Educators: Taking Humor Seriously

Got stress?  You are not alone!  Educators are feeling the impact of an escalating focus on accountability, requirements and mandates. The purposeful use of humor can rescue educators from the stress of these increased demands. While stress reduction is considered one of the most important benefits of humor, there are numerous additional benefits. 

RESEARCH BASED HUMOR BENEFITS

1.     Captures and retains student attention

2.     Expands student comprehension

3.     Increases the opportunity for memory retention

4.     Builds relationships with students and colleagues

5.     Creates a nurturing environment for learning

6.     Supports classroom management

7.     Helps people cope

8.     Decreases depression

9.     Enhances the joyful craft of teaching and learning

10.   Is fun!

HUMORPHOBIA EXISTS

I have been continuously amazed at how challenging it is to incorporate fun, laughter, and humor in educational systems. The higher the grade level, the more difficult it can be to implement humor practice. Some adventuresome high school teachers use cartoons and puns, but often anything else is dismissed as too elementary or childish to be considered.

A high school teacher said,  “We’re not supposed to have parties, although some teachers secretly do. In our school system the clowning and parties need to be kept at the elementary levels.”  When a teacher that I know was moving to second grade after teaching kindergarten for several years, the principal came to her and declared: “now you won’t be able to sing anymore”.  Students in fifth grade told their teacher they were “too old” to have fun anymore.

These are not isolated examples. It takes courage to practice humor especially in school cultures that are focused on accountability. Therefore is imperative that educators clearly understand and be prepared to articulate their goals when initiating humor. Feel free to share the above ten reasons why humor can and should be integrated into education.  (Morrison, 2008) Many teachers are stressed by needing to spend a great deal of time in preparation for state and federal testing. Many are saddened by the fact that there seems to be little time for fun or creativity. The fact is that the purposeful use of humor can help prepare students for that testing.

HUMOR CAN INCREASE STUDENT LEARNING

·      Put a different riddle (based on curriculum) on the bulletin board each day. Students can guess the answer and put the sheet with their name on it in a riddle box. Silly prizes can be awarded for the correct answers. This can be a school-wide activity.

·      A  “Humor Haven” encourages creativity. Provide a small area in the classroom with a mirror and props. Students can choose to become a colorful character in history (related to the content). Drama, storytelling and writing can be integrated as a way to make characters come alive.

·      Joke and riddle books excite even the bored child. Make sure that there is a humor section in the library.

·      Begin each day with a joke or funny story chosen by one of the students. This is a great way for the class clown to shine.

·      Once a week the principal can invite a student to read a joke over the loudspeaker.  Stories and jokes written by students can be shared in the school newsletter.

·      Greet students with secret visual signals that give them a clue about the lesson for the day—any goofy move will do. Refer to the signal when they leave as a reminder of the key point you want them to remember. A study of the cells could initiate a “cell” phone conversation. Three fingers in the air might indicate the three vital things they need to learn that day.

·      Have the students create tests by having each read a part of the text from which they need to create a riddle or a question in the form of a pun. These questions can be used in the actual assessments. 

The above activities are contributed from educators during humor workshops and from numerous classroom visits.  I know there are many educators who do take humor –seriously!  Feel free to share your comments about your humor practice. 

“Don’t take life too seriously –you won’t get out alive!

The information and research has been adapted from Morrison’s book, “Using Humor to Maximize Learning; The Links between Positive Emotions and Education”.  Additional resources can be found on the Humor Quest web site. http://www.questforhumor.com/

Humordoomers; Bullying Behavior

January can be a cold and depressing month in the Midwest.  Trying to liven up my workplace during a particularly dark day, I suggested that we plan a "Hawaiian Day".  We could put on music, bring in beach foods,  pictures of sunny vacations. and have a trivia contest. In the midst of my excitement and during the crescendo of my planning, one of my co-workers looked at me with a sneer and said, "You don't have enough to do--do you?"  It was as if I was hit over the head with a conch.  

Thus the term, "humordoomer" was created, a definition that evolved from my reflections on this office event.  I wrote extensively about this in chapter 4 of my book, Using Humor to Maximize Learning.  The title of the chapter is: Hurtful Humor is No Laughing Matter.  

"A humordoomer is a person who consistently uses negative humor to control and manipulate others. Humorphobia breeds humordoomers, skilled crafters who use subtle techniques to suppress humor in the workplace. Humordoomers are usually unhappy individuals stressed by the dual demands of accountability and limited time constraints; they’re pessimistic leeches that can suck the humergy right out of you. Grown in a petri dish of fear and anger, these folks are threatened by joyful energy and enthusiasm. They often use humor to manipulate others and to maintain a level of control of their world. Their negative humor reflects their unhappy immersion in the confining straits of a workaholic world. Often their techniques are so woven into the fabric of a culture that not only are they unaware of their own webbing effect, their unsuspecting prey are oblivious as well."

Bullies are often humordoomers.  They use humor as a weapon to belittle and make fun of others.  There has been a lot written recently about bullying behavior, but not much on how they use negative humor control and manipulate others.  Again, this is  addressed in my articles on humor. 

"A bullying type of humor can be used to control what happens in relationships. When making fun of others, bullies are usually expressing internal fears because they are unable or unwilling to recognize their own emotional needs. Humor becomes a weapon of the bully, when used with the intentional purpose of wounding another.

"Bully behavior is frequently portrayed in the media as an acceptable method to express frustration, hostility, fears, and anger. The use of mockery and sarcasm allows the venting of anger. Jokes with the express purpose of making fun of others abound on television, in movies, and on the Internet. Our fears of difference in culture have often been expressed in jokes about Italians, Jews, Mexicans, gays, and religious entities. While often clever, these jokes perpetuate the bully mindset that it’s okay to make fun of individuals or groups. There is research to suggest that this type of humor can lead to violent behavior. "

Think about the humordoomers and bullies in your life.  When I facilitate workshops on humor, people are quickly able to identify these people in their lives.  I am always asked  how to deal with these folks.  There are numerous suggestions in my book as shown from this excerpt. 

"While difficult to deal with, there are some strategies that you can use to stimulate humordoomer reform. Attempt to identify the cause of the negative behavior exhibited by humordoomers and follow this with suggestions for change. This requires a loving attitude and skillful communication. (Note: these negative patterns of behavior are usually hardwired after years of repetition.) The following are strategies to combat stressed humordoomers (who are fearful and overwhelmed):

‑Kill them with kindness and understanding. Often people need someone to listen to them and empathize.

‑Identify the strengths in this person and tell them how much you appreciate this quality in them. It really helps if you have several staff members doing this.

 ‑Ask them what they are going to do to make things better. Encourage any attempts at improvement.

The following are strategies for pessimistic humordoomers (who are habitually negative):

 ‑Smile and say “If you tell me something awful, I need you to tell me three positive things. I just can’t handle negativity today!”

‑Do the broken record routine: “So what’s the good news?” Just keep repeating this with a laugh. If they come up with something positive, cheer and do cartwheels!

And the way to combat angry humordoomers, who are resentful and frustrated with a lack of control in their life and who are unable to express their feelings in positive ways; is to recognize that these folks may actually need more help then you are able to give. If you have the opportunity, suggest that they seek counseling and/or therapy."

Feel free to share your ideas and techniques for dealing with humordoomers  in the comment section below.  Personally, I consciously make an effort to try to include more positive people in my life and spend as little time as possible with humordoomers.  For more suggestions and ideas on what to do about negative folks, do check out my Humor Quest web site.  And join me in continuing to include more laughter and joy in your life!

Don't Laugh- I'm Serious!

"Are you going to make us laugh?"  Inevitably someone asks me this when I arrive to give one of my infamous presentations on the topic of humor.  So I usually say: "Of course not!  This is going to be  a serious session!"  And then they do laugh!

So many people associate humor with joke telling!  And although I do numerous presentations on brain health and humor,  I am not really a "joke teller".  My humor style is usually slight exaggeration, comparisons and gentle teasing.  But the pressure to at least try to tell jokes got to me one day. I had an important meeting to conduct for about 60 people and I decided that I would start with a joke.

After much practice, just to be sure that I remembered the punch line, I was ready.  I got up to the microphone and welcomed people, thanking them for being there.  And I told my joke.  There were a few groans and some embarrassed laughter. I was kind of frustrated because my joke seemed to have bombed.   After the meeting, I asked my good friend why she thought the joke did not go very well.  Somewhat sheepishly she looked at me and asked me if I  knew that the joke had a sexual innuendo  and was kind of naughty. I did not!  Those that know me will realize that I have never "gotten" those kind of jokes. I can only blame this inexperience on my 12 years in Catholic schools.  I still cannot believe that I was so naive, but the real problem is that I really still do not understand the hidden sexual meaning in this joke!

To this day, I remember cringing whenever I thought I saw someone from that meeting.  However, as with most of our life challenges, this story has served me well by becoming a great example in my workshops, of what NOT to do when trying to incorporate more humor in life.

The ability to tell jokes is a valued skill, but the ability to share humergy (the energy that comes from having a sense of humor) is even more important.  For more information on the benefits of humor, humergy and how to purposefully incorporate more humor in your life, check out my web site, Humor Quest   and my book, Using Humor to Maximize Living. 

 

When I Grow Up Wanna Be a Tap-Dancing Gypsy

Last week my 6-year-old granddaughter brought home a beautiful self-portrait. She said that her teacher asked them to draw what they were going to be when they grew up. With great detail my grandchild described the hat, shoes, and fancy clothing that depicted a tap-dancing gypsy. I sought to clarify her goals and after a little discussion, she asked me what a gypsy was. When she found out that it was someone who travels lightly and even wanders form place to place, she was quite satisfied with her decision.

After quite a bit of laughter with my daughter (her mom), I believe that I too want to be a tap-dancing gypsy when I grow up. I love to dance and move and hope that I can always enjoy the activity that comes to express joyful energy. I also know it is a powerful way to keep the brain engaged when the body is moving and active. So the tap-dancing sounds like something that I would like to try someday. 

Traveling like a gypsy and wandering around in a rather random pattern is a way that my husband and I like to travel sometimes. It is exciting to find adventure in new places and meet new people. Our favorite travel experiences have come from chatting with folks along the way…asking for their recommendations of places to explore in the area. Of course we always ask for the hometown restaurants that they enjoy.

 If you are familiar with my books and web site, you know that I believe that play is critical for optimal health and well being for the brain. Play keeps the brain active and engaged. Joyful play is essential for lifelong learning with humergy (the energy that comes from optimism, joy and humor).

 My granddaughter’s goals are mine too. I really never do want to “grow up”. I want to continue to do cartwheels, swing at the park and use the hula-hoop. And a tap-dancing gypsy sounds like an amazing and fun goal.

Becoming a Humor Being

“Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.”

In a nutshell, humor is a fundamental and integral core of our cognitive emotional growth. The fertile ground of trust and the elements of nurturing relationships are required for humor to take root. 

Humor is an often overlooked skill that many people take for granted.   A closer look finds that humor provides enormous benefits, including stress relief, maximizing learning, increasing creativity, improving communication skills, and creating an environment of trust. Humor is inseparable from our whole being. It is intrinsically woven into our emotional and social psyche reflecting our ethics and belief systems. A sense of humor defines the social and emotional psyche known as our humor being. 

Humor is usually thought of as something that makes you laugh or is amusing. However, a sense of humor is actually the capacity of a human being to respond to life challenges with optimistic amusement. There is a synergy evident in people who have such an optimistic sense of humor. Humergy is the energy that radiates the joyful optimism of our inner spirit, reflects our unique personality, and nourishes a healthy mind/body balance. 

When there is a combination of enthusiasm, energy, joy, and hope, there emerges a peak experience that can be identified as a sense of humor. The relatively new field of positive psychology strives to understand and promote the human potential that enables individuals and communities to thrive. Humor is one of the complex cognitive strengths that emerge connecting our basic temperament and our lifetime experiences.

Many people and organizations are contributing to the pioneering field of humor research.  I volunteer on the board of the international AATH (Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor).  The mission is to serve as the community of professionals who study, practice and promote healthy humor and laughter. 

Each person can improve their humor being by engaging in mindful humor practice.  Here are a few suggestions;

• Notice what makes you laugh and keep a journal of the funny things that happen each day.
• Hang out with optimistic and joyful people. Avoid humordoomers.
• Practice laughing out loud.  Choose funny movies, books and television shows.
• Engage in healthy humor practices. 
• Observe your humor style. Notice what kind of humor you prefer-puns, jokes, stories or slapstick. 
• Read my book, Using Humor to Maximize Living! 

A humorist facilitates the capacity of self and others to adapt to everyday events or global change, with laughter and optimistic humor.  How are you nurturing your humor being? 

“If you haven’t got a sense of humor, you haven’t any sense at all.”

Mary McDonald

Stress Causes Brain Shrinkage

The headline in the Dana Press newsletter shouted to me. Stress Causes Brain Shrinkage. My work in exploring the benefits of humor and advocating laughter for stress reduction has been going on for a number of years. So I have had a great interest in the research on stress, but this past month new information has emerged on my radar.

According to The Dana Foundation, A new Yale study shows that stress can reduce brain volume and function, even in otherwise healthy individuals. This study was published Jan 5 in the journal Biological Psychiatry. The amount of gray matter in the brain is actually decreased with stress and makes it more difficult for people to manage stressful situations in the future. This is the first study to show the impact of cumulative stress on the brain in other-wise healthy individuals.

Toxic stress impacts infant development in utero. It is becoming increasingly clear that the stress of the mother impacts the child. The stress of single parenting, poverty, illness and emotional distress all contribute to toxic stress in both parent and child. Unfunded mandates, excess testing, unfair teacher evaluation, lack of funding and stressed children are creating hostile environments in our schools.

There are amazing videos highlighting this research from The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. These videos are free and came to my attention through my participation in Alignment Rockford "Talk2Me programs. I was asked to provide trainings that had been developed to encourage attachment between caregivers and infants. It is such a critical need to encourage parents in the bonding that is so critical for healthy emotional well being. This attachment directly impacts the capacity of the child for learning later in life.

Stress impacts the regions of the brain that regulate emotional and control impulses. Have you noticed that there seems to be a lot of kids with unregulated emotions and numerous students with extreme lack of impulse control? Educators have noticed and are frustrated with the lack of attention to this critical issues. Richard Davidson addresses the research in this video on The Heart Brain Connection.

Addressing the issues of toxic stress will take time, but it is encouraging that the research is now emerging frequently on our radar screens.

So excited that the press release that I wrote for the AATH conference, The Neuroscience of Humor and Education: A Focus at the AATH Conference is hitting the news media outlets in Chicago. This conference takes hours of volunteer planning time and incredible energy by the dedicated members of this humor organization. It is a joy to work with them. I cannot begin to tell you all I have learned from members of this fantastic organization.

This year the conference is in the Midwest for the first time in a number of years. If you know an Illinois teacher who would like CPDU credits--this is a great and fun way to get those credits. Nurses, social workers and counselors also can receive CE credits.

Join us for this Beat the Blues with Humor conference

Have a Heart

Do you remember decorating shoe boxes in grade school for Valentines Day? It was fun cutting out pink paper and edging the lace to make the old box look fancy. Excitement grew as we wrote our cards and dropped them into the boxes. Bringing home that box with all of the valentines and eating the heart-shaped sugar cookies were part of my elementary school memories.

Of course there is not time for this in school today. I do not believe that valentine design is part of the learning standards. You know that there is certainly not time to waste on frivolous activities. Studying for national and state tests are critically important to “show” that our kids know their stuff.

Too bad the stuff they learn will not include the art of having time for heart-felt learning!

Bullying: No Laughing Matter

One of the greatest fears that we have is the fear of being laughed at. Speech classes usually begin with the recognition that many people would rather die then give a speech. No one likes to be the brunt of ridicule and bullies know this. The prevalence of cruel teasing usually increases at the middle school level. The dark humor of sarcasm, mockery and ridicule are controlling tactics used by bullies to manipulate their victims.

Negative humor is often used to express frustration, hostility and anger. If one feels inferior, laughing at others becomes a way to feel superior and this heinous laughter become a weapon in the hands of stressed unhappy individuals.

Bullies are often adept at using negative humor to manipulate others. Control and power are their goals. Humor that is sarcastic, cynical, or mocking results in the recipient feeling helpless and vulnerable. So humor can become a powerful weapon of the bully, when used with the intentional purpose of wounding another person.

Bully behavior is frequently portrayed in the media as an acceptable method to express frustration, hostility, fears and anger. The use of mockery and sarcasm allows the venting of anger. Jokes abound on television, movies and the Internet with the express purpose of making fun of others. Our fears of differences have often been expressed in jokes about Italians, Jews, Mexicans, gays and religious entities. While often clever, these jokes perpetuate the bully mindset that it is OK to make fun of individuals or groups. There is research to suggest that this type of humor can eventually lead to violent behavior.

It is difficult to deal with bullying humor because these individuals often turn the tables when confronted with their negative behavior. They will say things like “Can’t you take a joke?” “I was just kidding!” This is a clever ploy intended to defend the bullying behavior and insinuate that the other person does not have a sense of humor. The fear of being accused of not having a sense of humor is close to the fear of being made fun of.

Please feel free to share ways that you have found helpful to confront the negative humor of bullies. Bullying behavior is prevalent in the news today, but I have not seen much on the negative humor as a weapon of choice by bullies. I will be sharing ideas and resources in subsequent blogs.

Choosing To Teach With Humor

Why should educators choose to integrate humor into all aspects of their teaching?

Within the last 5 years there have been numerous brain science studies that show a direct correlation between the emotions and memory. If you think about what you remember from grade school, chances are your strongest memories are tied to very strong emotional events. Fear is one of our strongest emotions for a very good reason. It protects us from harm. Excess fear can cause stress. Unfortunately this stress has been shown to inhibit learning (Sapolski 1998).

On the other hand. research on the positive emotions is pretty compelling. Barbara Fredrickson from the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill developed the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions to explain the mechanics of how positive emotions were important to survival. According to this theory, the positive emotions expand cognition and behavioral tendencies. Several other studies indicate that strong positive emotions facilitate the learning process- again, we remember that which has a strong emotional context.

Several additional studies show that humor is a great vehicle for nurturing the positive emotions and helping to put information into the long-term memory.

Another fascinating development from brain science indicates l other factors that are impelling reasons to integrate humor in the learning process.
1. We learn with our entire bodies—not just with our ears. The traditional auditory lecture is not a very effective way to facilitate learning. Purposeful games, directed play and physical activity are much more effective ways to aid memory and learning. The trick is to engage students in the learning process. We learn much more when we are actively involved because the brain is firing on many levels.
2. We cannot learn if we are not paying attention. A joke, laughter and fun are attention getters. Humor wakes up the brain!
3. Humor creates a relaxed learning environment. Fun is actually conducive to creating a stress-free learning environment.
4. The number one characteristic that students want in a teacher is a sense of humor

Never take life too seriously, you won’t get out alive.

Humor Benefits both Mind and Body

One of the benefits of humor is that it contributes to Mind/Body Balance.

“Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere.” Unknown

A sense of humor can create a remarkable feeling of control over one’s life. Learning to use humor as a lens for life challenges can increase confidence in one’s own internal ability to adapt. The optimistic energy that comes from humor enables individuals to embrace difficulties with resilience. Some individuals purposefully use laughter to ease pain and promote physical healing. There is some experimental research indicating that laughter/humor might actually cure illness and may provide effective therapies for numerous disorders. Some claim that laughter relieves pain, reduces stress, and improves the immune system response. (Harvey, 1998) Although these studies are preliminary, and no firm conclusions can be made as yet, many of the findings are encouraging as to the benefits and applications of positive humor.
Got stress? The purposeful use of humor can help you feel more optimistic about your life, knowing that you can choose how to respond to stress. Humor elevates mood and has been known to be a deterrent to depression. Stress reduction is considered to be one of the most important benefits of humor. A little humor will go a long way in helping educators balance the current focus on accountability, testing, standards and unfunded mandates.

This is an exerpt from my book, "Using Humor to Maximize Learning"

Humor Is Contagious-You Might Catch It!

It can spread rapidly! There is no known cure. You can catch it from your parents and other important people in your life. You can also spread it to everyone you meet. Humor is a tonic that is available free of charge and the side effects are laughter and fun. The JoyFlow experience of humergy is observed when enthusiasm, excitement, and energy are bubbling from individuals who are passionate about their work. This synergy is experienced in an environment that is humming with the spirit of joyful learning. Humergy is reflected by the excitement of those individuals who exude a zest for life and a quest for knowledge.

There are numerous benefits derived from humor. Humor is an oft overlooked skill that has many benefits. These include providing stress relief, maximizing brain capacity for learning, increasing creativity, improving communication skills and creating an environment of trust. Humor is inseparable from our whole being. It is intrinsically woven into our emotional and social psyche reflecting our ethics and belief systems.

The numerous definitions of humor include that which makes one laugh or what is amusing. However, a sense of humor is the capacity of a human being to respond to life challenges with optimistic amusement. There is a synergy that is evident in people who have such an optimistic sense of humor.

Humergy is the energy that radiates the joyful optimism of our inner spirit, reflects our unique personality, and nourishes a healthy mind/body balance. (Morrison 2004)

Note---Several above passages are excerpts from my book:

Using Humor to Maximize Learning