The findings of the study were published in 'Journal of Managerial Psychology'. Christopher Robert, an MU associate professor who also is serving as the interim dean of the Trulaske College of Business, conducted a study to analyze how people react to men and women using humour in the workplace. The goal was to determine if a person's gender and status in the workplace would affect how others reacted to their humour.

The researchers surveyed 92 college students after they read workplace scenarios in which men and women made humorous comments. Scenarios were adjusted so that the humorist, or the person making the humorous comment, was either a male or female, in a high or low-status position, and they also varied whether the target of the humour was a male or female.In addition, some scenarios included humour that was more friendly or "affiliative" while others included aggressive humour. The researchers then asked the participants to determine how "foolish" they perceived the humorists to be.