ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that more and more Chinese researchers are calling for conducting studies of humor at workplaces. People can produce humor by amusing others and making them laugh, or appreciate humor by enjoying the humor created by others. Studies of workplace humor in Chinese societies generally show that aggressive humor could jeopardize harmonious interpersonal relationships as the Chinese dislike strongly the “singling out” effect. Specifically, as much as a supervisor’s affiliative humor could cause subordinates to be more loyal and work more productively, a supervisor’s aggressive humor could cause subordinates to show stress, strain, and addictive behaviors. Where the Chinese revere the Confucian call for social harmony of guanxi 關係 and the need for facework 面子功夫, they may enjoy social interactions that include intelligent humor and pleasant conversation, but they will be deeply insulted if humor causes someone to “lose face,” especially in business settings.
