It's why the "hidden talent" trend is the perfect mix of funny and relatable. All the busy, tired, 9-to-5 workers of the world are taking to the app to record themselves singing their own rendition of "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith. The goal? To see if they have a hidden singing talent that would allow them to quit their job and live a life of luxury.
We are professors of marketing and management who study humor and workplace dynamics. Our own research-and a growing body of work by other scholars -shows that it's harder to be funny than most people think. The downside of cracking a bad joke is often larger than what you might gain by landing a good one. Fortunately, you don't have to tell sidesplitting jokes to make humor work for you. You can learn to think like a comedian instead.