Whenever I speak to people on the therapeutic nature of
humour I encourage them to become laughologists and in so doing commit
themselves to a process I call mining the moment. When you mine the moment you examine each
human experience for the humour it contains and laugh heartily when it is
discovered.
Most of us experience
funny things happening to us, or those around us, every day. When we do, we might chuckle and continue
doing what we were doing. Mining the
moment asks us to stay with the chuckle and fan its embers into genuine
laughter. Then drain every last drop of
humour and laughter from the experience.
Why is it so important to look for humour in everything we
experience? Because humour and laughter
are much more than mere amusement, they are very good for our health and
well-being.
When we laugh great
things happen. The oxygen in our blood
increases giving us renewed energy. Our
stress levels go down and we begin to relax.
Did you know that it is impossible to worry when we laugh? The immune system is stimulated by laughter
and endorphins are released within the body giving us a strong sense of
well-being. Laughter also reduces our
blood pressure.
In social relationships laughter has concrete and specific
benefits. It has been called social glue because it bonds us to one another. In
any family or organization bonding is vital to the successful functioning of
the group. The group that laughs together, lasts together. Laughter is also
referred to as social lubricant because, just as the oil in a car engine
reduces friction thus allowing the car to run smoothly and efficiently, so does
laughter reduce inevitable friction in social relationships. People who laugh
together tend to be happier, more productive, more flexible and open to change.
The value of humour in the workplace is a good example. It
reduces stress among employees, significantly reduces absenteeism, and boosts
morale, productivity and increases job satisfaction.
I remember speaking to a blue collar worker in a large Toronto
company just before I was to speak on Humour in the Workplace. I asked him if
he liked his job. His response surprised me. He said,” No, I hate it, but I
love coming to work.” When I asked him how he could hate his job but love
coming to work he replied, “The people I work with are fantastic and we have a
lot of laughs.
The message is clear. No matter whether you’re in a family,
among friends or at work laughter offers a huge benefits. All it takes is a commitment to mining the
moments of the day for the humour they contain and giving ourselves permission
to laugh long and hard when we find it. Then sit back and watch great things
begin to happen.
I would like to leave you with these two quotes.
Any leader without a sense of humour is like a grass cutter
at a cemetery. They have a lot of people under them paying absolutely NO
attention.
Life is too serious to be taken seriously.
Let the laughter begin.
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