Imagine being in a meeting where someone cracks a joke and everyone laughs—except you. You’re the one thinking, “Really?” with a raised eyebrow. Good news: that skepticism might actually be your superpower.
“Being a skeptic isn’t all bad,” explains humor expert Andrew Tarvin. “You understand that humor doesn’t always work. Humor can distract, divide, disparage.”
It turns out, there’s more than one way to be funny at work. In fact, there are seven distinct humor personas, and the Skeptic—yes, that person who questions whether we need humor at all—is one of them.
The Power of the Raised Eyebrow
Think about the last time someone made an obvious joke in a meeting. While others laughed politely, your deadpan stare probably said more than any punchline could. That’s the Skeptic’s superpower: the ability to be funny by not trying to be funny at all.
Here’s how being the “not funny” person can actually work in your favor:
The Reality Check Champion
When someone says, “Hey, what if we made our quarterly report a musical?”
Your response: “Sure. Because nothing says fiscal responsibility like jazz hands.”
The impact: Your dry delivery makes people laugh while actually making a valid point.
The Accidental Comic
When the team is brainstorming “out-of-the-box” ideas:
Everyone else: “Let’s think bigger!”
You: “We could train dolphins to deliver our packages.”
The impact: Your obvious skepticism becomes the comic relief.
The Truth Teller
During yet another “team-building exercise”:
Facilitator: “Let’s all pretend to be trees swaying in the wind!”
Your raised eyebrow: Priceless.
The impact: You give permission for others to acknowledge the absurdity.
Why It Works
“When you never express any humor whatsoever,” Tarvin notes, “people start to see you as insincere, robotic, or cold, and they’ll avoid working with you.” But the beauty of Skeptic humor is that it’s inherently authentic. You’re not trying to be funny—you’re just being honest, and that honesty, delivered with perfect timing, becomes the humor.
Making It Work For You
- Embrace Your Natural Reactions
- Don’t hide your skepticism—let it show (professionally)
- Perfect your “Really?” face
- Master the well-timed silence
- Use Your Powers for Good
- Be the person who can lighten tense moments with a reality check
- Help keep meetings on track with well-timed observations
- Turn potential conflict into shared laughter at the situation
Know When to Deploy
Good times to use Skeptic humor:
- When a meeting goes off the rails
- During overly enthusiastic brainstorming
- When someone needs a gentle reality check
Not-so-good times:
- During serious feedback sessions
- When someone is genuinely excited about an idea
- In high-stakes situations with senior leadership
Imagine your team is caught in an endless debate about the color scheme for a presentation:
Colleague 1: “What about chartreuse?”
Colleague 2: “No, maybe mauve!”
You: “Because that’s definitely our biggest problem right now.”
Your dry observation not only gets a laugh but also helps refocus the team on what matters.
Because as Tarvin reminds us, “If you want to be authentically you, then that means bringing your sense of humor, too.” Even if—especially if—that humor comes with a side of skepticism.
The Next Time You’re the “Serious One”:
- Remember that your perspective is valuable
- Trust that your natural reactions can be funny
- Use your powers to bring people back to earth (gently)
- Know that being the voice of reason can be both helpful and humorous
For more workplace insights, explore The Optimism Library today.
