We’ve all heard the old phrase, “laughter is the best medicine.” Have you ever found yourself in a stressful or tough situation or are merely having a bad day and a fit of giggles seems to turn it all around? It’s because scientifically, laughter truly is the best medicine. The problem is that often in our busy schedules, we tend to take ourselves too seriously and not take enough time to laugh, leaving us feeling more tense than we’d like.
Luckily, applied improvisation provides an ideal environment for laughter! Now some may say this is because applied improvisation is comedy training, but that is not entirely true. Though comedy is not excluded from applied improvisation, it is not required as applied improvisation is training for our day to day interactions, which may not always be humorous. By responding to each other in a real way in improvisation gameplay, we are actively preparing for our real lives where we, too, are always improvising.
Now, because humor isn’t always a given in our gameplay, does that mean we’re not laughing as much? On the contrary, it means we are laughing all of the time! Charna Halpern, founder of ImprovOlympic, emphasizes, “When we’re relaxing, we don’t have to entertain each other with jokes. And when we’re simply opening ourselves up to each other and being honest, we’re usually funniest.” Thus, laughter occurs naturally when we are our most authentic, which is encouraged throughout applied improvisation gameplay. Of course jokes are bound to be cracked at the proper moments, and when they are, we welcome them with more chuckles!
This laughter has several benefits for both our bodies and our minds, helping us to fight illnesses and deal with stress. Here are a few reasons we all need to make more time to laugh:
-Laughter is Contagious: Ever notice that when you’re down, you seek out the friends that help cheer you up? Or a partner with a sense of humor when you go out on dates? It’s because we enjoy laughing with others as being around people who laugh naturally makes us laugh.
-Laughter Provides an Immunity Boost: Studies in the fields of neurology, physiology, and psychoneuroimmunology have found that laughter bolsters our immune system and accelerates our recovery time as it generates cells to fight off diseases.
-Laughter Combats Stress: Just like clapping, laughter releases tension in the body and creates muscle relaxation through the releasing of endorphins.
– Laughter is a Natural Mood Booster: Laughing allows us to release the chemicals in our brains that make us happy!
-Laughter Helps Us Learn to Adapt: The American Psychiatric Association defines humor as “coping with ‘emotional conflict or external stressors by emphasizing the amusing or ironic aspects of the conflict or stressor.’” When we laugh, we see and face our challenges from a different perspective, allowing us to step outside of ourselves a bit and find the humor even where it may be difficult to do so. This further allows us to see our challenges as learning opportunities as opposed to setbacks as we find the positive through laughter.
Evidently, laughter should be a priority in our lives. If you are looking for a sure way to invite more giggles into your day while learning how to become master communicators and problem solvers, applied improvisation is for you. In our structured gameplay, we create a low-risk environment and supportive group dynamic that helps us to be our best authentic selves and share laughter together.
www.christianafrank.com provides personalized tools that are easily customized to meet your team’s communication, collaboration and creation needs. #ChristianaFrankConsulting
As an accomplished educator, curriculum developer, and mentor since 1999, Christiana Frank possesses a deep-rooted passion for guiding teams and individuals towards heightened mindfulness, capacity, and intentionality. She boasts an impressive portfolio of certifications spanning various fields, including but not limited to mindfulness and trauma-informed approaches, Applied Improvisation, and HeartMath.
In addition to her expertise, Christiana offers a wide range of services tailored to meet her clients’ needs. These include leadership coaching, organizational consulting, bespoke leadership training, mentoring, and development services. She is deeply committed to integrating her profound knowledge within her clients’ existing methodologies and frameworks, fostering more robust, healthier systems that consistently yield desired outcomes.
Interested parties are invited to reach out for a complimentary consultation or to engage Christiana and her dedicated team. To get started, please email [email protected].
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1 thought on “Laughter and Improvisation: The Full Proof Medicine”
In my own personal experience, helping someone to laugh is almost always the first step in helping someone to open up. When teaching, students are usually more receptive when they’ve had a few giggles. When meeting a new person, cracking a joke can help lower their guard. When trying to pull someone out of a negative emotion, getting them to laugh provides a quick and easy route to recovery. The people around me that I find to be the funniest are never the ones trying to be funny, they’re the ones being authentic and oftentimes vulnerable. Comedy might be seen as one of the lower forms of entertainment, but there’s a reason every Shakespeare play has jokes.