Funny business, comedy. Obviously (hopefully) funny ha-ha, but also funny peculiar. According to Pep Rosenfeld it has magical qualities and tangible health benefits and if used wisely can make the work place a happier and more efficient environment. Mary Poppins claims that it’s a spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down but Mr. Rosenfeld proclaims it is laughter that removes the nasty taste – and actually goes a step further, asserting that laughter is a medicine, and a pretty potent one at that.
Can you teach somebody to be funny? Well, you can give lots of clues and Rosenfeld reveals 7 Skills to increase your comedy capability. But does he claim to be able to make you a comedian? Definitely not but he does claim, and his proposition is backed up by scientific research, that laughter is good for you, literally, and that a sense of humour (or “humor” as Mr. Rosenfeld insists on calling it) can improve your health, both physically and mentally.
Humour is a great ice-breaker instantly forming a bond, either between individuals or groups of people. It can release tension in any situation and make even the most unpleasant task tolerable.
But can you learn or acquire a sense of humour? The clue is in the name. Humour is one of the senses like hearing or seeing, you’ve either got it or you ain’t. There are people who see the funny side of everything and there are those who see it in nothing. Can they be reconciled? Are there aids to help those lacking this vital sense? Mr Rosenfeld gives us plenty of hints and clues, many of which, I am sure, are effective, but sadly there are no humour advisers that you can consult like an optician or at a hearing aid centres in your local shopping mall – just take one of these twice a day, sir, and we’ll have you laughing in no time. And although those with no sense of humour will probably laugh at your average “A Jew, a Muslim and a Catholic were sitting is this bar . . .” type joke, if it is announced as such, they will fail to see the humour in much else. In fact, they will often put humour down as some sort of social deviancy and dismiss the joker as being flippant or superficial.
I have to confess I read this book cover to cover. Often, when reviewing a book I will skip through it, looking for the good bits rather like a spotty prepubescent schoolboy searching though the dictionary for rude words. I suspect nowadays those youngsters give the dictionary a miss and go straight to the illustrated animated version online. Now, while Work-Laugh Balance does not have any rude bits there is a lot to get excited and stimulated by and, although it is directed at the work place, its advice and principles would apply to any environment or situation. Laughter never did anyone any harm, although those with woke sensibilities will claim that it can. Humour can certainly offend, but when it does it is usually because it has highlighted a truth that had been hitherto swept under the carpet.
To finish, I will use a device used by Pep Rosenfeld throughout the book – a Q & A session:-
- Q. Will Work – Laugh Balance give you an insight into how comedy and humour works
- A. Yes
- Q. Will it show you how to make your work environment a better, funnier place?
- A. Yes
- Q. Does it explain the 7 Skills needed to increase your comedy capability?
- A. Yes
- Q. Does it reveal what The Cake is?
- A. Yes
- Q. Will it make you a comedian?
- A. No
- Q. Will it give you a sense of humour?
- A. No
- Q. Will it make you laugh?
- A. Yes
- Q. Is it a good read?
- A. Absolutely
The book has lots of references to academic studies and other theories about comedy, and there are even references to Harry Potter. But are we really left any the wiser about what it is to be a comedian and how to deliver the punch line any more than reading a book on ornithology informs us how to be a bird? You’re either funny or you ain’t. Pep Rosenfeld certainly is and his book will inform and amuse. As he says “Humor is a powerful tool – it’s a shame not to use it.” Michael Hasted 26th March 2025
You can listen to Michael Hasted talking to Pep Rosenfeld about the book, and about Boom Chicago, on ArtsTalk Radio.
Work-Laugh Balance by Pep Rosenfeld is published by the Lev imprint of A.W. Bruna Publishers
Paperback €24.99
ISBN 97 894 005 1870 4
Also available as an e-book and in Dutch
