NASA didn’t set out to study laughter. They were trying to figure out why astronauts kept getting cranky in space. But somewhere between the moon rocks and the mood swings, they discovered the secret wasn’t IQ, stamina, or technical genius. It was who laughed with them.
Apparently, our laugh is an emotional handshake. When someone mirrors it, they’re showing empathy, trust, and adaptability. All the traits you want when you’re orbiting Earth with someone (or just trapped in back-to-back Zoom calls.) And if that doesn’t make you rethink your definition of “qualified,” nothing will.
Because here on the ground, we’re still building teams like we’re hiring for Apollo 11. Checking boxes for skills, degrees, and technical precision while ignoring the soft science of connection. But authenticity? That’s the real propulsion system.
In every mission (whether it’s Mars or Monday), your SNAK mix matters:
Your SKILLS get you through the launch.
Your NETWORK keeps you from floating off alone.
Your ACTIVITIES; the laughter, the shared memes, the mid-orbit coffee refills that keep you human.
And your KNOWLEDGE tells you when to tighten the bolts… or just listen.
I think about that a lot at work. How the moments that hold teams together aren’t the bullet points on a competency model, or even the organization chart, they’re the micro-moments of trust. The joke that breaks tension. The laugh that lands at the exact same pitch. The “me too” that reminds you you’re not alone in the capsule.
Maybe the question we should explore with candidates isn’t, “Are you the most qualified?”
Maybe it’s, “Can people breathe around you?”
Because no one survives the mission without someone who knows how to lighten the cabin pressure.
So go ahead, be a “personality hire.” Be the one who laughs too loud, listens too hard, and remembers to check if your teammate’s oxygen (or Outlook) is still working. After all, if NASA’s still hiring for humor and empathy… maybe they are not “soft skills” after all.
What do you think… would you make the cut for a Mars mission, or would your laugh get you left on Earth?
