The Power of Humour

 I believe that humour is a necessary part of my life that I use daily. I respond to humour with laughter, as many of us do. One of the reasons people enjoy humour so much is that it is a wonderful source of entertainment and brings happiness to your life.

By using humour, I can be better prepared for when things go wrong. For example, if I am feeling down, I can laugh with my friends, I know that always cheers me up.

I recently read an article titled “Humour, laughter, learning and health!”. For me, the most exciting part of the article was the interesting points made about trying out humour in the classroom.

Research about the uses of humour:

This research has led me to believe that humour can be used in many different ways.

Without humour the world would be a sad place. One of the most powerful aspects of humour is the way in which it causes people to react. I think that the way we as humans respond to humour unites us. What I mean by this is that we all enjoy the universal language of humour.

In the article mentioned earlier, there was a section on the way teachers use humour in the classroom to engage students. The teachers do this by including humour that is relevant to their students and relevant to them as well ₍₁₎. They incorporate strategies that encourage students to retain the information given in class and make an environment that is helpful for learning. If the students think that a teacher is boring, then they would be less likely to engage in the lesson.

Humour is a tool that engages people. It can be used in many different contexts, as seen in the classroom and in other areas.

Research about humour in practice:

Laughter is an essential part of life. Without it we would be left with only sadness. I know that without humour, life is very bleak and a life without laughter is meaningless to me. I believe that the best cure for sadness is laughter, and the best way to induce laughter is to just keep enjoying life!

Laughter yoga is a fun activity in which people use laughter to feel better. I think that attending a laughter yoga class could be beneficial for all people, but especially those feeling quite low. The purpose of laughter yoga is for people to come together and laugh. It includes forced laughter at first, but then evolves into spontaneous laughter ₍₂₎.

I think that using laughter in yoga is a wonderful idea, as it combines two things that are really helpful for well being – yoga and laughter! I know for myself I would love to try laughter yoga; it looks really fun!

The benefits of humour also include the capacity to relieve pain. Studies have shown that a great way to relieve some of the stresses of life is to use humour everyday ₍₂₎.

Some people may use things like the newspaper to read jokes, or they may watch comedy shows to incorporate laughter in their day. I often think about how I incorporate humour in my life. For me something that I do to improve my well being is just simply talking to my friends. This always helps me to feel better. I have also found that the way people can find humour regardless of hard times; such as now with Corona virus (e.g. look up Bin Isolation Outings!). I love the memes about Corona virus and the fact that people can still find humour in the current events.

The short-term benefits of humour and laughter include the ability to reduce the effects of stress on the body. For example, the best results are found when people take notice of the little things that make them laugh.

Long term benefits include an increase in mental strength and the release of neuropeptides that increase the amount of good chemicals in the body. This means that people feel better mentally and physically.

With all these benefits, how could I not seek out more laughter in my life!

 Ways to include humour in your life:

There are many things that people can do to add humour into their daily life. This can include catching up with friends and watching comedy shows. My favourite comedian is Carl Barron. I would definitely recommend watching his shows, they are hilarious!

Some other ways to include humour in your day could be tagging your friends in Facebook memes to make them laugh, and playing funny games like “Cards Against Humanity” and “What Do You Meme.” I think another great way to add humour into your day would be to send a funny text to a friend and include a note saying that you are thinking of them. This will make them feel loved and appreciated and could help to improve their state of mind with a bit of a laugh. 

In my daily life I like to watch funny YouTube videos, this always makes me laugh. I especially like to watch videos about animals, take silly Snap Chats, watch Tik Toks and play with my dog Zeus who always makes me laugh when I see him, he is very rambunctious.

I know that the most important thing to remember is that I am responsible for my own feelings especially when it comes to the use of laughter. Whenever I get sad, I just need to remember to be thoughtful of the efforts of those around me who love me.

With so many wonderful benefits and plenty of great ideas, why don’t you try adding some laughter to your life today! 

References:

1.     Savage B, Lujan H, Thipparthi R, DiCarlo S (2017) Humour, laughter, learning, and health! A brief review. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/advan.00030.2017 

2.     Mayo Clinic (2019) Stress management. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456