A big part of practicing law and negotiation is creating and managing relationships. You need to have a good relationship with your client and ideally be able to at least work with opposing counsel. One way to start a good relationship, or improve one, is through laughter, according to a study published in the journal Human Nature.

Having a good laugh with a fellow human being can result in the other person opening up and sharing personal things about themselves, without them even realizing it, according to a study led by Alan Gray of University College London in the United Kingdom. That act of opening up is an important foundation to forming new relationships and improving social bonds. This self-disclosure may be highly sensitive or personal (religious convictions or personal fears) or superficial (favorite foods).

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Laughter may be a good ice breaker or help strengthen a relationship, but you don’t want to try too hard. According to another study discussed in Science Daily, an earlier study showed that all laughter is not created equal. There are clear differences between how our brains respond to genuine and fake laughter. When we hear forced or fake laughter not only do we know the difference but our brains try to figure out why the fake laughter is not genuine.

Whether you’re trying to improve or create a relationship with a stranger, client, co-worker or opposing counsel, genuine laughter may be a powerful and useful tool.

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