Category: Humour

How a Motivational Humorous Speaker can help Teachers Motivate Students with Humor!

quinlanmurray asked:

Motivational Humorous Speakers Teach Teachers

Teachers have the glorious responsibility of imparting education to students. There are fewer jobs more venerable than that of a teacher, for they are entrusted with the task of molding the lives of very young people. Ideally a good teacher has a solid command over her subject of specialization. She is also equally skillful in influencing and help shaping the personality of a student. After parents it’s the teacher that makes an immeasurable contribution in the personality development and academic achievement of the student.

A committed and astute teacher uses motivation profusely. She knows a pat on the back, a smile, and a few good words in praise of hard work done by a student can go a long way in encouraging him/her to do better. Good grades are fine motivators and the A’s help, but it’s the constant motivation of the teacher that works like magic.

Though it’s the responsibility of the teachers to motivate the students to excel in studies, sports, and other constructive activities many teachers do not know the fine art of motivation. Their ignorance about the nuances of motivation makes them poor

Motivational humorous speakers enter the picture here. They teach the teachers about the fine art of motivation by the use of humor.

Motivational Humorous Speakers Teach about Humor

Children are the ones that laugh easily. They are not weighed down by the cares of the world yet. Just making a funny face or mimicking an animal would set them on the course of unstoppable laughter. Motivational humorous speakers know this. They know that once a teacher can make the children laugh, she can lead them like the Pied Piper.

It does take a little work on learning how to make the students laugh in a class. Motivational humorous speakers may suggest telling jokes, funny stories, and how to develop a sense of humor to win the students’ confidence. Students also may be encouraged to tell jokes and relate funny incidents to participate actively in the laughter party of the class. This type of a class atmosphere would motivate even the most disinterested student to pay attention.

Motivational humorous speakers would also teach the teachers as to where to draw the line. Because too much of anything could be bad, all jokes and no study would defeat the main purpose. So lacing their teaching time with a healthy dose of humor, teachers would give their best and can expect the same from the students as well. So if you need help in the classroom with motivation and humor, hire a motivational humorous speaker today!

The Evolution of Classical Satire Into Modern Day Political Humor

Joel Owens asked:

Satire, as defined by the Britanica Concise Encyclopedia, is an artistic form in which human or individual vices, folly, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of irony, ridicule, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to bring about improvement. Literature and drama are its chief means of expression, but it is also found in other forms of media such as film, the visual arts, and political cartoons. Satires had been present in Greek Literature, with Aristophanes as well as in Roman Literature with Juvenal and Horace. Juvenal and Horace’s satires have since then developed according to their perspectives. To Horace, the satirist is a refined man who sees stupidity and insanity everywhere, but is moved to gentle laughter rather than to rage. To Juvenal, on the other hand, the satirist is a respectable man who is horrified and angered by corruption. Horace’s satires are friendlier in tone, thus containing no dangerous attacks against powerful individuals or serious vices. Juvenal’s satires, however, are bitter accusations of the vice and folly of his own times that include most men and all women.

The Elizabethan Period proved to be the Golden Age of Satire as satirists like Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe wrote works that were more direct and straightforward, leaving little room for subtle irony. In Voltaire’s Candide, he showed how having a ridiculously positive outlook on life will still lead to a life with numerable tragedies. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, exposed the cruelty of humanity, and Daniel Defoe’s Jure Divino, the writer made an elaborate and learned attack on theories of the ‘divine right’ of monarchs.

Through the years, satire developed into many forms: the Persian satire, the Elizabethan satire the Anglo-American satire, the 18th, 19th and 20th century satire to name a few. Different satires have developed due to the fact that these satires are responses to the issues present in their period. What started out as poems, books and novels developed in plays, adjusting to the changing times and interests of the public. Similarly, the satires of today’s modern world had developed into political humor, as more people can relate to the issue in this medium.

Political humor is best compared to satire rather than to parody, which is only concerned with mocking an original work. Political humor seems to have developed from Horace’s satires: amusing is but still able to address the issue at hand. Political humor should not be taken as a personal attack against a politician, but rather as an unsolicited advice from an observer. Satire is, after all, developed with the intent of bringing about improvement, and political humor seems to have developed from this literary genre. Politicians who yet to become objects of political humor should not fret about being in the spotlight. According to Maureen Dowd, a columnist at the New York Times, Republican Presidential candidate Barack Obama has not been the object of any political joke by American comedians mainly because “he’s very hard to mock”. He has kept an honest image and he has remained focused and serious in his work. With that kind of attitude, any politician can escape satirical political humor.

6 Tips For Using Humor In Your Marketing

Jj Kennedy asked:

If you know me personally, or have read my articles before, you know I am a goofball. There is nothing subtle about me or my sense of humor. I’m sure a psychoanalyst could write reams of data about what is wrong with me. I’m blatant, crude, way over the top, off-color, and often offensive.

But that is me and my blog, NOT my work as either a consultant or as a marketing executive in my previous life. Because my blog is personal (as I think all good ones should be) it is the genuine me, burrs and all.

However, when I am working with a client, the suit goes on, the language is toned down, and humor, which defines me as a person, is actually rarely used as a marketing vehicle at all. It kills me, but there are SO many pitfalls if used inappropriately, it is often just not worth the risk for a client.

Sometimes I get lucky and a client and their audience have a very similar tone and market as me. In that rare case, our marketing results are just off the charts, but those cases are few and far between.

Being a guy who places tremendous value in humor, I offer these 6 tips for using humor in your own marketing materials. Use at your own risk.

1. Be Genuine

There are many types of humor: Subtle, sarcastic, slapstick, off-color, clever, etc.

What you need to figure out is which one you are. I am definitely the slapstick, off-color type. What can I say – I realize I am a large child, and **** jokes still ***** me up. Compare that to Mikey, a good friend of mine (he hates when I call him that…It’s Mike, thank you.). He has a fantastic subtle sense of humor. He is the type that rarely pipes up, and you really have to pay attention; But, when he says something funny, it is obviously well thought out, and it always frigging kills me.

The point is that there is NO WAY I could pull off Mikey’s type of humor. Because I am so over the top 99% of the time, it would just get lost in the commotion. On the flip side, Mikey would look like a total idiot and loose all respect of people if he tried what I do. You can’t be quiet and mild mannered and then randomly start singing about your love of string cheese in the middle of the supermarket. It just don’t work.

If you are going to use humor, make sure it is your real humor, and not what you think your audience wants. Nothing is more cringeworthy than a joke that receives dead silence. In almost every case it comes from poor delivery, which is usually the result of not feeling 100% comfortable and confident in what you are doing. It works the same way in marketing. If your humor does not match that of your audience, take my advice – Don’t use it.

That was a super fancy segue into our next section if I do say so.

2. Know the audience…WELL

It is so super important to always know your audience when you are marketing. When using humor, it is doubly so. Not all people find the same things funny. Some type of humor (particularly mine) will even turn people away who would otherwise be customers. If your product or business paints it prospects with a broad brush, it is an absolute necessity that you niche out your segments if you want to try a shot a humor. Try your best not to let the segments cross paths.

Why? Because consensus humor is just not funny. If you try to make humor fit every audience, it will not fit ANY audience. If you have ever worked for a large corporation, you know that marketing creative is often brainstormed and approved by a group of marketing execs. I genuinely believe that that type of marketing usually ***** as it is so watered down to reach a consensus that it is also too watered down to earn a customer reaction. The same thing happens with humor.

3. Know how the audience views YOU

I have the luxury of hand picking my audience for my blogs and articles. I have built my sites from the ground up with the same tone and humor the entire time. If you like it, you stay, if not, you leave – and I’m totally cool with that.

When you are working with another business, or as a representative for a business that is not an exact replica of you, this is not the case.

What you really need to figure out is how the audience views you. And that will tell you if the type of humor you are using fits. If your audience perceives you as a “subtle”, then they are probably following you because they are “subtles” too. That tells you that the humor needs to be subtle as well.

Going back to points 1 and 2, if you are not a “subtle” as well, you have two options:

Option 1:. Don’t use humor. or

Option 2: Find a Mikey with a great subtle sense of humor and let him lead the creative.

4. Take risks if you can

The key point of this is “if you can.” This really depends on your type of humor, how risky the material is, and how big the potential upside is.

Everybody knows that the bigger the risk, the bigger the return. I’m finding that out in great detail with my own blog. Whenever I post a article that is a bit offensive and off color, the traffic for those posts usually goes through the roof. My article called “Retards and the Chinese” is a perfect example of this. To sum up, I received a few angry posts and emails about my casual use of the word “retard.” The article that addressed those comments was designed specifically to push peoples buttons and provoke a response. And it really did. But, truth be told, I was biting my nails for the entire week after I posted it. I got lucky, but it could have been a disaster.

The point is that it was a calculated risk. I knew that my audience base was predominately outspoken and thick skinned, so I figured they could take it. I was also very careful to turn the article sympathetic towards me after I ruffled everyone’s feathers. It worked well, but definitely took some time to get just right. I probably rewrote the closing paragraphs about 10 times.

5. Know when to say no

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point being a damn fool about it” – WC Fields

Sometimes humor is just not the right choice. Yes it is fun, yes it can produce fantastic results, but yes, it can also kill you if done wrong. If you find yourself on the negative side of any of the above tips, then just stop. It’s not worth it.

The key to humor is 100% confidence. If you are not true in your humor, if your audience is not into your humor, or if your audience image of you is not congruent with your humor, then your chances of success can not possibly outweigh the potential risks of using it.

Stick with the tried and true marketing vehicles that have worked for you in the past. They will not get the big results you are hoping for, but you won’t shoot yourself in the foot either.

Also, as a final caveat on know when to say no. Some things are just inherently not funny and should not be taken lightly. I wouldn’t recommend using humor under any circumstances to market when people have been injured physically or emotionally or are truly in need of help.

A great example that comes to mind is the recent Cash4Gold commercial that aired during the Super Bowl (I reviewed it and other ads on my blog recently). It starred Ed McMahon and MC Hammer pawning all their goods because they were broke. It was supposed to be funny. Not only did it not work, but it made me feel bad for the stars. If you think about the underlying context of WHY someone would be selling their stuff to a pawn shop and how desperate their situation must be, I think you would agree that there is nothing really funny about that.

6. Thicken your skin

Jokes flop. Even the best comedians will tell you that. If edgy, they will also offend some people. It’s gonna happen sooner or later. My final piece of advice is to grow a thick skin. Not everything will work the first time. As with stand up comedy, humor in marketing often takes a while to work out phrasing and timing.

At my site, I often push the edge on what is “professional.” After all, I am a serious and professional business person. I have a ton of real experience and have made a ton of real money. But that often does not jibe with the image I represent, especially on first impression.

Most people who stick around past the first article will usually become fans –loyal motivated fans – for a long time, but that does come at a price of losing a good percentage of visitors who just don’t get it or cannot get past the apparent professional/goofy disconnect.

That is a trade off I am willing to accept. I am 100% confident and 100% congruent to my personality on my site, so I can weather the comments and criticisms that I occasionally get. If I were not, I’m not sure I would be able to stomach someone truly thinking I am an idiot and what that might mean to my reputation.

I’ll end with a great quote that sums up a lot of what I do on my own site, and being the spaz I am, my general approach to humor. It’s simple, but says quite a bit.

Funny Jokes and Humor – Something for Everyone

IC asked:

Humor is an essential part of our lives, is as necessary as all other fuzzy emotions such as love, anger, etc. It dictates how comfortable we feel at our workplace, with a person we just met and how much money we make (in some cases!). The truth is that without humor we are as good as dead. Humor brightens our day and changes our entire perspective about our daily routines in a second. Yes, that’s the power of humor, it is so big that the entertainment industry is currently is above the real estate market (as far as earnings), but don’t take my word for it, look it up!. A decent comedian in comedy central makes more money than a mortgage broker without having all the work related stress.

Now that we have established that humor is great, an important part of our lives and big business, lets start by analyzing the way humor affects our daily life. If you have a desk job, work within a big corporation, are in sales, etc. you have probably noticed that once in a while there comes a person who with just a few words brightens your day, or there is a co-worker you just can’t imagine being without, no, I’m not talking about being in love, we are referring to humor.

It is a fact that most of the people (91.3% actually) who find a job boring, will end up leaving it in less than 3 months. That is just terrible from an employer’s point of view, they loose money by training new employees every few months. Employers and most companies know this, that is why we often hear, “A company name, the best place to work at”, or during the recruitment process we hear “Our company is a leader of this rapidly growing market and offers a fun environment to work at”. What statements like that usually mean is you’ll be buried in paperwork and running around all day long, but off course some people like to work hard so they are the 1% exception. There is nothing funny about jobs like that but they have to advertise it that way to get people interested.

Every now and then, we come across certain individuals who overcame their environment or simply have a different perspective of life who break the ice with a funny sentence, others simply try to memorize jokes and funny quotes, but when they forget about a critical line of the joke they crash and burn, they know it and so does everybody else but people end up laughing because of “social respect”.

For instance, don’t you feel a bit awkward every time someone who you know, is not a good at telling jokes, and this person constantly tries to break the ice with his/her less than funny jokes?, it has happened to me and everyone. I just wish that for once I wouldn’t be the one saying the bad jokes!.

Not everyone has joke telling talents, and that’s OK. But people who know don’t have such talent shouldn’t attempt stunts like these in public. There are many comedians I can reference to but I’ll quote Ronald Reagan (Yeah, the president). Regardless of his highly stressful occupation (and age), he was a “mentally hilarious” person who knew how to deliver a good-funny line at the right moment. For example:

– When asked by a reporter what kind of Governor he would be (back in 1966), he answered “I don’t know. I’ve never played a governor.”

– When he was asked about the deficit the country was going through he said “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”

– When asked about the Government views on economy, instead of talking about foreign exchange markets, interests, war etc. he said “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

– Or, “Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”

As you see by these few examples show that being funny has nothing to do with lengthy jokes, its all about delivery and honest but simple lines, an average person can understand. By average I mean 93.4% of the population.

Learning how to use irony, juxtaposition and delivery can set you apart from the rest of the boring people, so help change the world for the best.

By the way, did you know that over 95% of all statistics are made up in the spot?; you might just want to keep that in mind!.

The Serious Art Of Writing Humor

Thejendra Sreenivas asked:

It has often been said that everyone likes humor and laughter on our planet. Well maybe not everyone, but almost every person who is normal will like humor provided someone else makes them laugh. And you can always enjoy reading a funny article or book written by somebody. But have you ever considered writing a funny article yourself, or maybe even write a funny book sometime? Even if you know how to write regular articles and books the very thought of writing something funny and showing it to others can turn your blood cold or make your hair stand straight. There are plenty of writers on our planet who can write countless topics in a serious, straightforward manner. But very few know how to add one magical component into their writing to make it more palatable and enjoyable. And that magical component is humor. If you want your writing to be enjoyed by your intended audience then you must add an acceptable dose of clean humor into it. It is the lack of humor that makes most articles and books tasteless even if it contains useful stuff. Writing about any serious topic you are familiar with is perhaps easy, but adding humor to it is very difficult and sometimes even dangerous if you take too many liberties. Hence you must learn some basic rules if you want to write humor and make your stuff enjoyable. And those top secret tips are outlined below.

1. The first rule for anyone who want to write humor is to become bold. Contrary to what most people think humor writers are actually very brave people. You need to develop a thick skin, nerves of steel and become brave slowly day by day. You cannot be funny if you are scared to poke fun at things, issues, people, etc. And you can’t be funny if you’re afraid of embarrassing yourself or lampooning a famous personality. Verbally anyone can be funny, but it takes guts to put the same in writing and let the public read, and maybe the entire world see it. So humorists need a lot of courage to write and publish something funny about an issue, person or a concept.

2. A humorous person has no limit on what he or she can think or write about. You must be able to think in atrocious, ridiculous, crazy, illogical and nonsense terms. Modern management consultants call this thinking out of the box, but I call it old fashioned creativity and humor that has existed from centuries.

3. What is important is that you should make your readers think what you have written is funny. But a person who writes humor you need not look funny, act funny or make goofy antics. You should become a person that nobody would suspect of writing funny and witty stuff. You can be a serious type of person and yet have the ability to write fantastic humor. This adds more spice and an aura of mystery to your personality.

4. Most people think writing humor is simply about saying and writing jokes about other people. But this is only partially true. Top humorists mainly make fun of themselves and not about someone. The best humor is always self directed. Direct the humor towards yourself that way you will not annoy anyone. People will laugh if you make fun of yourself, but they may be outraged if you make fun of them. The most important thing about writing humor is to allow your readers to laugh at you and with you, and then optionally at themselves.

5. Unless your article is for MAD magazine or a pure humor or satire piece with no restrictions, there are various do’s and don’ts that one should follow when writing humor. Don’t use bad language. Don’t make fun of religion, caste, race, physical disabilities, gender or language of anyone. Humor in these areas can start riots on the streets or even start a war. Don’t use real names of people, friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. You will never know how they may get offended. But no one will be offended if you focus on yourself.

6. When writing humor surprise your readers. That is, don’t tell or announce upfront about your funny intention. Don’t tell the reader that they will experience something funny. Let the reader discover that for himself. Use concise, direct and uses simple words that everyone can understand.

7. It is not funny to be always funny. There is a time to be funny and there is a time NOT to be funny. And this is something you need to observe and learn. Something that is extremely funny in one place may not be understood at all in another. Something that is funny on a rowdy football stadium may sound offensive inside a religious place. And in some situations or circumstances you should not indulge in anything funny no matter how irresistible it is to write something hanky panky.

8. A piece of writing can never be final and fully funny in one go. Like a diamond it needs to trimmed, improved and polished as much as possible. You need to review it in terms of using a better sentence, a more mischievous word, rearranging the sentences, modifying to a completely different angle or deleting something that does not seem right, etc. After you think you have finished writing a humor piece revisit it after a few hours or a couple of days. Suddenly you can discover new and better ways of writing the same article that can seem vastly superior to your previous article.

9. Think wild, think crazy but at the same time be moderate so that it does not put anyone, including yourself, in trouble. Often in your enthusiasm words and sentences can flow like a mad river and you may write something horrible that you momentarily think is funny or harmless. But it could be laced with trouble when reviewed carefully. So take care to frequently pause your writing to view it from different angles and from the reader’s perspective. Then you may need to give your writing a haircut and then continue.

10. The final piece of advice is writing humor takes time. To excel in humor is a lifetime job, and is not something that you can learn in a day or two. Don’t think you can read a joke book and start writing funny stuff an hour later. You will have to teach yourself how to be funny. The process is mostly by trial and error, observing other people’s comical situations, mistakes, laughing and applying it on yourself, etc. No one can teach you exactly how to write something funny, but the possibilities of creating humor on anything and everything are limitless.

Yes, There are Limits to Wedding Humor as Well

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:

If there is one thing that is going to lift a wedding speech from the very depths despair, it has to be some patented wedging humor. Weddings are great places to find all sorts of humor and jokes running amok and if you naturally have a funny bone in your body, you would do well to let it loose, especially if you are deep in the throes of writing a speech.

Wedding humor is also great in that, applied generously and appropriately it can breathe life to just about anything that you say. Of course, wedding humor is also a double edged sword. You will need to keep it as clean as possible to account for any children and people with easily offended sensibilities who are listening in, and who might be lurking in the audience.

If you have rowdy or bawdy jokes which are best left in the locker room, leave it for a more appropriate time, and for a group of people who would definitely appreciate those sentiments. Another thing that makes wedding humor a double edged sword is the very nature of the humor itself. Your humor and jokes might be great, but have you ever heard of such a thing as, too much of a good thing?

Yes, there are limits to humor as well, and if you are slated to give a wedding speech, using the clichéd, and non-clichéd, bits of wedding humor can be a great thing and can keep your audience awake for the entire time. But remember to only give a veritable dusting of humor, sort of like the icing on a cake.

Wedding humor can also be a great way to break the ice when you’re placed next to someone you’ve never met before, at dinner. Just remember the punch lines, remember to make it funny and most of all remember to whom it is you’re talking, and about what you’re joking.

If you’re not someone who is comfortable with using humor, and you have trouble delivering a punch line with the appropriate panache, then use it as sparingly as possible. Even wedding humor and jokes can go awry if not delivered in the manner that it needs to be.

That said, if you can bring yourself to deliver even gentle lines of wedding humor, you will find your speech taking off, your conversation skyrocketing and your outlook on life become brighter. Just remember to have a smile on your face, and pretty soon without your even realizing it, it will become genuine and you will find it easier to laugh and make jokes.

Is There A Place For Humor In The Workplace

John Edmond asked:

Lighten up! Okay, that may be hard advice for anyone who hears that phrase on the job, but humor in the workplace is more than possible and without getting served a pink slip either. A good laugh now and then will do wonders for you, as smiling and laughing lowers your stress levels (a godsend in the sales industry), wins you a friendly reputation, and helps your usually tense coworkers and bosses unwind (and thus not take their frustrations out on you). Humor on the job does plenty for your career, but there are some things to know before becoming the office comedian.

Keep in mind that there are some jobs where humor isn’t a good idea. There’s always exceptions to every bit of advice you’ll hear, so have the good judgment to know when your workplace shouldn’t involve humor.

One of the biggest rules with fun in the workplace is to avoid controversy when you’re joking around on the job. It’s stifling, but no one can deny that the current atmosphere of most businesses just isn’t friendly towards controversial or racy humor. Stay away from joking about politics, race and religion, for starters.

Sex is another dangerous topic, though it may be easier to make jokes about *** without offending others, so long as you’re aware of the exact definition of sexual harassment in your workplace and stay well within the lines of decency.

Never poke fun at other people within your organization, as you’re trying to win friends among the people you work with, not alienate them. If you can’t help yourself, be extremely careful with exceptions to the rules and be cautiously creative if you must have some fun with the topics you should avoid.

Poking fun at the very job you do or the industry you work in is a great way to earn some smiles from your coworkers and supervisors. While these types of workplace jokes may not be so funny at home or amongst friends, as they really don’t understand the pressures or quirks of your employment, the people who are around you in your job will certainly appreciate humor about their frustrations and will be able to laugh over situations instead of grumbling.

One consideration for workplace comedy is choosing the right time and place to joke around. Naturally, the best time for some humor is when you’re not working, but still around the people you work with, such as a coffee break, lunch, or during the commute. You can also try to be funny on the job, but when you’re working, it’s a good idea to use humor much more sparingly than you normally do. A tactful wisecrack now and then won’t hurt your career, but if you don’t show some professionalism and good taste, you’re asking for trouble.

Start off adding humor to your workplace slowly, by trying out a few small jokes that you know are safe. All you really want to do is laugh a little and have the people around you smile as well. You’ll feel more relaxed and the tension in the air will drop. You may even give your career a jump start, as people will want to be around you more often.

Recession Proof Yourself With Humor And Laughter

Gerry Hopman asked:

Too many people suffer from chronic seriousitis these days. It shows up in the stren faces, furrowed brows, bad hair days, impatience, up-tight behavior, and loss of persective.

We need tp lighten up! We take ourselves way too serious with disastrous effects to our personal health and wellness. We need to recognize that laughter truly is ‘the best medicine.’

What most of us don’t realize is that by not laughing, we miss out on many health benefits. A good laugh massages face, shoulders and stomach muscles, reduces blood pressure, increases oxygen flow, boosts the immune system, and casues a reduction in stress-inducing chemicals.

Research has shown that laughter works faster than Valium or vodka. The benefits from a good belly laugh can last up to 24 hours. Dr. William Fry, a lughter pioneer researcher found that 30 seconds of hearty laughter equals a three minute physical workout on a rowing machine.

You don’t even need a reason to laugh, even fake laughter is good for you. Thousands of ‘Laughter Clubs’ have sprung up all over the world practicing fake laughter with the same benfits as derived from real laughter.

With the downturn of the economy and the increase of personal stresses, it is important to remember that humor and laughter are powerful stress busters. It is impossible to be stressed when laughing. Laughter provides an instant vacation from our stress,

Humor and laughter clear our minds, so that we can think more clearly and become more creative in resolving our problems. Humor helps us cope with difficult time and situations. It is a known fact that there was more humor created during Worl War Two than any other time in history.

Humor and laughter help to reduce conflict and faciltate easier communication. They quickly help lower the barriers and ease connection with people.. This is a tremendous asset for people caught up in the negative effects of the economy, when having tp pusue other avenues of employment.

Humor and laughter are available to each and everyone of us and at no cost, however, they still remain the most underrated and undervalued tools in society.

A Sense of Humor Increases Creativity

Steve Gillman asked:

Does a sense of humor make for a more creative mind? Perhaps. There are certainly many creative and intelligent people who also like to have a good laugh. Consider the following two examples.

American physicist Richard Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He is credited with the concept and early exploration of quantum computing. He also had a very well developed sense of humor.

Here is how he is described in Wikipedia: “As well as being an inspirational lecturer, bongo player, notorious practical joker, and decipherer of Maya hieroglyphs, Richard Feynman was regarded as an eccentric and a free spirit. He liked to pursue multiple seemingly independent paths, such as biology, art, percussion, and lock picking.” An unusual character, to say the least.

Another example of the combination of a very creative mind with a sense of humor is found in Albert Einstein. You may have seen one of the more famous photos of him, in which he is sticking his tongue out at the photographer. Einstein was known to be very playful and full of laughter.

But is this just coincidence? We are all a collection of character traits after all. Is it possible that Einstein and Feynman just happen to have a well-developed sense of humor – which had no relation to the creative work which they did? Maybe. But there is a more likely explanation.

Sense Of Humor And Creativity

According to brain researchers, three parts of the brain light up when you laugh at a joke. There is the thinking part that helps you get the joke, the area that controls the movements of your muscles and an emotional area that makes you feel good. What makes something funny isn’t as clearly understood, but humor researcher (what a job!) John Morreall believes laughter is a response to incongruities or stories that disobey conventional expectations.

Does that sound familiar? Stories that disobey conventional expectations? That is the essence of lateral thinking. Consider that while other mathematicians and physicists were more conventional, Einstein was imagining himself riding on a beam of light. That’s a whole different approach – closer to the kind of thinking that makes humor possible than to the usual analytical thinking of mathematicians and physicists.

Of course a correlation doesn’t prove causation. In other words, Feynman’s love of practical jokes and Einstein’s readiness to play and laugh don’t necessarily cause more creativity. Instead, it is possible that their creative genius and there sense of humor are both caused (at least in part) by a different way of thinking.

If this different way of thinking explains the correlation between humor and intellectual creativity, then developing your sense of humor wouldn’t necessarily help you to become more creative (although you might be happier). To do that, you would have to change the deeper patterns of thought. But then, what if humor did just that?

Remember that humor lights up three parts of the brain, starting with the thinking part that helps you get the joke. Consider a one-liner, like “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving may not be for you.” A joke like this starts out with a traditional saying (“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”), and then surprises you. It disobeys conventional expectations. It goes in an unexpected direction.

What did the fish say when he ran into a concrete wall? – “Dam”

To “get it,” your mind must go in an unexpected direction as well. In other words, creating or understanding humor is essentially a process, and a practice of lateral thinking. (Lateral thinking is a way of attacking problems from other angles, as opposed to the more traditional linear and logical ways. ) Doesn’t it seem likely that if you exercise your mind in this way, you will also have more ability to think “outside the box” – to be more creative in your problem solving?

Two eggs are in a frying pan and one says to the other, “Gosh it’s getting hot in here.” The other one screams, “Oh my god, it’s a talking egg!”

Many people have observed that the relaxation which often comes with laughter results in greater productivity. This makes sense. It is easier to do good work, and have good ideas when you are less stressed. But beyond that, I think the research will eventually show that developing one’s sense of humor specifically develops a kind of thinking that leads to greater creativity.

Healing With Laughter and Humor Using a Vision Board

Darlene Siddons asked:

Laughter and humor have been popular practices in healing our mind, body and spirit; there have even been medical tests and studies that have proven that this is a beneficial practice in getting and keeping well.

The power of thoughts and emotions can manifest good in our bodies as well as create what we don’t want, just by what we are thinking. Studies have shown that a positive attitude or emotional state can boost your chances of surviving almost any kind of dis-ease, but what is mostly talked about is cancer.

Now it is even common for doctors to recommend different kinds of laughter and humor to their patients as a way of improving their immune systems and other serious diseases. Some of the doctors don’t call it law of attraction, but stick with a more middle of the ground statement of, will to live and/or fighting spirit.

One of the best methods is to have a Laugher and Humor Vision Map Video that you can watch on a daily basis and in the privacy of your home, car or wherever you have an electrical device to watch videos. You can watch this as many times a day you want and create a daily habit of laughing and you can even watch it several times a day. They are fun to watch and they remind you to laugh and to have fun.

Another powerful emotion to use when dealing with illness and/or dis-ease is love and spirituality; these are great for a hopeful and optimistic attitude. Laughter helps overcome the trials of each day, and when you create a way of laughing in the midst of your illness, you automatically shift toward a frame of mind that invites a healing outlook and an intention that you can diminish the dis-ease.

Even though cancer always seems to come up when we are talking about healing ourselves there are many other instances that work well with laughter and humor, such as chronic pain, divorce, death, loss of a home, loss of a friend, credit card debit and I am sure you can think of more.

Work on making it your goal to find something to laugh at every day, and to practice taking yourself a little less seriously and what this will do is lighten the situation you are in to a level that comes with more joy.

When you laugh an enthusiastic laugh it can help to reduce stress, maintain the right blood pressure, elevate mood, boost immune system, improve brain functioning, protect the heart, it can foster instant relaxation, and the reason it does this is that it stimulates production of endorphins, a natural painkiller, and reduces levels of the stress hormone, which contributes to high blood pressure and other conditions.

They now have laughter clubs and groups which have a definite format to increase and teach people how to laugh, it is a great therapy and one of these groups would be a great thing for you to check into and see if you have one in your area. There are also laughter and yoga classes where they combine the two and this is also very effective.

Have you ever noticed that when you laugh really hard, you stop thinking? It puts you right in the present moment and there is nothing better than being in the NOW, as it leaves all of our pressing issues at rest for at least a little while. One way to do this is to learn how to, see funny instead of trying to be funny.

Watch the Vision Map Video first thing in the morning and get your day started right and for sure watch it last thing before going to bed to cleanse all the events that happened during the day.