Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

In spite of bad news … bad  breath … bad weather … and bad managers … don’t forget to laugh! Have you ever noticed how people gravitate to others who laugh and make others laugh? No coincidence…. Did you also know that the brain has detectors – which are there to respond to laughter in ways that trigger neural circuits in ways that brings more laughter? In the vernacular … laughter is contagious.

Laughter can dilute the bad from news and help you cope … because it lowers stress and opens your brain to new possibilities. Laughter can also be a great connector because it brings people together who are attracted to the lighter side of life….

I liked Christopher M Knight’s Top 7 Tips to Laugh … Increasing research shows the importance of laughter for a healthy mind.  Did you know that a funny movie can boost a healthy flow of blood to your brain?

1. Identify what makes you laugh and actively look for those situations. Your brain will actually help you find it when you decide to focus on more fun and games!

2. Watch at least one funny movie per week, and play funny cd’s or tapes in the car while driving to work (excellent way to get over morning moods!).

3. Make fun of what you actually fear. See the comic side in your fearful thoughts, exaggerate them and make them ridiculous.

4. Act silly and make other people laugh; that will get you sniggering too.

5. Have a roll on the floor with your kids or your dog. Try a pillow fight for a change.

6. Take some laughing yoga classes; they’ll get you cracking up.

7. Laugh at yourself each and every day. If you can make the problems you face funny, or at least see them in a different light, they will probably cease being a problem.

Joel Goodman, director of the Humor project,  showed in an interview how to mixes laughter with play and he too calls for more. How about you?

Bad news and cranky managers are here to stay -- but what's funny that could crack up your day?