Every day I take a moment to appreciate the parahippocampal gyrus region of my brain. OK, so not really. But if you figured out I was joking, you too can thank your parahippocampal gyrus - the portion of your brain that lights up when you discover the incongruity in a joke that, well, makes it a joke.   

A recent article in The Atlantic delved into the relationship between humor and happiness, confirming yet again, that, like Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler of The Big Bang Theory, the two make for a solid, if not slightly quirky match. It's easier to find the humor in life when we are happy, and conversely finding more humor in our lives make us happier.

Researchers suggest that a "sense of humor" is made up of six ingredients: the cognitive ability to create and/or understand jokes; the appreciation of jokes; behavior patterns of joking and laughing; a cheerful or humorous temperament; a bemused attitude about life; and a strategy of using humor in the face of adversity. As I always stress in my talks, a sense of humor can mean being funny or  simply enjoying and appreciating funny things in life.

The type of humor we practice though, does matter. That's why you need to relentlessly focus on using, celebrating, and appreciating positive humor in the workplace: Positive humor is associated with greater self-esteem, optimism, and life satisfaction, and with decreases in depression, anxiety, and stress.

A study from the Journal of Aging Research reported how senior citizens who were given “humor therapy” for 8 weeks — including daily jokes, laughter exercises, and funny stories—reported feeling 42 percent happier than they were beforehand.

If happier employees mean happier customers (and it does) and if happier employees drive better business results (and they do), then this is yet one more reason to champion safe, positive humor in your workplace. Trust me, your parahippocampal gyrus will thank you. (And now I really think you ought to make this the word of your day in your next meeting.)