others respond to my humorous behavior, it shows me that it is appreciated.”

“I have no sense of humor at all if a space mission fails”

“I often grab the audience’s attention at the beginning of a presentation with an amusing anecdote. For example, by apologizing for my English accent and saying that it has already been described as cute. That’s a good way to break the ice. I see communicating how and what I do as a space scientist as a kind of show in the sense that it is an event to learn something about these massive dimensions. In the lectures, I relax amidst strenuous teaching material by incorporating guessing games or telling them about a mishap during one of my experiments. After all, relaxation is essential for the brain and for storing information. But I have no sense of humor at all if a space mission fails. Instead, I bear a great responsibility because our research requires a lot of financial resources. Only time will help without me ever forgetting what happened.”

“Entertainment helps you to remember what you have been taught long term”

“In teaching at college and university, humor could be used more often than is currently the case: If a teacher provides some form of entertainment value, that helps you to remember what you have been taught long term. The aim is not to entertain those present, but to use a tool to ensure that the content is remembered.
Humor can be learned. As a state-certified clown, I have the following mindset: ’Yes, and … !’, as opposed to: ’Yes, but …!’. The former attitude creates openness to the situation. I let the other person’s actions take effect and try to react spontaneously. This can create amusing moments, whether in improvisation theater, during lectures or in a two-person encounter. Humor can even have a healing effect when used in a loving caricature. However, this requires a sympathetic, experienced counterpart in the dialogue. Because I know that I can’t help myself out of an emotional low with humor.”

“I didn’t become a professional clown because I had nothing better to do”

“Laughing together can be a helpful outlet in stressful situations. In the area of project management, work is extremely stressful in certain phases. I tend to respond with a funny remark in moments like this. And for that to work, I need someone who will play along. For me, as a humorous person, it’s more of a challenge if people around me don’t use humor as a coping strategy. And for myself I need a sense of dark humor that offers me protection. I’m well aware of the difficult sides of life, but everything is easier with humor. I always have to bring it into play carefully. At the wrong moment or depending on the other person, humor can hurt. If, in spite of all the care I take, this should happen, I reflect on my behavior and apologize. I didn’t become a professional clown because I had nothing better to do and I am convinced that not everyone finds my humorfunny.”

“Humor can help to put unbearable situations into perspective”

“In pastoral care, we encounter a wide range of people with all their conflicts and ambivalences. Cultivating humor can help loosen fixations and defuse judgments. To illustrate this when teaching, I like to use a saying by Nestroy, who, with his profound humor, addressed truths on serious subjects: ‘If all else fails, I'll hang myself.’ We know that a large number of people who have survived a suicide attempt are happy they have done so afterwards. They wanted to free themselves from a situation of pain and shame, not from life itself. Humor can help to relativize unbearable situations, regulate emotions and adopt a more life-friendly attitude. Humor therefore resembles faith – it, too, opens up a completely different horizon and is able to embed our human experience in something greater, thus defusing many an all-too-human drama.”