ABSTRACT
In modern work environments, employees and managers are increasingly required to solve problems creatively and to promote innovation (Amabile, 1996). Scholars and practitioners share a strong interest in identifying factors and conditions that promote creativity (Grant & Berry, 2011). Humor has long been seen as a catalyst for creativity. Early theorists revealed the liberating and energizing power of humor as fuel for creative thinking (Freud, 1960; Koestler, 1964). Humor is also considered a creative act that entails sudden shifts in cognitive perspectives and thinking patterns (Dixon, 1980; Koestler, 1964; Martin & Lefcourt, 1983; O’Connell, 1976). The positive association between the ability to express humor (or sense of humor) and creativity has been well documented (O’Quin & Derks, 1997). However, despite the existence of few studies that established a causal link between engaging in humor and creative outcomes (Ziv, 1976, 1983, 1988) and the humor-creativity link in organizations (Lang & Lee, 2010; Slåtten, Svensson, & Sværi, 2011), there is still much to learn about the interplay between humor and creativity in organizations. In this chapter, we review extant research on humor and creativity and conjecture on psychological processes that explain the effect of humor on creativity, as well as conditions that shape the humor-creativity relationship.
