Over the past couple of weeks friends have sent me funny messages connected to Donald Trump’s mysterious tweet – covfefe:
I have no idea why he typed “covfefe” in a tweet. I am guessing it was a typo, but regardless of how you feel about Trump or his politics, there have been some hilarious responses to his typo. I did particularly like Hilary Clinton’s comeback, “People who live in covfefe houses should not throw covfefe”. I had a good laugh at that one. It’s impossible to overestimate the power of laughter. A bit of humour can make a charitable cause more appealing. Laughter can make a difficult situation bearable. It’s even good for our health.
Laughter Makes us Better Operators
Laughter can also help us be better operators at work. I read on the American Entrepreneur website that a study by Harvard and Pennsylvania University found that people who were made jokes at work were perceived as more confident and competent than other employees. The Entrepreneur website also referenced a study by VU University in Amsterdam and the University of Nebraska that found that meetings filled with laughter increased worker productivity and teams, who laughed together, came up with extremely innovative solutions.
Laughter Lowers Blood Pressure
There is also a lot of truth in that old expression, “laughter is the best medicine”. Research has found laughter lowers blood pressure. It also reduces stress hormones, such as cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline) and dopamine. Laughter can act as a mild anti-depressant by boosting the production of serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. Laughter also works as an effective distraction from situations that cause anxiety and anger.
Laughter Strengthens your Immune System
Laughter also strengthens your immune system. Laughter stimulates antibody cells – they develop at faster rates and so can fight off illness and infection easier. A good laugh works your abs. I don’t know about you, but I find laughing more appealing than sit-ups. When you laugh your body releases endorphins, a feel-good chemical and natural pain killer and laugher can help you look younger. Around 15 facial muscles are needed to produce a smile or laugh. This lifts blood flow to the face and increases circulation into the smallest of capillaries which helps to retain a fresh-faced look.
Laughter Increases Empathy
Laughter also prompts your body to release a chemical called oxytocin or the ‘empathy hormone’. Oxytocin helps bond individuals together, as it makes humans more empathetic to others. Therefore laughter is good for building teams at work, socially and on sports field. A combined study by Aalto University in Finland and Oxford University found that when people laugh together socially, they release endorphins in the brain that create pleasurable and calming feelings. These chemicals make people feel safe and bonded together. In the study, subject’s brains were scanned twice. The first scan was after they sat alone for 30 minutes. The second followed after 30 minutes of watching comedy clips with close friends. After the session of social laughter, endorphins were released in three different parts of the brain, but no endorphins were released after sitting alone. According to the study, only humans build relationships through laughter.
Laughter for Career Advancement
The US president Dwight D. Eisenhower said “a sense of humour is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done”. Michael Kerr, author of The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing all the Way to the Bank told The Forbes magazine that the amount or type of humour in a workplace depends on the office culture. “In workplaces that encourage people to be themselves – that are less hierarchical and more innovative – people tend to be more open with their humour,” he said. “Even people who aren’t always comfortable sharing their humour tend to do so in more relaxed environments where the use of humour becomes second nature with everyone’s style.”
A Robert Half International survey found that 91% of executives rated a sense of humour as important for career advancement; while 84% felt that people with a sense of humour did a better job. A Bell Leadership Institute study found that the two most crucial traits in leaders were a strong work ethic and a sense of humour. Of course in Australia, office humour must not break any of the federal anti-discrimination laws, or a few jokes won’t advance your career but could instead end it. Lynn Taylor, workplace expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant, said “well-placed humour that is clever and appropriate to a business situation always enhances an employee's career.”
Laughter Acts as Social Glue
University of Oxford professor Robin Dunbar believes that most primates maintain social contacts by grooming and ridding each other’s fur of parasites. This social toileting leads to a release of endorphins, but shared grooming is hardly appropriate to the office. Professor Dunbar found social laughter resulted in a similar chemical response in the human brain, which helps strengthen our work and social networks. Laughter is also contagious, and easily spread through large groups. Sophie Scott, a neuroscientist at the University College London, found that the human brain responds to the sound of laughter. It then preps the muscles in the face to join in the fun. Mark Twain said, “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand”. Laughter is not only good for your health as an individual, but laugher is also a social glue that bonds people together. When you are next with a group of people – either at work, together as volunteers, or at a social function – give them a gift and make a joke!
To end today’s blog, I’m going to give you a gift. Pinterest has a very good collection of very bad newspaper headlines. I hope at least one will give you a giggle:
ABOUT PAT MESITI
Pat Mesiti is a best-selling author, coach and educator in the area of personal development. Having built some of Australia’s largest people-driven organisations, Pat understands the power of harnessing human potential. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s great business minds and has sold over millions of copies of his books and materials.