A humorous take on a serious topic — American Indian history

Humor is uniquely human. It builds bonds, defuses tension, boosts innovation, and bolsters resilience. In a bold manifestation of the power of humor, McCarter Theater’s production of “Between Two Knees” offers stories from Native American Indian history that helps us to lean in, not look away.

Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas on the TED stage

Why humor is a superpower you shouldn’t ignore

Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas wrote a wonderful, well-researched book called Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and in Life in 2021, and boy we needed it then! We still need it now! You can watch their TED talk about the book (it earned major accolades!) here. You can also drop in on our Fireside Chat at this link.

What Jennifer and Naomi found in their research is that humor helps leaders motivate and inspire people. It shortens the path to connection. People are willing to bond more with people when they find humor together. It leads people to look at the world in a different way.

And yet, we’re suffering from a “humor deficit” — less smiling, laughing, giggling and general finding the funny in the world around us from pretty much the minute we hit the workforce until we’re in our 80’s. Unfortunately, the average human…