What Is This Thing Called Humor?
by Roz Trieber, MS, CHES
According to C.W. Metcalff, humor is a way of being, seeing and interacting with the world. Have you noticed there are people who seem to be fun, up beat and able to laugh in tough times? And it makes their life lighter and healthier and even increases their bottom line? They are the folks who come to work wearing a funny hat or clown nose when you least expect it. Humorized (I made up that word) people are able to share silly riddles with their children, play funky games and laugh without a reason. Fun is their goal. Of course, there are also those folks who are just plain gloomy, bleak, stiff, un-amused and just don’t get it (the joke that is)! You know them: their face is stiff and would crack if they smiled or even attempted to enjoy the “Dilbert” cartoon posted at the copier! Who would be your choice to hang around with?
Humor takes you out of your normal frame of reference and, if only for a moment, opens your eyes a little wider. It can open the mind and excite the soul. Having a sense of humor or engaging in random laughter is not about being a stand up comic. With laughter, we acknowledge the reality of our own perceived imperfections and move on to other productive things. We can see the absurdity of the situation. It is about feelings, a combination of being relaxed and calm, at ease with yourself and others. A sense of humor helps us see new possibilities in difficult situations, to feel larger than the problem and change the perceptions of our circumstances before they change us. It is having the ability to hope for something better or just have fun in the moment. Don’t forget - if everything is perfect, there is no comedy! “Only when the usher trips over the bride’s veil do we have comedy”—or so says Phyllis Diller.
What’s the Secret?
This is how it works. Laughter transforms your mind and body into a Whole Goodbody. When you smile, so do others. A smile gains attention, invites interactions and expresses understanding. Laughter is a smile that engages the whole body. When you are laughing, problems and worries are temporarily beamed to another planet. You gain a new perspective on things. Laughing with others is bonding; it leads to positive repartee. It is even nourishing.
The Benefit Plan
Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of laughter. Can you imagine your immune system improving, abdominal muscles getting an aerobic workout, blood pressure and heart rate reduced and circulation improved because you have increased your oxygen exchange and reduced your level of stress hormones by laughing? Would you believe even your cholesterol can take a nose-dive? And if you are the moody kind, laughter will help change those gloomy, down in the dumps blues in a nanosecond.
Stress destroys and humor heals. Humor is empowering; it takes your mind off distress and eases the pain. What are you waiting for? Laugh now—avoid the rush!
Did you think when you failed art class in the second grade because you couldn’t color inside the lines you lost your creative and thinking gene? You don’t need to dial 911—humor is the rescue. Thinking and creative ability are improved when placed in a good-humored atmosphere (you remember-vanilla ice cream covered with a thin chocolate coating). That’s right. Genuine scientific studies demonstrate people become more creative working in an environment of high energy and stimulated by fun and laughter. Dr. Arthur Van Gundy of the University of Oklahoma, a known authority in the field of creativity, conducted a study with college students comparing the affect of two different types of environments on the ability to come up with ideas for new snacks: chips, pretzels, etc. One group was in an average classroom and told to brainstorm ideas. The other group was in a room with loud music, good food and Nerf ™ guns. The fun stimulated group came up with 310 ideas while the traditional brainstorming group came up with 29 ideas. The results speak for themselves. Give us fun and games and we will generate more energy and productive ideas than the EverReady ™ Battery.
Before you pooh-pooh the idea, engage in a hardy laugh before you have your next annual review or have to spend an evening with your mother-in-law. Natural painkillers, endorphins, are increased when you laugh and you can stay focused on whatever you are doing. Just think, you’ll be able to say, “I don’t think so” rather then being trapped in the sea of toxic niceness.
Roz Trieber works with organizations to reduce stress and increase productivity using humor and improvisation. For more information on Roz ’s speaking programs, books, cd's and learning programs contact HUMORFUSION at 410.998.9585 or Roz@humorfusion.com. (www.humorfusion.com)
© 2004 Copyright by Roz Trieber and Trieber Associates, Inc.
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