J.斯图尔特·布莱克

Video conferencing has been around1 for more than 20 years. Until the pandemic， though， you would find that many if not most people needing to attend a meeting remotely would be calling from a real conference room full of their teammates. Today， were routinely holding video conferences that are 100% virtual. And that introduces a problem technology cant fix.

The problem is us， specifically the fact that we havent evolved socially—or even neurologically—to the point where we can bear much isolation. So much of our well being， and by extension2 what makes us productive， is predicated on physical proximity， that the removal of that proximity for any period of time can be severely damaging. One surprising casualty of social distancing？ Laughter.

Normally people laugh about 18 times per day. And 97% of that time were laughing with others—we are 30 times more likely to laugh with others than to laugh alone. Think about it： When was the last time you had a funny thought alone and laughed at it out loud？ Now think a bit more： How often when you laugh and your friends laugh at something， is that something actually funny？ It may surprise， but research shows that 80% of what people laugh at is really not that funny.

So why do people laugh？ They laugh because others laugh. They laugh in order to laugh with others. Just as everyone starts yawning when just one person yawns， most people cant help but laugh when those around them do. This is why comedy shows on TV have prerecorded laugh tracks.

Laughing in response to other people laughing is not just a behavioral phenomenon. When we laugh， our body releases two key chemicals. First， our pituitary gland3 releases endorphins4 into our blood where they make their way into the brain and spine. Endorphins are polypeptides5 that interact with opioid receptors in the brain to help relieve pain and trigger feelings of pleasure. In fact， studies show that people can endure 15% more pain simply by laughing for a few minutes beforehand.

Second， when we laugh， our brain releases dopamine6—a neurotransmitter7 that creates a sense of euphoria8. Dopamine can enhance learning， motivation， and attention. In fact， the overall health benefits of laughter and the neurochemicals involved include improved immune functioning， stress relief， increased tolerance for pain， improved cardiovascular health， reduced anxiety， sense of safety， and improved mood. Laughter is also associated with higher motivation and productivity at work. Which brings us back to Covid-19.

The isolation we have imposed on ourselves to combat the pandemic is severely curtailing social interaction， leading to decreased laughter， and a consequent reduction in beneficial chemicals that our bodies need. To make matters worse， the associated stress and fear we are experiencing alone is pushing our biochemicals in the wrong direction. When we are under threat， danger， or stress， our body releases cortisol9， a glucocorticoids10 hormone produced in the adrenal glands11 on top of each kidney， into the bloodstream. Most cells within the body have cortisol receptors， so its effects are widespread. Too much cortisol can result in weight gain， headaches， irritability， fatigue， difficulty concentrating， and high blood pressure.

So， what can you do as a team leader to mitigate these effects？ When taking on12 the job， you might not have thought that it would be your job to influence the body and brain chemistry of your subordinates. But in todays home-alone， virtual team world， thats exactly what you should be doing： for your team members to stay healthy and productive， you need to get them to laugh more and stress less. Does that mean that you need to become a comedian？ Not at all. But it does mean that you need to take deliberate steps to foster some laughter. Here are five concrete steps you can take to do that：

1. Slow down. Most leaders feel that they need to make every virtual interaction as fast and efficient as possible. When virtual interaction is all people have， this is a mistake. In these times of isolation， an important part of a leaders job is to socially， psychologically， and emotionally connect and reconnect the team and not just get work done. Laughter is one of the best ways to keep a team emotionally connected. But you need to give it time and space， even if you have to put off some of the actual work.

2. Get the video working. Humans are amazingly good at reading both visual and auditory clues and cues13 when it comes to14 laughter. The more channels you can give them to give and read cues the better. For that reason， make sure that all your people can and do attend via video， because that will increase the cue-flow for laughter.

3. Smile a lot and talk in a slightly higher voice. People naturally look to15 the leader of a meeting for signals as to what is okay in terms of behavior， including permission to laugh. The simplest and strongest facial signal that laughter is okay is a genuine smile. The key auditory cue is the pitch16 of your voice. Almost regardless of culture， a slightly higher pitch in your voice signals that you want to set a lighter rather than more serious tone for your group.

4. Set the example. Because like a yawn， laughter sparks laughter， perhaps nothing is more powerful in generating some laughter in your team than laughing yourself. However， just as people can generally differentiate between genuine and fake smiles， they can tell the difference between a real and a forced laugh—which leads to the final recommendation.

5. Get in the mood yourself. You need to start with your own chemistry ahead of any meeting. Its easier to keep laughter （and its neurochemicals） going than it is to start cold17 in front of all the faces on your Zoom page. Ideally get yourself laughing—even for just a few seconds—in advance. Id advise watching a funny video just before the meeting starts.

One day， when we find a vaccine for the coronavirus， well be able get back to more natural social interactions. But it is very likely that even after the crisis is over， more people will work more often from home alone， which means the laughter issue is here to stay—because no matter how much better the tech gets， social behavior and neurochemistry evolve over thousands of years. Since that pace is unlikely to accelerate suddenly over the two， 20， or even 200 years， leaders are going to have to get good at making laughter happen.

視频会议至今已有20多年的历史。然而，你会发现，直到新冠疫情暴发之前，很多（即使不是大多数）需要远程参加会议的人，还是喜欢在一间坐满团队成员的真正会议室里发起视频会议。今天，我们日常的视频会议才是100%虚拟的。但是，这带来一个问题，用技术也难以解决。

问题在于我们自身，确切地说，是我们的社会性——甚至神经系统——尚未达到能够忍受长期隔离的程度。我们的幸福感，乃至让我们做事高效的东西，过于依赖近距离接触，在任何一段时间内不和人接触，就会产生严重后果。保持社交距离还会对某样事物造成伤害，你可能想不到吧？就是笑声。

正常情况下，人们每天要笑18次左右，而其中97%是我们和别人一起笑——和别人一起笑的可能性是独自发笑的30倍。试回想一下，你上次暗自生出可笑的念头并为之开怀大笑是在什么时候？现在再想想，有多少次，你笑的时候朋友也跟着笑，而你们所笑之事真的好笑吗？说起来或许出乎意料，但研究表明，人们所笑之事中有80%并非真的那么好笑。

那么，人们为何要笑？他们笑是因为别人在笑。他们笑是为了和别人一起笑。这就好比一个人一打哈欠，人人都跟着打哈欠;身边的人一笑，大多数人也忍不住跟着笑。电视上的喜剧片都配有预先录制的笑声，道理正在于此。

别人笑就跟着笑，这并非仅仅是一种行为现象。我们一笑起来，身体就释放出两种重要的化学物质。其一，垂体分泌内啡肽到血液中，并通过血液进入大脑和脊椎。……