Humour is Serious Business ....a serious contribution to Health & Well Being
It's clear – we need more humour in our lives. This is no false claim. In this blog I set out to explain why this is the case. I outline the rationale behind the argument that we need more humour in our lives order to improve our health and in doing so contribute to the well being of the nation.
In 2009, the Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress highlighted the shortcomings of Gross Domestic Product as the gauge by which to judge a country’s success.
The report highlighted the need for a multi-dimensional definition of well-being as an alternative to GDP. It outlined 8 areas contributing to well being with health being one of them. Humour is a major contributing factor to health and the more we laugh the better health we will keep and ultimately the health of our nation, no matter what nation that happens to be.
Since the recession of 2008, society as a whole has more than at any other time in history begun to question more profoundly what is actually important in life, what we should value, what our priorities should be. There is need to move away from a focus on GDP to one of Well Being.
Traditionally the success of any country is measured by its Gross Domestic Product. No you’re not confused and there’s no punch line coming, I have indeed begun by chatting about GDP. Why? Well ‘for a long time there have been concerns about the adequacy of current measures of economic performance, in particular those solely based on GDP. Besides, there are even broader concerns about the relevance of these figures as measures of societal wellbeing.[1]
In 2009, the Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress commissioned by French President Nicholas Sarkozy in 2008 was published and highlighted the shortcomings of Gross Domestic Product as the gauge by which to judge a country’s success. Yes, I know you’re pleasantly surprised, no not by the report but that the little French guy with the former model-girlfriend came up with such a wonderful idea whilst in office, yip, there wasn’t many but there you go.
The report highlighted the need for a multi-dimensional definition of well-being and recommended that the following should be considered simultaneously:
· Material living standards (income, consumption and wealth);
· Health;
· Education;
· Personal activities including work
· Political voice and governance;
· Social connections and relationships;
· Environment (present and future conditions);
· Insecurity, of an economic as well as a physical nature.
Health is on the list; well naturally of course, the thought of it not being would simply make me sick! Did you get it? See what I did there? Health not being on the list would make me sick. Tut! Anyhow, as has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt humour is a contributing factor to good health and good health of course is a major contribution to well-being.
NEF (New Economics Forum) have identified five ways to well being -‘Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give’[2]. They provide plenty of evidence to support their findings and further on when we come to the crux of this blog we’ll refer back to these five ways.
Peter Berger tells us that ‘Humour — that is, the capacity to perceive something as being funny — is universal; there has been no human culture without it. It can be regarded as a necessary constituent of humanity.’[3] Peter Berger’s brother, Patrick, once played for Liverpool.... ok, I’m kidding, Patrick is not Peter’s brother but he did play for Liverpool. Anyhow, the point he makes is entirely valid. Even if we tried to think of a culture without humour we’d be hard pressed to name one.
‘Humor is a whole mind-body and social experience; it’s a cognitive ability that gets our emotions and our bodies involved in the act, and it also connects us to other people’ [4]
A brief history of Humour....covering a very long period!
Humour has a long history of course, in Athenian Democracy, the opinion of voters was influenced by political satire performed by the comic poets at the theatres – they would portray persons or institutions as ridiculous or corrupt. Imagine that, corrupt institutions, in Greece too!
Aristotle defined comedy as ‘one of the original four genres of literature’ which also included tragedy, epic poetry and lyric poetry whilst Epicurus set up a ‘philosophical establishment to promote happiness’. Humour is also referenced in the bible, ‘A cheerful heart does good medicine, but a broken spirit makes you sick’ can be found in the Book of Proverbs (17.22). Broken Spirit? Is that a Ghost who lacks backbone? Sorry, couldn’t resist.
‘In the late 5th-century BC Greece, a secular school known as the Hippocratic writers made a bid to monoplise the profession [medicine], at the expense of rivals who were attached to temples. They had an entirely erroneous theory of how disease works – they thought that health was essentially a balance between four “humours”.....adjust the balance and you alter the patient’s state of health.’[5]
Or so the theory went! What’s notable is not that the Hippocratic writers were wrong in this case but the weight they attached to the idea of humours – not in the sense we might know it to be now but as means of balance to restore health. That concept or idea is not to far removed from humour, i.e., laughter, happiness, etc is indeed good for the health – physical, mental, emotional or otherwise and I will go on to show how.
Anyway, moving on, during the Middle Ages, the term "comedy" became synonymous with satire, and later humour in general, after Aristotle's Poetics was translated into Arabic in the medieval Islamic world. Early Native Americans had clowns who worked with Witch Doctors – they realised the powerful effects of humour and laughter in healing – the 3rd most important person in the tribe was the clown.
In the 14th Century French surgeon Henri de Mondeville used humour therapy to aid recovery from surgery whilst from the 16th-18th century there are accounts of humour being used for health purposes to address depression, release tension and restore equilibrium which were related to the concept of the ‘four humours’ (just ‘Google’ it). Accounts of this are attributed to the likes of Robert Buton (English parson), Martin Luther (Pastor), Herbert Spence (Sociologist), Immanuel Kant, (German philosopher) and William Beattie (English physician). Don’t worry I had to go look them up too!
From medieval times until the 17th Century, licensed fools or jesters (imagine, you had to get a licence to be a fool in the 17th century, now we’re surrounded by them, see when you don’t licence things what happens, everybody’s at it) were commonly kept at court and were frequently at the disposal of wealthy nobles – their job was to entertain. Both the Jester or Clown dates from the 15th and 16th centuries right up to 20th century (and in recent times) made famous by the likes Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Harpo Marx, Marcel Marceau, The Goon Show and ‘Mr Bean’ among many. If you’re over 40 I bet you couldn’t read Harold Lloyd without signing to yourself, ‘Welcome to Harold Lloyd, doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo, Harold Lloyd, …..’
In the 1930's clowns were brought into the U.S. hospitals to cheer up children hospitalised with polio. In 1972 U.S. Doctor Hunter 'Patch’ Adams founded The Gesundheit Institute (no I swear it wasn’t named after a sneeze) - a home-based free hospital to bring fun, friendship, and the joy of service back into health care – but prior to this and perhaps with even more significance, Dr Norman Cousins who was diagnosed with Anklyosing Spondilitis (Arthritis to you and me) in 1964 was so depressed by his stay in hospital he checked himself out of the hospital, hired a nurse and moved into a hotel – yup, clearly Dr Cousins had more money than you and I which begs the question why he didn’t do that in the first place – obviously he just wanted to sponge of the system! Ok, only kidding because what he did next was very important, listen very carefully, I will say this only once (in a French accent).
Along with mega doses of vitamin 'C', he watched comedy movies; ‘10 minute of genuine belly laughter had an anaesthetic effect and would give me at least 2 hours of pain-free sleep.’ He cured himself of his illness and lived to tell the tale and in 1979 he published a book telling the story, ‘Anatomy of an Illness’. Yip, No sh....it’s true.
Research into the benefits of Humour
Research has shown that humour has many health benefits. It increases oxygen intake and blood circulation thus lowering your blood pressure; it reduces the water vapor and carbon dioxide in the lungs, decreases the risk of pulmonary infection; improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems[6]; it works your stomach muscles, boosts your immune system, releases natural painkillers in the body, reduces stress levels, boosts the body’s production of infection-fighting antibodies and helps your body recharge. Bet you’re feeling better already. And if you haven’t had a heart attack yet then this proves the point! Anyway, I won’t go into more detail...that’s for the next blog....well I can’t give away all the good stuff in one blog....however, in a nutshell does the following:
Physical Health Benefits:
· Boosts immunity
· Lowers stress hormones
· Decreases pain
· Relaxes your muscles Prevents heart disease
·
Mental Health Benefits:
· Adds joy and zest to life
· Eases anxiety and fear
· Relieves stress
· Improves mood
· Enhances resilience
Social Benefits:
· Strengthens relationships
· Attracts others to us
· Enhances teamwork
· Helps defuse conflict
· Promotes group bonding
There is clearly ‘mountains’ of evidence of the benefits of laughter yet ‘the problem these days’ is that we don’t laugh enough and when we do it seems to be temporary, a form of escapism or at the expense of others (and I’m talking about that ‘cruel expense’, not the banter you share with your friends where it is a little bit of fun and you know it’s not taken seriously, in fact it’s merely a term of endearment with your friends) where you use humour to in a negative fashion.
In our ‘Humour is Serious Business’ Training Programme we try to promote a way of thinking, a state of mind which encourages people to see humour in all things – this doesn’t mean neglecting obligations and responsibilities nor making light of important matters but changing perspective and ‘to find things funny we need to be able to shift perspective, perceive incongruities and paradoxes, and be surprised and delighted by the unexpected—the punch line. This causes us to switch into a playful, rather than a serious, frame of mind. When we are amused, we are in a state of observation, which gives us a bit of psychological space or distance from our circumstances.’[7]
Dr Suzanne Phillips writes,
‘As humans we are one of a few species that laughs and our laughter spans age, gender, language and culture. Laughter is not just a by-product of happiness. Given the body-mind connection, the very act of laughter changes body chemistry to our advantage....Research finds that laughter can improve diseases like asthma, cancer and heart disease by reducing the physiological stress response that exacerbates these conditions.’[8]
Ok, time for the more serious stuff...ironically....
The irony of the age we now live in is that whilst we have had so many advances in science, technology, medicine and health care we live in age where instances of stress alongside more serious issues such as depression and suicide have much greater prominence.
‘..over the last half-century, we have grown used to the idea that we live to work, work to earn, and earn to consume. We consume not just to survive and flourish and enjoy our lives, but to signal who we are and where we stand in the world, especially in relation to others. What we feel we need and what satisfies our needs are inflated well beyond what is actually required to live a good and satisfying life. We buy much more than enough stuff. Directly or indirectly, the stuff we buy consumes finite natural resources on which our lives ultimately depend.’[9]
We now live in an age where we suffer from such an array of ailments not merely restricted to the physical, psychological or the physiological but ways of thinking that seem to impact upon our lives more so than even before, where even the smallest stress has us seeking doctors, counsellors, therapists, coaches, mentors and so on and so on. I’ve put in ‘so on and so on’ because I can’t think of any more but it sounds like I could if push came to shove and ‘so on and so on’ always sounds better than ‘etc, etc’. In her book, ‘Laugh your way to Happiness’, Lesley Lyle makes a similar point
‘It has become a rarity today to see someone smile and laugh with gay abandon. It seems as if people have forgotten how to laugh. In this competitive high-pressure and high-tension world, laughter is fast disappearing and people are succumbing to daily stressors that relentlessly rob them of the ability to laugh’[10]
She also highlights in her book the majority of adults are ‘estimated to laugh an average of 15 times a day, unlike children who laugh and giggle between 300-500 times each day’ (no wonder kids never get around to cleaning their room) which is a staggering statistic but will no doubt have resonance with any adult. She goes on to make the point that ‘humans learn to laugh long before they walk or talk.’ We may not every laugh 300 times a day ever again but all joking aside, the point that we lose something as we move from childhood into adulthood I don’t think any of us could disagree with.
In keeping with the theme of this competitive high-pressure and high-tension world, I will outline in another blog the list of modern-day stresses but here’s a little flavour:
Attention Poverty: We hear constant complaints of not getting enough attention or we are not being heard or no-one is listening
Time Scarcity: We never have enough time to do anything – we always have other things to do
Information Saturation: We are saturated everyday with information from every angle – 24-hour Television, Radio, Advertising, Newspapers, Social Media, etc
Instant Gratification: We are not prepared to wait anymore, we want things and we want them now
Additionally we are also surrounded with stressful messages and images - climate change, resource depletion, unsustainable consumption patterns, weapons proliferation, human rights violations, poverty, growing wealth disparity, and politicians. Ok I put politicians in because it was either that or ‘and so on and so on’ again, and hey, I already used it once. And anyway, some politicians stress me; I know what comes to mind when I think of Tony Blair. By the way, you’ll notice I didn’t mention the financial crisis yet...damn!
There are of course many types of ailments, conditions and diseases, many of a physical and psychological nature that affect millions of people world-wide which give us genuine reason to be concerned but in many societies, particularly western societies, the kinds of stresses faced seem to be more related to behaviour, behaviour which if we changed our way of thinking we might be better able to address and behaviour where if we introduced a little more laughter into our lives we might be more capable of dealing with.
And on that note it’s time for another academic reference, so here goes. In "Comedy: A Geographic and Historical Guide", Wake Forest philosopher Adrian Bardon, writes
"Humor is explained by human beings' special conceptual abilities. The pursuit of humor represents a kind of play that contributes to conceptual flexibility. The feeling associated with this kind of play is amusement ... (Humor) actually helps sharpen our ability to respond to cognitively challenging situations. This would also explain why adults tend to demand more clever and subtle humor than children do: One needs humor of increasing subtlety and complexity in order to challenge one's cognitive flexibility, and humor can only be funny when it does this."
One of the conceptual approaches that the authors of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress identified was the notion of subjective well-being which ‘is closely linked to the utilitarian tradition but has a broader appeal due to the strong presumption in many streams of ancient and modern culture that enabling people to be “happy” and “satisfied” with their life is a universal goal of human existence....people who report themselves as “happy” tend to smile more and to be rated as happy by people around them; these self-reports are also correlated with electrical readings of the brain.’[11]
On the subject of smiling Lesley Lyle makes some important points including no-one can laugh without smiling.....bet you just smiled...now you’re chuckling to yourself. In her book Lesley opens her chapter on smiling with a quote from Phyllis Diller, ‘A smile is a curve that sets everything straight’. What a wonderful quote.
She highlights differences between fake and genuine smiles, talks about even the importance and benefits of half-smiles, the effects on your vocal chords and tone when you smile and even refers to research by the British Dental Association whereby one smile can generate the same brain stimulation as ‘2, 000 bars of chocolate and be equal to receiving up to £16, 000 in cash!’ So for those of you who have a ‘sweet tooth’, knock it on the head, just smile instead! Every time you think of Dairy Milk, Mars, Kit Kat or Twix just smile and say I’m not going there.
Anyway back to the report, the Commission also refers to Diener (1984) that subjective well-being (SWB) is best understood as encompassing three separate aspects, i.e., life satisfaction, the presence of positive feelings or affect and the absence of negative feelings or affect. And it’s the presence of positive feelings that feeds notions of happiness of which humour and laughter is clearly a contributing factor. Diener (2002) also found that happy people have stronger social relationships than less happy people.[12]
So now to the crux of this blog - why the need for humour?
‘In this time of crises, when new political narratives are necessary to identify where our societies should go, the report advocates a shift of emphasis from a “production-oriented” measurement system to one focused on the well-being of current and future generations, i.e. toward broader measures of social progress.....there is a consensus that quality of life depends on people’s health and education...’[13]
As the Commission reported, the success should be measured by Well-Being. Health is just one the eight measurements it identifies as does the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in its ‘How’s Life Report’ and thus if humour is a major contributor to health then the need not only for laughter but for a general sharp intake of happiness is more pressing than ever.
The OECD Report states that ‘Physical and mental health is important in itself for people’s well-being but also because they allow them to perform a range of personal social activities that contribute to their well-being.’ And of course as we have already pointed out humour has many health benefits.
Why should we look to humour?
Humour permeates every facet of life, it’s free, it surrounds us, it’s with us every day, and everyone has it or can access it, even in the darkest reaches of the challenges that life throws at us there are moments of humour. It’s on a par with many other art forms (as we see by the many thousands of people who throng to see comedians in ‘concert’ on a regular basis), it’s been immortalised in graffiti throughout the ages, it’s a dominant feature in social media; television, radio and film has cultivated it beyond cult status and in our own profession (well, at least mine – youth work) it is a tool and mechanism used by many to engage a variety of audiences, e.g., comedians, political commentators, teachers, youth workers, etc.
‘Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. [probably explains why they don’t clean their rooms either – too busy laughing] Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life.’[14]
Training programmes, conferences, seminars (and the like) in comedy, happiness and humour are not unknown. There are even institutes across the world set up for these purpose, an example being the Centre for Comedy Studies Research at Brunel University in London; and with the advent of Social Media we are bombarded of course with humourous images, messages and videos every day with Facebook and YouTube, just two among the many well recognised mechanisms at our disposal.
Humour is of course a spontaneous reaction or natural consequence to a given situation but we also know it’s a powerful tool that if used properly and accordingly can achieve major results. Kevin Daum in his article, ‘8 Ways Using Humor Will Make You a Better Leader’ lends some weight to this notion when he states that humour energises people, it creates lasting memories, breaks the tension, puts things in perspective, livens things up, disarms an uncomfortable situation, builds a bonded community and makes people feel great.
And if anyone thought that Humour could not be a force for change they need not look any further than Iceland where in 2009, comedian Jon Gnarr helped to form the ‘Best Party’ and won 34.7% of the vote at the 2010 municipal elections. He became Mayor and helped to turn around the fortunes of Iceland around taking it from near bankruptcy to a growing if not a thriving economy. Yip, politicians and bankers screwed up the economy and a comedian fixed it, isn’t that ironic? No you don’t have to answer the question....it was more a comment.
“Humour is no longer just an escape from economic bad times but a resource capable of generating economic good times. With this massive demand for humour comedy and laughter, it is quite possible that in the future, humour and humorous products, services and expressions will be key parts of our planets economic base.”
Humour is Serious Business....no really it is! Don’t laugh, it is!
The number of times I’ve done that....I tell people about the ‘Humour is Serious’ programme and they just laugh, and I say, ‘no really I’m serious, what you laughing at’, and then they stop laughing. And then I smile and start to laugh...then they don’t know quite what to do...and then nervously they start to laugh again...I never have the heart to do it again, i.e., put on a straight face and say, ‘what you laughing at?’
Anyhow, one concept that has been developed in recent times is indeed ‘Humour is Serious Business’, a Training Programme primarily aimed at young leaders and youth work practitioners (by profession) or those with a remit for working with young people but who also have an active interest in and commitment to the examination and use of Humour as a pro-active and deliberate methodology in their work with young people and other youth work communities.
The course facilitates a learning journey about Humour (and as a pro-active methodology), the different types of humour that exist, its relevance to and importance for youth work practice.
The programme provides space and time for participants to examine a multitude of questions, matters, issues and concerns related to the use of Humour in an effort to increase skills, knowledge and experience of Humour.
By providing space and time to examine humour, participants can develop a better understanding of its use and application and in doing so increase their capacity to use it in their work setting to engage young people and other youth work communities in a constructive fashion, e.g., multiplier capacity or to open up issues, concerns and questions that young people might have. The programme also provides space for participants to ‘play’ and is committed to ensuring participants grow and develop emotionally.
The programme also provides space for participants to ‘play’ and is committed to ensuring participants grow and develop emotionally.
Objectives for ‘Humour is Serious Business’ are below. I can’t be making jokes at this point because I’m trying to promote the ‘Humour is Serious Business’ product but needless to say, all the objectives were correct at the time of going to print, or rather just when I was heading off to bed. Anyhow, here they are:
(i) upskilling youth work practitioners in the use of humour as an effective tool for engaging young people and youth work communities
(ii) enhancing knowledge of the various types of humour so as to increase understanding of how, where, when and why it can be applied
(iii) increasing awareness of how humour can be used as a pro-active and deliberate methodology in youth work and not just as a natural consequence of and response to specific situations
(iv) consider cultural differences in humour and understand better how these can be used to support and inform youth work practice
(v) providing space and time for practitioners to reflect upon the use of their own sense of humour and consider where it can be altered to support their practice
(vi) challenge participants to step out of their ‘comfort zone’ in order to appreciate their own commitment to learning
(vii) developing local humour-based programmes to test methodologies and techniques with a view to informing humour-based practice
(viii) the development of a number of joint-actions between partner organisations
The programme has been delivered in the UK/N Ireland/Six Counties/On the island of Ireland twice (April 2012 & October 2013) and in the city of ‘Derry~Londonderry~Legenderry~Doire~Doire Calgach~Doire Colmcille~The Maiden City~Stroke City~The Walled City~City of Culture~Banks of the Foyle’ (sorry just had to be sure I didn’t offend anyone) and also in Estonia (in March 2014) and is scheduled to be delivered again in Germany in February 2016. Traditionally a 6-day residential training programme, the success of the programme has led the organisers to develop a range of options including:
½ day programme
1 day programme
3 day programme
6 day programme
Programme tailored to meet your needs (whatever that meansJ.....many of the methods can be shared with those outside of the youth work profession)
Before we come to the evidence bit, let me go back to when I promised you I would refer back to five ways to well-being, i.e., Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give. Let me say a little more about this. The authors of the report recommend you Connect with the people around you, family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and so on. They recommend you Be Active, go for a walk or run, step outside, cycle, etc. They ask you to Take Notice by being curious, catching sight of the beautiful, remarking on the unusual and so on. They advocate that you Keep Learning, that you try something new, that you rediscover an old interest and that you Give by doing something nice for a friend, or a stranger.
In our programme ‘Humour is Serious Business’ we do all of these – we promote connection, whether it’s a ½ day or an intensive 6 day programme, you will connect with your colleagues or other participants through activities that ‘mixes things up a little’. We put you in new and diverse situations which ‘forces’ you to take notice, to see different things, to countenance new thinking. We use non-formal education methods that take you out of your normal setting or scenario; we invite you to step out of your comfort zone thus ensuring you keep learning. And finally, the programme leaves you with no option to give as it is almost entirely interactive and thus you have to give, you have to participate, you have to contribute....but you get plenty back because everyone else is giving also.
Evidence of its success
How do we know it’s successful? Our evaluations have told us so not to mention the endless laughter that permeates the course. And if you don’t believe me then watch our short video on our home page.
We have also a lot of feedback to say the course is successful. Now, of course it is easy to pick out positive comments from any programme but in all three programmes thus far there has generally been heartfelt warmth and gratitude for the ‘Humour’ programme. Here is a selection of testimonials from previous programmes that lend weight to our assertions that the programme has been successful:
‘The world is a small loving place not a big scary place...[This programme] Opened windows and doors in the mind, exhausted in the best possible way, mind has been pushed to my limits. Ideas will stay with me for a long time and the act of humour will hopefully create a ripple effect of happiness around our broken planet healing it and making it a similar place.’
‘When I started this trip to Derry I had a dream, now I’m starting my trip back the dream is even bigger.’
‘Thank you a lot...I learned incredible things, most of all about myself and my behaviour as a participant which I will always keep in mind. I hope my patience is getting better to other people in the first way to my future participants.’
‘This course was much more than I expected. I learn with fun, I would develop so much creative moments. I live a week in an environment of respect, exchange and lots of humour. I grew up as a person and as a professional.
I recommend this course to everyone.’
‘If you are looking for new inspirations, if you are waiting for having a chance to smile....you should take part in experienced training – ‘Humour is Serious Business’’
‘’Humour is Serious Business’ is a life-changing, self-awareness, training course for everyone.
Come and embrace happiness as a life style.’
‘This programme opened my eyes. I am not underestimating myself anymore. I am funnier and braver than I thought I was. Humour is a state of mind. Thanks’
‘For me personally it was a great trip in discovering new and already known aspects of humour and getting in touch with different cultures and their forms of humour.’
‘This programme has been very liberating & inspiring. It has allowed me to clear my mind and built my confidence. It really surprised me and highlighted how useful humour is as a tool.’
These comments have of course been compiled from the 6-day programmes as they convey the feelings, emotions and learning from a very intensive residential experience. I have also outlined the impact (below) that we anticipate for participants on the 6-day programme and therefore the impact for the shorter programmes will be different. However, I wanted to show you what is expected. Participants will:
- increase their knowledge of various humour-related tools and techniques required to engage young people and in doing so enhance their understanding of where and when these are applicable. This covers areas such as the use of ice-breakers, energisers, clowning exercises, movement and the use of props alongside non-verbal communication, tone, facial expression, body language, etc
- increase their knowledge of the many different types of humour (we work from a list of more than 30) and analyse what makes these funny (or not as the case may be), how they are constructed, the differences in meaning – context, literal and otherwise, the variances in understanding as determined by culture and how these relate to participants on an individual basis, i.e., their preferences and why
- learn how to use humour in their work (or other) settings by taking into consideration a number of factors including target group, context, environment, the type of humour to be used, how to apply the humour including confidence, tone, communication, message and delivery
- understand much better how culture impacts upon humour, cultural differences in the types of humour that exist and also cultural differences across countries, regions and nationalities and how these influence perception and judgement – this helps to contribute to cultural competence in that participants are much more aware of how to behave around others from different backgrounds
- better understand their own humour, how they use it, it’s strengths and weaknesses, where it is applicable and when it is appropriate by participating in a number of activities that tests their assumptions, beliefs and perception
- develop greater self-awareness including sensitivity, care and foresight and being better able to manage decision-making and exercising self-control
- increase their confidence of and capacity for humour by participating in a wide range of activities where they have to take on various roles including acting out different scenarios (impromptu or otherwise often against time constraints), clowning and characterisation as well as developing and contributing to the development of ideas in response to given tasks
- consider their learning style with regard to humour by working alongside others in various activities and where they ‘sit’ with regard the ‘Heart, Head, and Hand’ model which underpins delivery of the programme
- develop a stronger ‘grasp’ of how they can use humour in their work setting and/or through follow-up activities with other programme participants by introducing ideas to the Action Planning phase of the training programme
So after all that what’s our key message you ask?
Well, it’s quite simple, Health is a major contribution to Well Being and ‘Humour Is Serious Business’ is a major contribution to health so please ‘buy’ into our message and invite us to share our ‘product’ with you!! Come join us on our journey to spread laughter and joy.
[1] Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, Stiglitz, J., Sen, A., Fitoussi, J-P. (2009), http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr
[2] Five ways to wellbeing Aked J., Marks Nic., Cordon C., Thompson S., nef (new economics foundation)
[3] Redeeming laughter: the comic dimension of human experience, Berger P., (1997),
[4] Humour, http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/humor/humor
[5] Ideas that Changed the World, Fernando Arnesto F.,2003
[6] Laughter is the Best Medicine, http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm
[7] http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/humor/humor
[8] The pursuit of happiness, you inalienable right, Phillips S. Dr., http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/blogs/pursuit-happiness-your-inalienable-right
[9] 21 hours Why a shorter working week can help us all to flourish in the 21st century, nef (the new economics foundation)
[10] Laugh your way to Happiness, Lesley Lyle L., 2014
[11] Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, Stiglitz, J., Sen, A., Fitoussi, J-P. (2009), http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr
[12] ‘Very happy people’ Diener E, Seligman MEP (2002) Psychological Science 13: 81–84.
[13] Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, Stiglitz, J., Sen, A., Fitoussi, J-P. (2009), http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr
[14] Laughter is the Best Medicine, http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm
