“Laughing is good for your health,” we were reminded in 2016 in a serious tone that went viral. On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, this Thursday, the Swiss insurer Baloise is launching an original test with one of its commercial clients, the SME Fasoon. For four weeks, this Appenzell online business creation portal, which employs around ten employees, will welcome the “Chief LOL Officer” into its offices. Developed by designers from the Bellprat workshop, this small square-shaped device integrates a microphone and an AI system. Its goal: to measure the frequency of employee laughter. If their number is less than four per two-hour period, the device covering an average-sized room of 28m2 broadcasts humorous content to their professional email address. These cat videos, memes and other funny content from the web aim to boost the mood by causing laughter.
Baloise recalls that Swiss companies lose 6.5 billion francs each year due to mental health problems encountered by their employees, according to figures from the Promotion Santé Suisse foundation for 2022. “It is scientifically proven that laughter promotes creativity, strengthens the feeling of community and increases concentration,” explains Alexandra Toscanelli, marketing manager at Baloise. She adds that “the Chief LOL Officer helps in a minimally invasive way to promote these positive traits and improve mental health in the workplace.” Willibald Ruch, professor at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Zurich, agrees, recognizing the usefulness of the accessory: “Laughter can prevent boredom, alleviate stress, facilitate re-concentration after laughter, reduce intrapersonal and interpersonal tensions and strengthen community spirit.”
But the group is not fooled. This is not a miracle solution: “We are aware that the Chief LOL Officer is not enough in cases of deep psychological problems, and even less in cases of depression. In such cases, we call on our external specialists,” adds the manager, highlighting the additional services offered by her group.
What about conversations picked up by the device? He does not recognize them, we assure the Swiss insurance and financial services provider. We are told that the AI immediately categorizes the acoustic patterns into laughter/no laughter during a temporary memorization phase which lasts only a few milliseconds. “It is not possible to evaluate the data from the conversation or to reconstruct it retroactively,” specifies the manager.
If the test phase proves successful, Baloise is ready to entrust the large-scale production of the “Chief LOL Officer” to a manufacturer. The goal: to enable other companies in Switzerland to improve their working climate through a touch of humor.
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