Humor: A Bad Rap

"You do WHAT?" Whenever I tell people that I provide workshops on humor, laughter and stress relieve, there is always an amazed reaction. And most people say, "Well that is great-we need more humor!"

Yet there is little awareness of the purposeful use of humor. In fact I have encountered numerous folks who say they do not have time to practice humor or they do not think it really has a place in the workplace. Humorphobia does permeate our culture. There is an entire chapter in my book, Using Humor to Maximize Learning about humorphobia and humordoomers.

There are so many great benefits to practicing healthy humor, that I passionate about sharing this scientific research with others. I am honored to serve on the board of AATH (the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor). "OUR MISSION IS TO SERVE AS THE COMMUNITY OF PROFESSIONALS WHO STUDY, PRACTICE & PROMOTE HEALTHY HUMOR & LAUGHTER."

The very purpose of AATH is to give humor a positive rap. Our members include professionals who incorporate humor and laughter into their lives and work, people committed to humor and laughter, scholars and researchers who study humor and laughter, and all who feel they would benefit from this organization. Humor and laughter are used to enhance work performance, support learning, improve health and as a coping tool

As the Chilean miners emerge from their dark hole, it is obvious that our entire world is hungry for joyful news. This story has mesmerized the media. It almost seems to be a relief to be talking about "good news" for a change. We are usually immersed in negative media mania. Help us share the good news.

Create your own good humor rap. Check out the AATH web site and join the incredible people in AATH as we promote healthy humor. Our conference will be April 7-10 at Disney World in Orlando. Since I am the conference coach I can tell you that this year will be another "knock your socks off" event. You do NOT want to miss this opportunity to laugh, learn and practice humor.