I was put on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things . . . right now I am so far behind I will never die!
Have you been exhausted, worried, or just plain weary lately? Has the current focus on bad news, accountability, and crazy politics made you irritable? This is your lucky day! Step right up for a sure-fire remedy guaranteed to bring vitality and energy to your everyday life. You will be amazed by the advantages of the humor tonic.
But be warned: humor is more than the snake-oil skill of telling jokes. Also be warned that the research contained here focuses on many preliminary findings and could be biased toward the positive benefits of humor. The focus in this book has been to search for the advantages for all who want to increase humor in their lives. Humor is just the tonic needed by those of us stressed by the challenges of everyday life, so the reviewed studies and insights are presented through a rosy and optimistic lens.
If you want to add a little fun to your life, this book is for you! Humor is the real thing. It cures the blues. It knocks the socks off of boredom. It tickles, splits guts, and generates bellyaches while curing whatever ails you. It might even be funny. The six benefits of humor are explored in depth later in this book. But for now, just take a peek at what a healthy dose of humor might do for you. Just a spoonful!
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in a hospital dying of nothing.
A sense of humor can create a remarkable feeling of control. Learning to use humor as the binoculars for life's challenges can amplify confidence in your own internal power to cope. The optimistic energy that comes from humor will enable you to embrace difficulties with resilience. Some people purposefully use laughter to ease pain and promote physical healing. There is some experimental research indicating that laughter and humor might actually cure illness and provide effective therapies for a number of disorders. Some claim that laughter relieves pain, reduces stress, and improves the immune system response (Harvey, 1998). Although many studies are preliminary, numerous indicators are confirming the benefits and applications of positive humor.
Got stress? The purposeful use of humor can help you feel more optimistic about your life, knowing that you can choose how to respond to stress. Humor elevates mood and has been known to be a deterrent to depression. Stress reduction is considered one of the most important benefits of humor. A little humor will go a long way in helping us balance the challenges of high-speed living. Research on stress and depression will be explored more fully in Chapter 3.
If you haven't got a sense of humor, you haven't any sense at all.
Humor has the ability to capture the attention of the brain. "Emotion drives attention and attention drives learning" (Sylwester, 1995). A brain cannot learn if it is not attending. The surprise elements of humor alert the attentional center of the brain and increase the likelihood of memory storage and long-term retrieval. Humor has the potential to hook easily bored and inattentive participants in a workshop. It can help the stressed or shy employee to relax. As brain food, humor can't be beat. Brain scans reveal that humor "lights up" huge areas of the brain.
Word play, puns, stories, jokes, and riddles all involve the creative use of language. Maximizing the capacity to use language through the skillful use of humor will increase the number and speed of the neural connections in the brain. Humor is often used as one of the ways to identify gifted students in schools.
Just how effective can humor be? The marketing industry gives us an indication. Many of us watch the Super Bowl just to see the commercials. The money spent for air time is mind-boggling. Advertisers have less than two minutes to get your attention and put their product into your long-term memory, and they spend zillions of dollars to capture the attention of this large viewing audience. Not only do people watch these commercials, but also, the next day, animated discussion about favorite Super Bowl commercials takes place around office water coolers. There is a good reason for humor in advertising. An analysis of the retention rate for commercials found that the highest rate of recall was when humor was used (Stewart & Furse, 1986).
The research is clear that strong emotional connections enhance learning. Which emotion is your trigger of choice for memory? Fear and anger can permeate lives and bombard the senses with negative information on a daily basis. Choose joy! Remember that humor will help put information into long-term memory.
The latest survey reports that 3 out of 4 people make up 75 percent of the population.
Creativity is the ability of the brain to bring together diverse ideas that will generate the thinking necessary for complex problem solving. Humor and creativity are great companions, each a perfect complement for the other in nourishing thinking. Risk taking is the nucleus of creativity and of humor; the freedom to express wild ideas activates spirited conversation and sparks the imagination. The creative process flourishes when accompanied by a sense of humor.
McGhee (1999) talks about creativity in his book Health, Healing and the Amuse System. He says that creative thinking in the workplace is becoming more significant because of the rapid pace of change that has been occurring. Businesses are realizing that the old solutions don't work any more.
It takes creativity and practice to be able to change negative thinking. Exploring the benefits of creative thinking has reaped big benefits for companies like Google, which has unorthodox "rules" for employee behavior. Their website states that employees can create their office environment by showcasing team interests and personality. Bikes are often used for efficient travel between meetings. It is not unusual to see dogs, lava lamps, and massage chairs in office spaces. There are volleyball courts, pianos, ping-pong tables, and pool tables. Healthy lunches are served in the café, with snacks and drinks in the break rooms. This is not your typical workplace, but doesn't it sound like a fun place to work? One reason Google has been so successful is because of their emphasis on creativity.
Humor increases the potential for divergent thinking and the capacity for solving complex problems. By linking diverse areas of the brain, humor forges new neural connections involving previously existing concepts. Voila—creativity flourishes. This means that it is essential to encourage the employees in your organization to "think outside the box." An ever-more-competitive international marketplace requires increased levels of creativity (McGhee, 1999).
Paul McGhee writes that there are three ways to boost the level of creativity within your organization: "1) create a work environment conducive to more creative thinking, 2) hire more creative employees, and 3) find ways to build up the creative abilities of the employees you have." For maximum results, you can try all three guidelines at the same time and maximize the creativity in your organization (McGhee, 1999).
If you're going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise, they'll kill you.
Using humor to build and maintain relationships is an invaluable skill. Emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to perceive, assess, and influence one's own and other people's emotions, is essential for knowing when and how to use humor effectively (Goleman, 1998). The ability to use humor as a part of interpersonal dialogue requires confidence in one's own humor strengths; a fun-loving, playful spirit; and the willingness to risk the extraordinary.
As long as distinctions are made between management and nonmanagement employees, there will always be barriers to good communication. Some managers have a style that discourages open communication. When a manager uses humor (especially occasional self-directed humor), however, it says to everyone on the team that he or she is a "regular" person—he or she is one of us. To function as a team, you need openness and comfort in bringing up difficult issues, and shared positive humor is a powerful means of achieving that. "Any organization that wants or needs the full commitment of its employees to work as a team needs to establish a relaxed and open work atmosphere. A manager who shows that s/he has a good sense of humor goes a long way in establishing this atmosphere" (McGhee, 1999).
Humor generates trust among colleagues and can facilitate a reduction in tension, fear, and anger. Leaders who have the ability to assist others in seeing the humor in difficult situations can nurture communication and ease tense situations. Exaggeration, puns, and self-deprecating humor are tools of the trade. Humorists are able to use reframing (for example, highlighting the ridiculous or exaggerating) as a device to facilitate a shift in context. This shift encourages both individuals and groups to think creatively through shared humor. Laughter can quickly dispel tension and increase the capacity for dialogue.
The use of humor as a tool in communication is rarely taught. However, it is the first thing that parents nurture in their children. Parents across cultures strive to entice their baby to smile and laugh. The use of humor is a skill requiring multifaceted levels of knowledge and ability. Purposeful humor integration provides a distinct advantage in conversation. Politicians, managers, and coaches seeking to ease tension and promote dialogue have embraced the use of humor.
After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
Nothing new should be done for the very first time.
There are volumes written about organizational change. It is a hot topic in all fields of work. When encountering everyday small disruptions or a major crisis situation, the response pattern for change varies greatly among individuals and within organizations.
Humor can be an indicator of the change response. It is similar to taking the temperature of an individual or an organization. Belief systems, coping skills, physical being, temperament, experiences, culture, and gender all blend within the individual neurological system and result in generating an individual response pattern for change. The humor response of any group is a reflection of organizational thinking and can reflect the ability of that culture to adapt.
Brains crave familiar patterns. Think about the structure, procedure, and familiar schedule in your everyday life. Unexpected change, suffering, and loss disrupt normal routines. When an individual experiences humor as a response to life challenges, it is easier to heal and move forward. Painful experiences, if met with hope and optimism, can produce remarkable growth opportunities. In fact, humor frequently emerges from the downside of life. Laughter and tears are closely related, which is why many comedians began their careers by laughing through the tragedy in their lives. This ability for humorous optimism in the face of difficulty is truly a miracle tonic.
Change is good—you go first.
Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusions with confidence.
An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.
A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost.
Look for laughter, joy, spirit, and enthusiasm in the workplace and you'll find an environment in which learning and productivity thrive. Humor contributes to that optimal work environment. It is brain-compatible in creating an enriched context both for working and for assisting individuals in becoming engaged in their jobs. When you find fun, laughter, and leaders with a sense of humor, people thrive.
Leadership is correlated with building relationships based on trust. Trust is considered the basis for creating successful learning communities because it facilitates teamwork and is the foundation for cultivating relationships. A strong bond of trust among members of an organization is essential for growth.
But what does trust look like? It's simple to observe if you know the indicators. Look for laughter, fun, and joy. When you walk into a work environment and you can actually feel the joy, you'll recognize the existence of a high level of trust. Humor thrives in an environment of trust and is a major factor that contributes to building trust. When multiple choices are available to an individual within a relationship or within an organization, there are increased opportunities for a sense of humor to thrive. Fun is an indicator of trust (Yerkes, 2001).
"Mirthium" is a review of sixty-plus studies conducted over the past forty years, and it gives the reader a clear synopsis of exactly what benefits humor will provide as well as clarifying some of the existing misperceptions.
Noting all the benefits of humor, one would assume that humor studies would be a core component of research on leadership, organizational development, and workplace studies. However, humor as a fundamental skill is rarely the focus of research studies, and it's certainly generally neglected as a topic for serious consideration.
Even so, it's frequently mentioned as a quality that is invaluable. For instance, would you want to hire someone without a sense of humor? Of course not! Although humor is mentioned frequently in the literature as exceedingly important (even being considered an essential quality in the hiring process), it's usually neglected as a topic of significant study. As a result of this benign neglect, the exploration and study of humor is a pioneering effort. This is an invitation to take this miracle tonic of humor seriously.
This is not a joke book. Although you may laugh when reading this book and find that parts of it are pretty funny, the primary intent is not to tell jokes. Though you will smile and even chuckle as you read, the primary purpose is to share information about humor and laughter. This is rather a practical look at a topic that is often ignored.
The purpose of this book is to affirm, sustain, and encourage everyone in the practice of humor not only as a personal tool to optimize a healthy lifestyle but also to maximize the benefits of humor in everyday living. These benefits include current research-based data on the use of humor to nurture creativity, to increase the capacity for memory retention, to support an optimal work environment, and to build safe communities that reflect the relational trust necessary for collaborative learning and living. (See "Benefits of Humor," Figure 1.2.)
Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.
At the risk of squashing your interest, clarifying the wriggly aspects of humor is fundamental to the ability to improve humor practice. Laughter and humor are related but are not exactly the same (Provine, 2000). Since laughter has such a strong link to humor, a common misperception is that humor is the ability to make people laugh by telling jokes. While the ability to tell jokes is a valued skill, it does not begin to reflect the complexity of humor.
Spontaneous group laughter is often impossible to describe. The ability to laugh with others at the discrepancies of life certainly contributes to the humor experience. Although jokes and funny stories generate laughter, it is generally found that laughter occurs during normal everyday interactions. When someone walks up to a group of folks who are laughing hysterically and wants to know what is so funny, it is impossible to explain. You finally sputter through your tears: "You just had to be there!" Phrases that make people laugh are often not very funny when the actual words are examined (Provine, 2000).
Comedy, mirth, stories, wit, and joking are all part of the external experience of laughing with other people. However, humor experienced with others is different from an individual's unique sense of humor. It is essential to distinguish between the two.
The word humor by itself, without any sense as in "sense of humor," is defined in the dictionary as the "quality that makes something amusing or laughable." Humor, then, is that which would be considered funny. When you bring a "sense" to humor a metamorphosis occurs. A sense of humor is the capacity of a human being to respond to life challenges with optimistic enjoyment (Morrison, 2005).
Just because laughter is a universal human trait does not guarantee that there exists a universal understanding of humor. Cognitive, emotional, behavioral, psychophysiological, and social components are all factors of humor (Martin, 2001). The multifaceted nature of humor can pose numerous challenges for valid research. At the risk of oversimplifying the complexity of humor, the abovementioned definition will be used in this book. Additional definitions are found in Appendix 1, "Humor Terminology."
An individual sense of humor is inseparable from the whole being. It is intrinsically woven into the emotional and social psyche and reflects an individual's ethics and belief systems. The ability to adapt to change with enjoyment or at least a positive acceptance defines the essence of having a sense of humor.
Age doesn't always bring wisdom, sometimes age comes alone.
Enthusiasm, energy, joy, and hope merge to create the peak experiences most of us identify with a sense of humor. The relatively new field of positive psychology strives to understand and promote the human potential that enables individuals and communities to thrive. Humor is one of the complex cognitive strengths that connect basic temperament and lifetime experiences. The energy of humor, or "humergy," is an indicator of reaching the "self-actualization" level on Maslow's hierarchy of needs scale (Maslow, 1968).
Maslow generalized that self-actualizing people tend to respond to life challenges with a spontaneous and creative personality. He defined profound moments of joyful understanding as peak experiences with heightened sensory experiences integrating hope, optimism, and peace. It's difficult to find specific terminology that expresses Maslow's peak experience. The vitality of humor energy that emerges from a hopeful, joyful spirit of humor needs defining. I have identified this peak experience of a vigorous, optimistic energy as humergy.
Humergy is the energy that emerges from the joy and optimism of the inner spirit, reflecting a unique personality and nourishing a healthy mind–body balance. It's possible to clarify the characteristics that inhibit humergy and those that promote its development, as shown in Table 1.1. Stress, fear, and pessimism hinder the ability of an individual to enjoy the fullness of a humergy lifestyle. Healthy relationships, optimism, and an environment of trust nurture the growth of humergy.
This energy is being explored in several fields, including that of positive psychology, which addresses the study of positive emotions. Richard Davidson's research on "approach-related positive emotion" characterizes certain individuals as having enthusiasm, alertness, energy, and persistence in goal orientation (Davidson, 2000). The purpose of positive psychology is to understand and promote the human strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
The Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology (PEP) Lab at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is conducting one of the most fascinating projects in studying positive emotions. The research is based on the belief that positive emotions extend the capacity for attention, cognition, and action. The goal of the PEP Lab is to focus on how positive emotions enable human beings to "flourish." When positive emotions are absent, people lose their freedom of choice, stagnate, and are predictable. When there is ample supply of positive emotionality, people are creative, resilient, and unpredictable (Fredrickson, 2003).
Pioneering efforts are being made by counselors and psychologists to incorporate humor into therapy treatments for patients. The use of humor in the medical field was highlighted in the movie Patch Adams, the story of Hunter Adams, who promoted the use of humor as a medical practice. His goal was to fulfill his patients' fantasies, ease their fears, and increase their endorphin levels. Several not-for-profit organizations promote humor therapy and humor research. Numerous references to these organizations are interspersed throughout this book.
The kind of humor I like is the thing that makes me laugh for five seconds and think for ten minutes.
In addition to Maslow, an odd assortment of characters from history provide insights into the current understanding of humor. It is claimed that humor was invented in the 1400s by Duke Knock of the Knock, who was trying to ascertain why doth ye chicken traverse ye thoroughfare. Others assert that humor was invented by Al Gore to alleviate boredom with politics.
The role of early medicine was to keep the humors in balance. Hippocrates clarified the Greek idea of four humors, which were related to temperament and disposition. In the 1600s it was determined by physicians that four liquids called humors determined a healthy balance of mind and body. These were blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. An imbalance of humors signaled abnormal behavior or mental illness.
During the Renaissance period, humorous actually referred to anyone who was considered demented. In fact, it was not until the 1700s that humor was considered normal behavior. Puritans actually forbade the use of most comedy, play, and fun. Some think that this negativity toward humor persists in several forms today.
Shakespeare contributed to an understanding of the terminology of comedy and tragedy through his literary works. Comedy was not really "humorous" but depicted ordinary characters who triumphed, while tragedy involved great characters who made mistakes or suffered painful experiences, often resulting in death. Shakespeare interspersed comedy and tragedy with an emotional impact that has survived over the years and still remains as an important work.
Charlie Chaplin, known as the "tramp philosopher," began his film career with the release of a silent picture, The Tramp (1915). He energized audiences with his tragicomic portrayal of a little guy against the world. He focused his work on the premise that people can and should laugh at life's tragedies.
Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens in 1835, is known as one of the greatest American humorists. Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both examples of finding humor in everyday life. His literature has long been a familiar staple on the reading lists for students.
Suppose you were an idiot and a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
Will Rogers, born in 1879, had top billing with a vaudeville act in the renowned Ziegfield Follies. As a syndicated column writer, he intertwined humor, current events, and human idiosyncrasies. His ability to poke fun at politicians endeared him to the American public. His career included work in the movies, and he became a well-known figure. His quotes are still applicable today.
There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.
Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.
I don't make jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts.
Abraham Lincoln was known for his animated storytelling. His clever wit was often used to disparage political opponents. His most engaging quality was the ability to laugh at his own physical imperfections, a trait that endeared him to the American public.
If I were two faced, would I be wearing this one?
Common looking people are the best in the world; that is the reason the Lord made so many of them.
Norman Cousins is the person credited with the initial research on the relationship between laughter and wellness. He wrote about his experiences in his best-selling book, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration, published in 1979. His personal story of a life-threatening illness and his belief that laughing would help him to heal have become legendary. He checked himself out of a hospital and into a motel to watch funny movies as part of his therapeutic process. He recovered fully and decided that humor was a major part of his healing process.
Lucille Ball captured the hearts of the world with her portrayal of an everyday housewife who turned ordinary events into an extremely funny sitcom. She had an enormous impact on the transition of the media from movies to television and was one of the first women to become a nationally known television star.
The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
You see much more of your children once they leave home.
Bob Hope performed in radio, movies, and television and became famous for his one-liners. He is cited by the Guinness Book of Records as the most honored entertainer in the world. He performed for the American military troops stationed overseas and won the hearts of the soldiers during those performances with his ability to help them laugh at their own difficult situation.
If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
I love to go to Washington, if only to be near my money.
Bill Cosby has touched people's lives by providing humorous insights into everyday situations of parenting and family life with his television sitcom. As an author and speaker, he continues to share his wit and insights. Recently he has used his comic visibility to espouse his opinions about controversial racial issues. These are not laughing matters to Cosby, who strongly advocates views that are not typically verbalized. He uses humor to communicate the following:
A word to the wise ain't necessary—it's the stupid ones who need the advice.
Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so when you yell the name will carry.
Let us now set forth one of the fundamental truths about marriage: the wife is in charge.
Erma Bombeck was a journalist who wrote a weekly humor column focusing on life as a parent. Her books became best-sellers and often focus on helping parents laugh at the challenges of having children. When she became a cancer survivor, she helped many learn to laugh through this illness. Her courage and ability to laugh during her cancer battles continue to inspire those suffering from terminal illness.
Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It's unbridled, it's unplanned, and it's full of surprises.
If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it.
Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Jay Leno have helped many Americans end their day with laughter. Late-night television is a way of life for many Americans. Often the humor revolves around current political situations. The format allows us to laugh at the unusual things national figures say and do. Letterman's top ten list has become a part of American culture and is included in this book as a strategy to teach various aspects of humor.
The list of comedians who have influenced the understanding of humor is immeasurable. An expanded list of comedians is in Appendix 4. This comedian list can be used for several of the activities described in this book. You can identify your own favorite comedian when exploring your humor style.
A humorist is a person who feels bad but who feels good about it.
Can you believe that the tonic of humor is available free of charge with great side effects of laughter and fun? The joy-flow experience of humergy is observed when enthusiasm, excitement, and energy are bubbling from individuals who are passionate about their work. This synergy is experienced in an environment that is humming with the spirit of joyful learning and living. Humergy is reflected in the excitement of employees as they exude a zest for life and a quest for knowledge. Many organizations are devoted to the research and sharing of humor resources. Catch their humor energy and take advantage of their resources.
Additional organizations are listed in the resource guide.
A humorist facilitates the capacity of self and others to adapt to everyday events or global change, with laughter and optimistic humor.
Humor is an oft-overlooked skill that has many benefits, including providing stress relief, maximizing brain capacity for learning, increasing creativity, improving communication skills, and creating an environment of trust. Humor is inseparable from the whole human being. It is intrinsically woven into the emotional and social psyche, reflecting ethics and belief systems.
The numerous definitions of humor include "what makes you laugh" or "what is amusing." However, a sense of humor is the capacity of a human being to respond to life challenges with optimistic amusement. There is a synergy evident in people who have such an optimistic sense of humor. Humergy is the energy that radiates the joyful optimism of the inner spirit, reflecting a unique personality and nourishing a healthy mind–body balance (Morrison, 2005).
When there is a fusion of enthusiasm, energy, joy, and hope, a peak experience emerges that most of us identify as a sense of humor. The relatively new field of positive psychology strives to understand and promote the human potential that enables individuals and communities to thrive. Humor is one of the complex cognitive strengths that emerge connecting basic temperament and lifetime experiences.
Many people and organizations have contributed to the field of humor. Humorists purposefully and deliberately use humor to focus on truth. Effective leaders understand that the energy of humor is a sign of a healthy organization built on trust.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
