The Influence of Teacher Humor on Student Learning

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“Don’t smile before Christmas!” has been passed down through teaching generations for many years. Teachers have been told students needed to be handled with a strict hand to ensure classroom control, and one of the ways to do this was to maintain a stoic appearance and a stern presentational style. More recently, however, teachers and instructional scholars have come to understand the value of humor in the classroom. This view reflects contemporary research in myriad contexts that suggests humor and laughter promote physiological and psychological well-being (Bennett & Lengacher, 2006; Martin, 2001; Wanzer, Sparks, & Frymier, 2009), reduce job stress (Avtgis & Taber, 2006), enhance coping (Wanzer, Booth-Butterfield, & Booth-Butterfield, 2005; Wanzer et al., 2009), and improve a host of relationships such as those in the workplace (Martin, 2004; Rizzo, Wanzer, & Booth-Butterfield, 1999; Wanzer et al., 2005), friendships (Wanzer, Booth-Butterfield, & Booth-Butterfield, 1996), family (Afifi, Joseph, & Aldeis, 2008; Aune & Wong, 2002), and between teachers and students (Wanzer & Frymier, 1999).