Dr. Alison Wood Brooks

They fix the boredom.

Sparkle and fizz.

Yes, yes.

So this is something people think about all the time.

Should I make fun of myself?

Will that make things feel more fun and funny?

So you can do it in a way, you can deliver it in a way that it's like self-deprecating humor.

You're making fun of yourself.

You can also do it in a way that's not funny at all, but you're sharing your whole self, right?

You're not just talking about your successes, but also the failures and struggles that you encountered on your pathway to success.

This is a particularly effective strategy for people who already have high status, who are powerful, who are respected, who are known as competent, for leaders, right?

It's a way to say to everybody, hey, look, I'm like you too.

I'm a human being.

I don't do this thing right.

Here's some negative feedback that I got on my way to success.

It's so, so powerful.

It is riskier for people who are low status to use self-deprecating humor or to reveal their failures.

Why?

When you're low status, you have a narrower range of options available to you that will be seen.

People might actually start to question your competence.