Abstract
Humor in the workplace is generally regarded as beneficial and highly valued. Nevertheless, scholars have pointed out that Leader Humor (LH) may not always bring about the expected outcomes. This study considers LH as a two-edged sword and directs to examine both its positive and negative sides. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory, the current study elaborates on the beneficial and detrimental paths of LH on employees’ emotional and psychological outcomes. I introduce two employees’ emotion constructs to explain the process of resources generated and accumulated from LH experience and influence employee’s psychological state. The results showed support for the proposed hypotheses and confirm the indirect effect of LH on employee outcomes via both beneficial and detrimental paths. By doing so, this study complements existing literature by providing an overarched picture of the LH’s double-sided effect and thus contributes to the Humor literature.