ABSTRACT
Before the development of “modern” medicine, the predominant theory focused on the four humors of the body—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. The balance of the humors led to better health and well-being from the ancient Greeks to Islamic medicine, and into the sixteenth century. These humors spawned the temperaments of sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic personalities. Museums can find themselves as entities in balance and out of balance with their humors too. Staff may need to break up lassitude (get rid of the phlegm), revitalize their thinking (break out of their melancholy), find ways to become relevant (overcome choleric tendencies), or simply blow off some steam (become more sanguine). This chapter is a prescription of sorts for amusement, an intentional diversion from the drudgery that can come from overthinking or, perhaps, too much muse-ing (if you catch our drift). We examine the poignant elements of being absurdly incongruous (one definition of humor) in museums by looking at what influenced our ways of using humor in the museum. We tap into the clever and witty, the hyperbolic, the metaphoric, and the uncanny way that breaking the rules or taking risks can lead to stress relief, camaraderie, and a level of trust that makes us feel good about our work and workplace.
