It’s good medicine to laugh. It’s even better to have a belly laugh. This is a great way to begin the day, a meeting, the school year. According to Psychology Today, “A hearty chuckle releases endorphins, feel-good neurotransmitters and endorphins are part of the reason laughing is so contagious. Laughing also has many health benefits such as increasing blood flow and improving mental and physical resilience. In fact, it’s not unlike a vigorous workout session.”
Interesting facts:
“The eminent psychologist on laughter, Robert Provine, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland, agrees that laughter isn’t really about humor. He contends that it’s more about relationships. Cutting-edge humor straight out of Comedy Central is great, but people actually laugh more in conversation and through interaction. Provine has unearthed a few facts on laughter including:
- Laughter bonds people through prosocial behavior
- It’s a contagion
- Women laugh 126 percent more than men
- Mating would be nowhere without it
- Men want to generate laughter and they need women who will laugh
- Women are commonly laughter appreciators”
Here are some research-supported tips for using humor to increase retention:
Do
- Use humor to enhance classroom joy
- Use humor to develop a sense of community
- Use content-related humor
- Use age-appropriate humor
- “Sandwich” humor between instruction and repetition
Avoid
- Sarcasm
- Cruel or inappropriate humor
- Forced humor
- Off-topic humor
- Too much humor
