Many studies suggest that humor is a useful leadership tool. Leaders with a sense of humor are seen as 27% more motivating, executives rated as outstanding tended to use humor twice as much as those deemed average, and leader humor, in general, can relieve stress and boredom by boosting engagement and well-being. But two recent studies suggest that humor can sometimes backfire. It turns out that leaders who use humor a lot—especially if they are perceived as authority figures—can make employees feel obligated to act as though they enjoy the humor, even when they do not, leading to emotional exhaustion and reduced job satisfaction.

Bosses who make too many jokes can actually harm employee wellbeing, a new study found. The study, from academics at three elite universities, looked at the impacts of fake positive reactions to jokes by employees.

Leader humor expression is when leaders attempt to elicit laughter or amusement from those around them, whether through jokes, comments, or gestures. While humor in the workplace is often associated with enhanced productivity stemming from positive emotions, sometimes it does not help at all.

A new study finds that frequent humor from managers can lead to emotional exhaustion and decreased job satisfaction among employees, especially in workplaces where hierarchical relationships are more pronounced.

Michael Scott, begone: New research in the ‘Academy of Management Journal’ shows excessive humor in the workplace can make workers less happy.