Laughing with Authority: Why Do Subordinates Laugh at Superiors' Jokes?

            If you bump into your Dean in an elevator, he might greet you with some witty comment. To make your presence felt, you'll simply laugh, and nothing else will come out of your mouth. I like to call the laughter that occurs in such situations “schmooze laughter”.  It usually happens at study breaks as well as at staff parties, where persons are pushed just a little out of their comfort zones. An onlooker may assume that this “schmooze laughter” represents a superficial expression. However, this instance of laughter shows release of true emotion; in fact, it explains itself well by using the Relief theory, which describes laughter as a release of built up tension.

            Upon unexpectedly meeting an authority figure, a person develops a sense of inferiority. In the case of the student and Dean, for example, the student mentally finds himself below the Dean. This occurs because the student knows he has something to gain from the situation. I mean, the Dean might one day write him a recommendation if he plays his cards right. When a person is in need, he feels inferior to his donor. So since the authority figure does not have any benefits from this situation, and the subordinate person does, he feels inferior to the authority figure.

            This inferiority complex that develops promotes nervousness in the subordinate. As the student tries to put his words together, he chides himself for not having a predetermined set of phrases to use should such a beneficial situation arise. Due to the “should’ve, would’ve, could’ve”, the delay increases and this causes even more frustration. If only there was elevator music to break the silence. Just like nervousness which occurs just before a pop quiz, the unexpected chance to succeed causes nervousness in the company of an authority figure.

            Genuine laughter occurs when this nervousness is released. In the student’s case, the nervousness relieves itself when the Dean makes his witty comment. These actions may seem unlinked, but the student’s nervousness was relieved when he stopped thinking about something to say and responded as quickly as possible. This release of nervousness and the response coincided in a laugh. Because the laugh was not deliberate, and instead was a spontaneous release, it cannot represent a superficial expression. Its genuine nature is in fact two fold.

            The relief theory adequately explains the occurrence of “schmooze laughter” and also indicates that such laughter is indeed genuine. In situations with authority figures and subordinates, the subordinate laughs at the witty comment not through superficial courtesy as a viewer might imply, but instead through genuine tension release. The striking aspect of this is that it occurs whether or not the joke is funny. So you can’t always take someone’s laughter as appreciation of your joke, especially if you’re in high authority!