Humorous Stuff

Life is full of absurdities, incongruities, and events that tickle our funny bone. For instance, Charlie Chaplin once got third place in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. Since the day in 1964 when Norman Cousins checked out of a hospital room and into a hotel room across the street where he literally laughed his way back to health from a life-threatening disease, the medical world has stood up and taken notice. Humor really is good medicine.

Today there is a whole new scientific discipline called Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), the study of the relationship between the mind and the body and the effects each has on the other. It is no secret that negative emotions (e.g., anger, fear, guilt, worry, depression, and loneliness) can have a detrimental effect on the body, manifesting into disease and illness. Although there is much to be understood, we now know that, just as negative emotions can have a negative effect on the body, positive emotion (e.g., joy, love, hope, and the feelings associated with humor) can have a positive effect on the body by speeding the healing process and promoting total well-being.

Humor is a great stress reduce. Humor acts as a coping mechanism to help us deal with life's hardships. It softens the walls of the ego, makes us feel less defensive, unmask the naked truth in a comical way, and often gives us a clearer perspective and focus in our everyday lives. Comic relief is used in many stress management programs, hospitals, and work setting to reduce the effects of stress. Stress is often associated with negative attitudes that really deflate self-esteem. A preponderance of negative emotions can taint our view of the world around us, perpetuating the stress cycle. There has to be a balance! What researchers are now discovering is that we need to incorporate positive emotions to achieve this balance, and humor is one of the answers.

Although one could turn to the television to catch a few laugh, the greater the variety of humor vehicles (books, movies, live comedians, and music) one is exposed to, the more rewarding the riches. Sometimes all we have to do is dig through our memory to find a tickler.

With this in mind, answer the following questions:

1. How would you rate your sense of humor? Do you exercise it often? Do you exercise it correctly? Offensive humor (sarcasm, racist and sexist humor, and practical jokes) can actually promote stress. What are some ways to improve your sense of humor?
2. What is your favorite kind of humor (parody, slapstick, satire, nonsense, irony, puns)? What type of humor do you fall back on to reduce your stress?
3. What would you consider to be the funniest moment(s) in your life?
4. What are some of the funniest moments that you can recall from any situation that the mere thought of puts a grin or secret smile on your face?
5. In the song, "My Favorite Things," Julie Andrews sings about a host of things that flood her mind with joy and bring a smile to her face. What would your list include?
6. Make a list of things to do, places to go, and people to see to lift your spirits when the occasion calls for it.