Share your humour with others and grow closer
by laughing together.
Humour is a great way to cool it down. When everyone is tensed up about something, a funny line can make it all seem better. Nothing has actually changed except for the mood but that makes a huge difference.
They say laughter is the best medicine. However, like any medication, you need to use the right dose of humour for each condition. When a friend feels sad about low test scores, you might make him laugh by saying something funny. Crack a joke at a funeral and you can expect angry glares instead. And so, it is important to know when (and how) to use humour.
Humour can be unifying – jokes make people in a group feel closer to each other. Laughing together is a bonding experience.
For that to happen in a good way, the jokes need to be kind and gentle. Avoid sarcasm or putting down anyone. Comedians often do the exact opposite – many of their jokes are sarcastic put downs.
A great exception is Ellen DeGeneres. Maybe, that is why she is such a beloved comedian. She cracks jokes throughout her TV show without using mean words about anyone.
How do people like Ms DeGeneres make us laugh so easily? Their secret ingredient is playfulness. A playful mind can find humour in even the most ordinary situations. And, you don’t have to be a comedian to do it. For instance, the artist Paul Klee was being playful with words when he said, "A line is a dot that went for a walk."
Hence, the trick is to relax and let yourself think playfully. When you do, you are far more likely to see humour in things even when they go wrong. Find the right words to express what you see as funny and you might just lighten up a bleak moment for those around you.
- MARY GEORGE
They say laughter is the best medicine. However, like any medication, you need to use the right dose of humour for each condition. When a friend feels sad about low test scores, you might make him laugh by saying something funny. Crack a joke at a funeral and you can expect angry glares instead. And so, it is important to know when (and how) to use humour.
Humour can be unifying – jokes make people in a group feel closer to each other. Laughing together is a bonding experience.
For that to happen in a good way, the jokes need to be kind and gentle. Avoid sarcasm or putting down anyone. Comedians often do the exact opposite – many of their jokes are sarcastic put downs.
A great exception is Ellen DeGeneres. Maybe, that is why she is such a beloved comedian. She cracks jokes throughout her TV show without using mean words about anyone.
How do people like Ms DeGeneres make us laugh so easily? Their secret ingredient is playfulness. A playful mind can find humour in even the most ordinary situations. And, you don’t have to be a comedian to do it. For instance, the artist Paul Klee was being playful with words when he said, "A line is a dot that went for a walk."
Hence, the trick is to relax and let yourself think playfully. When you do, you are far more likely to see humour in things even when they go wrong. Find the right words to express what you see as funny and you might just lighten up a bleak moment for those around you.
- MARY GEORGE
