Humourology : The Serious Business of Humour at Work

Laughter is a social currency. It’s a bond. It’s a gift meant to be shared. Laughing together means that we share values, we share life experiences, we share hopes and dreams. Laughing together creates a connection that can last a lifetime.

A sense of humour is your most important asset in surviving an increasingly complex and challenging world. A sense of humour builds your mental resilience and makes your more likeable and these two things together will make your success in life, and in business, inevitable.

Humourology is simply the art and science of using humour to create competitive advantage.

Humour is and has always been both a powerful weapon as well as a powerful defence against the surprises that life throws at us. In Humourology, Paul Boross has captured the role humour can play as a catalyst for change and as a driver of lasting success.

Alastair Campbell

Humour and dance have much in common; the sense of flow, the precision timing and the meticulous planning that makes it look effortless on the night. Paul has brought all of this together to show that anyone can bring their own unique humour into whatever they love doing to perform at their very best.

Dame Arlene Phillips

There are funny books and there are business books but this is a first - a funny business book. The stories are engaging, the message is clear and the results are compelling. This is definitely one book that will leave a lasting impression on you!

Alistair McGowan

Everyone thinks they know about humour but very few people study and master it. Paul Boross has done so, and the result is important and insightful reading for anyone who wants to improve their relations with others and understand how humour works.

Lord William Hague (Lord Hague of Richmond)

Paul Boross is one of the very few people who can write about humour without making you want to poke your eyes out with a sharp stick.

Guy Jenkin, Writer/Producer Outnumbered, Drop The Dead Donkey, Ballot Monkeys

Humour is an odd concept, on one hand a tool for social change and on the other, just something silly that makes you smile. Perhaps the power of humour is in its ability to work an idea into your mind by getting you to see the funny side. In Humourology, Paul Boross captures the subtlety of humour and its value in business in just such a way; you’ll learn a lot while laughing along the way.

Lord Daniel Finkelstein

Humour has always been a vital foundation of a fair and equal society, enabling us to understand very diverse perspectives and speak truth to power. Humourology makes those natural abilities available to anyone and the wonderful contributions from such a wide range of experts make it a jolly entertaining read too.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

Great humour doesn’t happen by accident, it takes a lot of planning and practice. It’s much more than a whirling bow tie or even a memorable catchphrase, even one as memorable as mine! Humourology condenses all that hard work and wisdom into an entertaining and practical read that will certainly reap rewards for you.

Arabella Weir, star of Two Doors Down & The Fast Show

Humour, like music, is one of those universal human pleasures which clearly evolved for reasons we don't fully understand. But it is highly likely that humour evolved in some way as an aid to human cooperation and joint decision making. Why then do almost all business books assume that business has to be conducted with a po-face and in deadly earnest? Thankfully Paul Boross has finally put this right.

Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy

What a funny book! You’ll be amazed how many people were willing to express their thoughts on comedy to Paul Boross, myself included. What’s he got on them ?

Jon Plowman, Producer Ab Fab, French and Saunders