LIGHTEN UP: THE JOY OF UNBRIDLED LAUGHTER
By Bobbe White
Executive Update, Human Potential Article, March, 2003

Laughter can actually be lifesaving. In Bombay, India, for instance, a doctor - Madan Kataria - believed in the health benefits of laughter in his patients. He found that, regardless of whether the laughter was genuine or simulated, patients had less pain, recovered sooner, and had an overall sense of well-being. In response, he devised styles of laughter with physical movements, and now thousands of people and patients laugh regularly in Bombay. His mission to spread laughter around the world took workshop form, producing so-called Certified Laughter Leaders (CLLs), who then took their philosophy and practices to their communities, workplaces, churches, friends, and associations.

I, too, am a CLL, but don't mix me up with a comedienne, who just tells jokes. Instead, CLLs administer "laughter therapy," e.g., laughter for no reason. These bouts of laughter actually have some significant side effects:

• Circulation improves;
• Heart rate quickens, just as in aerobic activity;
• Lungs expand;
• Blood pressure rises, then drops, and remains below baseline for a while;
• Muscles massage organs;
• Stress is reduced;
• The immune system is boosted; and
• Endorphins (body's natural painkillers) are released.

So what's all the fuss about laughter? Precisely. We spend more time fussing about life when we'd be better off laughing about it. The bottom line on humor and laughter is the direct influence they have on our ability to manage stress, enhance health, and achieve work-life balance.

As children, we laughed frequently at everything - an estimated 300 to 400 times a day, to be more exact - until adults reprimanded us with comments such as "quit acting so silly," "act your age," and "stop laughing."

It's ironic. Of the lessons parents tried to convey to us, the one we did heed was to stop laughing. In comparison, adults laugh 15 times a day. We're pathetic. Basically, we adults are just out of practice.

Laughter therapy retrains big gigglers - and many adults are starved for tips on finding more humor and laughter in life. The good news is that it's not rocket science, but the old adage of "use it or lose it" holds true once again. As a CLL and speaker on humor, I try to give audiences a license to laugh again, a suggestion to snicker, and the humor to howl about life. In addition to laughter therapy, audiences are encouraged not to be funnier per se, but rather more alert to the funny elements in their daily experiences.

"But if I laugh, won't they see me as unprofessional and immature?" ask some grim-faced people. On the contrary. Employees with a sense of humor and the ability to laugh, especially at themselves, are viewed as self-confident and are admired by others. For association leaders in the hiring seat, humor and the enthusiasm to laugh are qualities they now seek as credentials in managers.

Lightening Up

Enter my "fun philosophy" - five philosophies aimed at resurrecting humor and laughter in your life.

Fun Philosophy 1. Look for the humor around you.

Running errands used to cause me stress, but now I look for humor in them. It's like playing "I Spy;" you see what you're looking for.

• Fast food lane: I ordered a dozen apple-cinnamon-raisin biscuits. The clerk inquired, "Would you like an apple-cinnamon-raisin biscuit with that?" Hmmmm ... didn't I just order that? I couldn't help but laugh at him; he laughed with me. It was delicious to find the humor in our often, too-robotic routines.
• Post office (not exactly known as a house of humor). A woman labors up to the counter with two packages. "When do you want these delivered by?" the clerk asked. "Well, duh," she said, "Christmas!" "Well, duh," the clerk continued, "which one?" We howled!
• My friend, who went to exercise during lunchtime, had his wallet stolen. "Bummer," I empathized. "Did you have a lot of cash or credit cards stolen?" "No, but what really ticks me off is that I had two Starbucks cards, almost full!" Good for him. What are you going to do? Might as well look on the lighter side.

Fun Philosophy 2: Laugh at yourself.

Not only do the previous stories show examples of spotting humor, which resulted in more laughter in my day, but they also contained some elements of self-effacement. Self-effacing humor pokes fun at yourself or, as the case may be, at your organization. It's helpful and healthy to laugh at yourself, and it can endear you to others when you laugh about your imperfections.

Like so many other professionals, I spent decades always trying to be perfect and appropriate, and I still ended up feeling oversensitive and embarrassed when I did stupid things - until I learned to laugh at myself. Recently, for instance, during aqua-aerobics class, I kept tugging at my swimsuit, only to discover I had the bottoms on upside down, leg-hole around my waist, and waist around my hip! My children and I are still chuckling about my silliness.

Fun Philosophy 3: Hang out with like-minded people.

Not everyone shares your sense of humor. It's very individualized. Align yourself with other fun folks with whom you can laugh. I share a similar sense of humor with my friend, Tammy, and other people gaze at us when we get to giggling. At lunch I asked her, "Are my lapels too wide?" She looked at mine, looked at hers, and said, "Yours are fat; mine are skinny. All I know is one of us is out of style!" - as if it mattered at that moment.

Fun Philosophy 4: Work with the little things causing you stress.

No Valentines flowers coming your way? Last year I bought my own - penned a card, too, saying, "And you thought I forgot!" Pick your battles and save your stress and energy for the majors.

I'm even getting my children to see the humor in mundane chores. My son always wants a ride to school in lieu of the bus. Recently, I declined because it's "maintenance week."
Monday: "Sorry, Nick, not today. 7:30 a.m. dentist appointment."
Tuesday: "Sorry, not today. 7:30 a.m. haircut."
Wednesday: "Not today, either; eyebrows waxing day."
Thursday, he asked: "Can you take me today, or do you have to get your
nose hairs plucked?" Home is where the "ha" is.

Fun Philosophy 5: Keep a humor journal.
This habit helps focus and preserve laughter and humor in our lives. It's an excellent way to capture funny moments that we think we'll never forget but sadly often do. My journaling mantra is "Every day gets a page." I become more aware of the amusing things that happen daily. Besides, expressive writing is cathartic. Perhaps it's something you heard, said, thought, or saw. Write it down. It only matters if you think it's funny.

What do you do with a journal? It's a great resource when you want to revisit some pleasant memories, especially at times when you might be feeling a little laughless.

A sample journal entry: "Nick played tackle football for the first time at age 10 and 74 pounds. Those 74 pounds were with all of the equipment on, too. We got pummeled by a team with a 223-pound fifth grader. Kids dropped like flies. Referees picked them up, dusted them off, and helped them off the field. After the 44-0 loss, downtrodden boys walked to waiting families. Grandpa asked Nick, 'Did anyone on your team get hurt badly today?' 'Yeah, one kid got bronchitis,' he answered."

A fun philosophy of your own gives you a different perspective on life - a playfulness, a freedom to accept the things you cannot change. Tensions ease with humor and laughter - like when the taco meat drops from the fridge and bounces on your floor at crunch time (7:30 a.m.). In that instance, I felt the rage rising but decided to practice what I preached. Instead, I instructed Nick, "Go get Sam!" Sam, our beagle, had it cleaned up faster than you could say, "Hoover." Normally, I'd have gone ballistic. I surprised us all by trying a different solution. Heck, we even took pictures!

A laughable perspective truly is power to manage life's small challenges. Now go out there and laugh . at yourself, in traffic, for no reason. The bottom line on humor and laughter is the direct influence they have on our ability to manage stress, enhance health, and achieve work-life balance. After all, today really is the first day of the rest of your laugh!

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