meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Psychology Podcast

Jennifer Aaker & Naomi Bagdonas || How Humor Can Save The World

The Psychology Podcast

iHeartPodcasts

Science, Social Sciences

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2021

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today it’s great to chat with Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas on the podcast. Dr. Jennifer Aaker is the General Atlantic Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a leading expert on how purpose and meaning shape individual choices and how technology can positively impact both human well-being and company growth. Her work has been widely published in lead in scientific journals and featured in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Science. A recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award and the MBA Professor of the Year, Aaker counts winning a dance-off in the early 1980s among her greatest feats.

Naomi Bagdonas is a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an Executive Coach. She helps leaders be more creative, flexible and resilient in the face of change by facilitating interactive sessions for Fortune 100 companies and coaching executives and celebrities for appearances ranging from Saturday Night Live to the Today Show. Formally trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Bagdonas performs at comedy venues and teaches improv in San Francisco’s county jail. Her constant stream of foster dogs describe her as gullible and full of treats.

Topics

[3:15] Why the world needs more humor

[6:06] Humor at the expense of others/4 Styles of humor

[8:49] Origin story of “Humor, Seriously”

[12:51] The bottom-line value of humor

[18:19] How to infuse humor in the workplace

[22:05] Jennifer’s thoughts on humorlessness

[24:58] Cultivating the comedian’s toolbox

[28:30] How to create your own signature joke

[30:17] Scott and Naomi’s experiences at Upright Citizen’s Brigade

[34:11] The link between humor and mental health

[37:45] The relationship between status and humor

[42:17] The value of self-deprecating humor

[44:10] The importance of context in humor

[50:22] One of Jennifer’s pranks on her students

[51:21] Biological vs cultural dimensions of humor

[54:58] How humor reflects elements of our society

[58:27] Should there be moral rules for comedy?

[1:03:13] Why truth and misdirection are at the core of comedy

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Psychology Podcast, where we give you insights into the mind, brain, behavior,

0:12.0

and creativity. I'm Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, and in each episode I have a conversation with

0:17.5

a guest who will stimulate your mind and give you a greater understanding of yourself,

0:21.4

others, and the world of living. Hopefully we will also provide a glimpse into human

0:25.7

possibility. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the podcast.

0:29.7

I have a few announcements I'd like to make before we dive into today's episode. First,

0:39.9

I wanted to let you know that if you'd prefer an ad-free experience and would also like

0:44.2

early access to new episodes, you can join us at patreon.com slash psychpodcast. That's

0:50.5

patreon.com slash psychpodcast for a completely ad-free experience and also early access to

0:57.9

new episodes. Also, I wanted to let you know that my transcend course is coming back in

1:02.8

February. The next iteration of the course will offer even more ways to help you live

1:07.2

more fulfilling, meaningful, creative, and self-actualized life. There will only be 150

1:12.3

limited slots available, though, so you're going to want to save your spot as soon as possible.

1:16.9

So you can go to transcendcours.com to sign up. That's transcendcours.com. Okay, now

1:24.4

let's dive into today's episode. Today, it's great to chat with Jennifer Ocker and Naomi

1:29.7

Bagdonas on the podcast. Jennifer is the general Atlantic professor that stands for graduate

1:35.2

school of business and a leading expert on how purpose and meaning shape individual choices

1:39.9

and how technology can positively impact both human well-being and company growth. Our

1:45.2

work has been widely published in lead in scientific journals and featured in the economist,

1:50.3

the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, and science. A recipient of the

1:54.2

Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award and the MBA professor of the year. Ocker,

1:59.5

I just said, right? Ocker counts winning a dance-off in the early 1980s among her greatest

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.