Who is the joke on? The effects of humor by managers versus rank and file

Our research delves into the potential beneficial influence of humor at the workplace on learned helplessness, which is described as a passive behavioral response that emerges when people face repeated failures and perceive they do not have control over the outcome of their actions. Drawing on relief theory and social exchange theory, we propose that coping humor contributes to reducing learned helplessness by enhancing self-esteem, and that this indirect relationship is moderated by hierarchical position. Specifically, we hypothesize that the positive effect of coping humor on self-esteem is stronger among non-managers than among managers. To test this moderated mediation model, we collected data from a sample of over 500 employees, including both managerial and non-managerial staff. We used validated psychometric scales to measure learned helplessness, self-esteem, and adaptive humor use. The model is tested by utilizing Structural Equation Modeling. The results confirm that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between coping humor and learned helplessness, and that this effect is significantly moderated by hierarchical position. For non-managers, coping humor enhances self-esteem and, in turn, reduces helplessness. For managers, whose self-esteem is generally higher, this pathway is weaker. This research makes a novel contribution by focusing on learned helplessness—an outcome seldom studied in relation to humor—and by offering a nuanced understanding of how humor functions differently across organizational roles. The findings provide actionable insights for developing workplace strategies aimed at fostering psychological resilience and tailoring well-being interventions to employees' positions within the hierarchy.