Funny Humor has its place in the world of coercive persuasion techniques. We could even divide the subjects into two groups. Those who laugh easily and those that don't. If you have a choice, always pick the laughers. They are much easier to persuade about anything.
Laughter is the spontaneous outburst of emotion.
It is hard to fake effectively and therefore, is a true barometer of emotion. Everyone should know and be able to tell at least two truly funny stories. This engineer gets to the Pearly Gates. St. Peter's standing there in his long white robe. He's holding the big book and begins looking up the guy's name.