Benefits of Humor For The Employer Hearty laughter reduces stress by lowering blood pressure and releasing endorphins, which in turn helps employees be more productive, efficient, energetic and focused. It also boosts the immune sytsem, which means healthier employees and fewer sick days. Benefits You Can Offer Your Employees Remember the words of Elbert Hubbard, “Don’t take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” Research has shown that humor has both physical and emotional benefits. Hearty laughter, in particular: * makes the heart beat slow and steady * relaxes the muscles of the face and abdomen * releases endorphins (the happy chemicals) into the body. Following are 3 humor skills with accompanying recommendations, taken from a playshop Linda led for purchasing professionals to help them move from humor-impairment to humor-improvement. 1. Take note of the big picture. Perspective is the key to enjoying life. When you are in a challenging situation, ask yourself ‘How important will this be in 5 years?’ Detach - pretend you are someone else listening to the situation being described. Exaggerate it / act it out / make it bigger than life until you can see it for what it is: what’s going on in that moment? Give yourself a break and allow yourself to feel what you feel; you might need a little space and time before you can look at things more objectively. 2. Keep a playful attitude in the workplace. Surround yourself with things that make you laugh and feel good - jokes / cartoons, flowers, photos, people who support you. Make time to exercise. Give yourself quiet time to breathe, go for walks, do anything (that doesn’t hurt yourself or others) to change the channel for a while. Brainstorm with others - recognize the resources that are at your fingertips. Listen to music that soothes your soul and lightens your spirit. 3. Being alive isn’t a choice; joy is. Practice it. To be fully present is an exercise we get to practice our whole lives. Whenever you catch yourself living for a future vacation or complaining about the past or other people, take the opportunity to bring yourself back to the moment. Notice if you’re breathing, pay attention to the breath, empty your mind whenever possible. Allow your own unique creativity to arise and know that from the quiet space comes the delight of being alive. Fill your life with music, children and dogs (if you like these things). If you don’t like them, find what makes YOU feel great. It could be a simple geture you do for someone else at work or volunteering to entertain at a nursing home or singing in a group. If we don’t discover and follow our passions, we’re in danger of becoming dried-up old prunes before our time. If you love prunes, I guess this is OK but why not add some blueberries and have a fruit-salad feast instead?