Humor Benefits

Psychology, Laughter and Humor

September 2, 2009

I recently found a fascinating presentation by Alleen Nilsen and Don L.F. Nilsen that explores the psychology of humor.  The PowerPoint contains more slides for references than it does content, so you know it’s a great consolidated work of a number of studies looking at humor and psychology. Some highlights from the presentation include a [...]

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Neuroscience Sheds New Light on Creativity

June 24, 2009

According to an article in Fast Company adapted from the book Iconoclast, advances in neuroscience have shed new light on the key attributes of creativity.  What amazes me is that many of the discoveries re-enforce the value of improv in stimulating the creative process. Some of the main points on creativity: “The important elements for [...]

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Acting Out: Improv Exercises Cultivate Team Building

June 18, 2009

Improv exercises can cultivate team building, customer service skills, brainstorming, and more according to an article I recently read from HRMagazine.  The article, which shared business cases from various corporations, covered some of the basic ways improv can benefit the workplace.  Some highlights include: “Many theater professionals have realized that the very rules improv is [...]

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Anecdotal Evidence Suggests Humor has Connection to Employee Performance

May 21, 2009

I recently came across an interesting paper titled Humor in the Workplace: Anecdotal Evidence Suggests Connection to Employee Performance. The topic of the paper covers both studies and anecdotal evidence regarding the value of humor in increased workplace productivity.  Some highlights include: Humor is “one of the soul’s weapons [used] in the fight for self-preservation.” [...]

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Better Business Through Improvisation

May 6, 2009

Joe Keefe says, “Good humor means good business” and I have to say I agree.  Keefe, co-founder and executive producer of Second City Communications share his thoughts on business and improv in the FastCompany article Stage Coaches by Zoe Barton. Some of the key points include: “Businesspeople need to learn to open themselves up to [...]

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Using Improv Methods to Overcome the Fear Factor

April 30, 2009

Fear is not something that should be feared.  At least that’s the idea presented in the article Using Improv Methods to Overcome the Fear Factor by Tom Yorton, president of Second City Communications (available for purchase at Wiley InterScience). The article discusses how and why improv can be effectively used in the workplace to overcome [...]

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Laughter is Good for the Heart

April 8, 2009

A study from 2000 details yet another benefit of humor / laughter: “Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help you protect yourself against a heart attack.” The study surveyed 300 people, half of which had heart problems and half of which had no history of heart disease.  The people who had suffered [...]

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Ha! Laughing is Good for You!

April 1, 2009

According to an article on Canadian Online Explorer, children laugh up to 25 times more per day than adults.  I think it’s about time we take that back!  To get started, check out some office humor and have yourself a chuckle. Other interesting facts from the article: Adults laugh, on average, 15 times per day [...]

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Optimism Can Make You Rich

March 16, 2009

In a recent study of 5,000 individuals, those individuals classified as “wealthy” possessed common traits like optimism, resilience, grit, and curiosity.  Jean Chatzky, auther of The Difference and commissioner of the study, also shares a few more of the benefits of humor in a Reader’s Digest interview: “…optimism is a wealth magnet.  Study after study [...]

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Laughing All the Way to the Bank

March 2, 2009

A study of executives shared in the Harvard Business Review showed a positive correlation of an executive’s pay to the number of times they used humor.  The study, shared in the article Laughing All the Way to the Bank, looked at senior executives at a large corporation and measured them on their use of humor, [...]

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