A Very Happy New Year
New Year’s resolutions are alive and well and definitely have trends. Do you have one? How’s it going? Is it one of these? Dry January is a up there as a favourite. How did that go for you? Are you relieved it’s over or was it a blessing to give up the grog after a heavy party season? The latest fad calls for us to look after the planet as well as our livers and might find you in the final throes of Veganuary. In an attempt to be happier you may have decided to be kinder or extend greater gratitude – or maybe, like me, a commitment to losing some of those lockdown pounds through more regular exercise. Whatever your New Year’s resolution is, how do you keep it going?
We hear the word sustainability a lot, which is just about making stuff stick. What makes things sticky? Well, simply, we need to see a benefit to doing it and feel some kind of reward. In all the research and work we do with laughter, one thing is clear – people love it and want more of it – but I never hear a commitment about getting more of it as a New Year’s resolution. In her book, ‘Top Five Regrets of the Dying’, Bronnie Ware spoke of one wish that her end-of-life interviewees had expressed. What they wanted more of in their lives was laughter. Not a six pack, not more money, not even a cleaner conscience – but more laughter.
Of course, that’s easy to say, but in a world where good news is hard to find and our best laid plans are being curtailed at the last minute because of new restrictions or a double red line, how do you get more? People are working longer hours and the impact of the pandemic on our mental health has been, at best, detrimental. We are connecting face to face less and less and home and work are blurring. Laughter can feel in short supply.
However, laughter is readily available if you look for it. We know that you laugh more with people you love than those you find funny, but that you also connect through laughter which can be bought about by humour. Where are your funny friends and when was the last time you saw them? They are not just great company, but they are good for your wellbeing. Give them a call. Tell them you need to see them because they will improve your mental health – it might be the perfect ice breaker.
In our work we talk about the benefits of levity in the workplace. Where are the opportunities to laugh when you have back-to-back online meetings, or if you have to stand 2 metres apart and talk through masks? Laughter is there, still, lurking, waiting to be found. Sometimes, it’s okay to laugh at the things we hold so serious. Professional behaviour does not need to be undermined by laughter, fun or joy at work. Leadership is improved by greater authenticity and managers are more likely to hire someone with a good sense of humour – these are calls for us to laugh more at work. Similarly, our roles as parents do not have to be about endlessly shaping and developing our children to be and become their best selves. Children are full of joy and our levels of laughter start to plummet in adulthood – they can really teach us a thing or two in this space. In order to connect and support our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others, we need to laugh together. It is an innate human behaviour that demonstrates trust, love and connection.
At Laughter Lab we talk about taking laughter seriously. We do not advocate trivialising important matters or advocating trite behaviour; authenticity is key to maximising the psychological benefits of laughter. What we ask is that we lighten up a bit at times when it is okay to do so. I’m pretty sure that there are plenty of circumstances where the mood could be lifted, productivity could be improved or creativity could be found through sharing a laugh. How about a New Year’s resolution of increasing your laughter levels by 10-15% every day. Pick a person to laugh with or maybe time of day, like a particular meal – lunch with friends or breakfast with the children or start that next phone call with a laugh. Whatever you do, go into that experience open to and looking for laughter. It’s there, we just need to open ourselves up to it.
We take laughter seriously and we know that this works and we know that people want more of it, so you are not alone. The more we all explore this untapped, free and accessible wellbeing resource, the better we will feel.
So, pick a resolution that will stick well into February and beyond and help to generate that contagious effect that laughter has.
Jane