Whats-So-Funny.Pdf

Quotes

“To be (funny), Or not to be (funny). That is the question.” ~ HAMLET

“I wish Karyn Buxman was my mother.” ~ FREUD

“Follow Dr. Heidi Hanna’s advice, and, follow the Yellow Brick Road!” ~ GLINDA

“When you have something like heart surgery, you appreciate the simple things in life— like breathing.” ~ ROBIN WILLIAMS

“What if the Hokey-Pokey is really what it’s all about?” ~ A BUMPER STICKER

Contents

0. Introduction 7 1. What’s Not So Funny About Stress? 15 2. What’s So Healthy About Humor? 29 3. When Laughing is Better Than Crying 47 4. The How of Healthy Humor 61 5. Rules of Engagement 83 6. Making it Stick 101 7. Habits of Gritty Humor 111

X. Resources and References 125

Introduction

A classic narcissistic, stress really is full of itself. I mean, really. What else in addition to being itself is also the cause of itself and the result of itself?

And the more it sucks you in, the more you think about it, talk about it, obsess about it. It’s more contagious than the flu --- spreading through a look, a sense, and all types technology. It can make you sick, tired, and fat and just like other recreational drugs you crave it when it’s gone.

In today’s hyperconnected disconnected society, we have become hijacked by our brains’ hardwired preferences for more. Deeply longing for more information, more connection and more validation.

When we feel pain, stress and stimulation become the perfect distraction buddies to quiet the voices in our head that tell us: • we don’t have enough • we aren’t good enough • we won’t ever be enough.

There’s nothing funny about that.

We know we need to slow down and take better care of ourselves but find relaxing as uncomfortable as ditching a sugar or caffeine habit so we quickly craft stories to justify its continued overuse.

Stress can destroy your relationships with real, live people, causing loneliness than only powers it still.

Yet, you can’t live without it. For the right type, frequency and duration of stress also stimulates growth and change. It acts like an internal GPS if we’re willing to be aware, adjust, and adapt. Stress shows us where our heart is and where our passion lies. Because if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t stress.

Stress is stimulating, invigorating and connecting, as long as it’s not overpowering, overwhelming or exhausting.

Stress is energy, a force, and a dynamic, often co- dependent relationship. We've been told it's killing us, which only makes it stronger. And that’s not funny either. At least, not in a funny ha-ha kind of way.

Perhaps that sheds some light on my slightly twisted sense of humor.

My favorite giggle-out-loud moments tend to come from life’s inconsistencies and incongruencies. Things that don’t make me go “ha” but make me say “hmm”. Although I used to feel a bit odd feeling amused by what’s “not quite right in and about the world”, I’ve learned through a deep-dive into humor research that being funny is much less important than seeing funny.

And it turns out seeing funny is deeply unique and personal, yet totally common and universal. Yup…I find that funny too.

So, here are the top 5 reasons I think stress is funny. And in a minute, I’m going to share with you a very different point of view. Just so you can start to see how helpful it can be to become familiar with your personal humor style. And how incredibly special it can be to have a healthy humor buddy by your side.

Why Stress is Funny – by Heidi Hanna, PhD

1. It’s a lot like love. And we love love. Until we don’t. Then we really hate it. It seduces us, entangles us, and makes us lose our mind for a bit. 2. It’s almost impossible to define. 3. It’s contagious. 4. It’s addictive. 5. It’s necessary.

But don’t just take my word for it. I’ve invited my dear pal and humor buddy extraordinaire, the funny nurse herself, Karyn Buxman. In addition to being the world’s first (and I’m pretty sure only) neurohumorist, Karyn has been studying and teaching applied and therapeutic for more years than she’d like for me to admit in public.

And it’s Karyn’s fabulous work in her What’s So Funny About series that inspired me to write this book about stress, because once she taught me how to find more funny, my personal relationship with stress was dramatically transformed.

Not only was I able to see the lighter side of life more regularly, the intensity of my challenges with mental and emotional health was statistically significantly improved, and I’ve got the data to back that up.

So, what does Karyn find funny about stress?

Why Stress is Funny – by Karyn Buxman

1. Stressed spelled backwards is desserts—but it’s not something we want to put on our plates. 2. What causes one person distress can cause another person delight. (A colleague loves to sky dive --- my mother taught me never to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!) 3. We get so used to being stressed we think it’s “normal” (I’m fine. I’m Fine. I’M FINE!!!) 4. We don’t have time to take care of ourselves, but we do have time to be stressed about it. 5. I’ll get back to you, I’m too stressed right now!

The truth is, stress is no joke.

However, the situations that arise as a result of our challenges in life can be material for an entire stand- up comedy routine.

A lot of adult humor comes from pain and discomfort --- sometimes our own, sometimes somebody else’s. And if there’s one thing that stress can do, it’s delivering a powerful punch of pain and discomfort.

So, over the course of this book, we’re going to dive into specific strategies you can use to build your mirth muscle and leverage the power of levity in your daily routine.

Each chapter will conclude with an opportunity for you to take one health humor step, and by the time we’re done you’ll have created a personalized plan for a 7-day challenge that’s almost guaranteed to change your perspective on stress for good.

“Comedy is tragedy plus time.” ~ Attributed to every comedian, ever

So, fasten your seatbelt, put your tray table in the upright and locked position, and let’s go!

With love and laughter,

Heidi and Karyn (and Melvin)

1: What’s NOT So Funny About Stress

“Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.” ~ Erma Bombeck

The stress epidemic continues to soar across the globe, despite our efforts to tame it.

Chronic, unmanaged stress has been linked to all major diseases and disorders and is often credited as being the leading cause of death and dysfunction (cue dramatic stress-inducing theme song).

The American Institute of Stress now estimates that 75 – 90% of all medical visits are stress related.

Unfortunately, unmanaged chronic stress speeds up the development of anything that’s already off course in the brain and the body, triggering a cascade of inflammation that leads to increased wear and tear.

In the United States alone, stress is estimated to cost $600 billion a year due to consequences of absenteeism and presenteeism (showing up but not really being “there”), health care costs, mental mistakes, communication mishaps, burnout, and associated expenses like training replacements.

But the most destructive aspect of stress may be that we have failed to clearly define it, which means managing it will continue to remain just beyond our grasp.

Because the term stress has become a catch-all for anything that’s wrong in life, we dump our concerns in our “carry-on luggage”, out of sight and seemingly out of mind, while our stress load becomes heavier and harder to handle.

Our Modern Multitasking Monkey Mind Epidemic (aka the Human Energy Crisis) The problem is not that we don't know what to do; it's that we don't have the energy to put these practices into place.

We know we should eat better and move our bodies more regularly. We know we should get more sleep, take more breaks, and would feel better if we spent more time investing in meaningful relationships instead of surfing social media.

However, after spending two decades coaching individuals and consulting organizations about health and performance initiatives, I’ve learned that common sense is rarely common practice.

There is not enough time in the day to complete every task we could possibly do. There never will be.

And this perception of "not having enough" -- time, money, food, energy, or love -- sends a message to the brain that there is a threat lingering somewhere in the near future.

This immediately triggers our innate stress reactions, designed to motivate us to get more of what we might need. The problem is, if we never sense that we have enough, we will always be in a state of chronic stress -- whether we recognize it or not.

And that can easily keep us stuck in a serious stress mess!

The New Science of Stress When it comes to our sophisticated/complicated species, it turns out that stress is not a noun or a verb but rather a dynamic relationship between the brain’s perceptions of capacity versus demand. When we have what we need to effectively adapt, any need for change can be used as a stimulus for growth.

When resources are inadequate, tension or strain is caused and what initially holds us together at first eventually breaks us apart.

As Robert Sapolsky describes in his seminal book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, most animals experience stress when they realize something truly threatening is in their environment.

Because of our advanced neurological networks, only humans and perhaps a few of our closest relatives (still to be determined) can plan or predict that something dangerous might occur in the future.

In a very protective design feature, our brains create neural networks (or mental maps) that recognize patterns over time and then make assumptions as to what might happen next.

This gets tricky when the patterns we perceive are merely worrisome thoughts, messages passed down over generations, or plots picked up in movies along the way.

Which leads to the good, the bad, and the ugly of our relationship with stress. The good news is, our experience is determined by our perception and therefore can be highly modified be our own mind.

And the bad news is that our experience is determined by our perception and therefore can be highly modified by our own mind.

Depending on our state at the time, our reactions can either help us or hurt us.

The ugly part of our relationship with stress is that oftentimes our minds are not our own, and our brains can turn against us in a misguided effort to help.

Without awareness of our internal dialogue, our thoughts are easily swayed towards others’ goals. The brain’s beautiful sensitivity enables us to feel empathy, compassion, and intuition, and guides us towards creative expression and innovation.

However, if not appropriately focused on our own intentions, the noise of the world around us quickly hijacks our attention.

What’s more, this subtle prompting towards constantly needing more creates a cloudy lens through which we see the world.

The human brain is already wired with sensitivity towards potential threats, causing us to pay about 80% more attention to bad than good. We have about 5 times more fear-based circuitry in the brain than reward, and fMRI data clearly shows we respond much more quickly to danger than delight.

But did you know that even non-conscious cues in your environment could shift you towards a negative state?

We pick up stress cues from others in not just body language and vocal inflection, but also as we experience a shift in our biology that replicates those around us.

Heartbeat patterns trigger an electromagnetic charge that can be fluid or chaotic, and when we experience danger cues from those around us it only makes sense that we would be alerted as well.

My positive pals Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan discovered that listening to just 3 minutes of negative news in the morning increased the likelihood of someone rating their day as negative by 27%!

New research by Brendon Burchard showed that people who check their email within the first 60 minutes of waking up are 30% less productive over the course of the day. Talk about brain drain!

So, if our environment is intentionally designed to trigger our desire for more to make us consume as much as possible, how will we ever break the cycle? How can we disrupt the pattern?

Build a Bigger Mirth Muscle What’s required is not a new set of circumstances but a new lens through which to see the world. Yes, winning the lottery sounds like a really great idea, but research shows that people who actually do make bank in this way are actually less happy after the fact (although I still say sign me up for that study!)

In fact, according to groundbreaking research by Sonja Lubormirsky, only about 10% of our happiness is determined by what’s happening in our lives.

The vast majority is based in our brains. And the great news about that is we also now know that the brain is radically adaptable when given the right training stimulation along with adequate recovery time and proper nourishment.

Ready for some more good news?

Take a guess at what is required to rewire your brain for the better? Yes, healthy eating. And yes, physical exercise too. Sleep, sure thing. Meditation, time in nature, social connections all build a stronger, more resilient brain.

But what’s all that and a bag of gluten-free chips? You guessed it: humor.

And we’re about ready to tell you exactly what’s required to build a massive mirth muscle for a new, radically resilient state of mind.

But wait…there’s still more!

In addition to helping you navigate stress more effectively, using humor strategically as part of your everyday routine is also going to cause the following side effects:

• Stronger relationships • More sex • Bigger paycheck • Better health • Enhanced creativity • Better sex

• On and on and on

Becoming the Boss of Your Own Brain When you fully understand the power of your mind, and you recognize how radically adaptable the brain is underlying your patterns of thought and behavior, I surely hope you’ll realize how important it is for you to become the boss of your own brain.

Knowing you can strategically shape the lens through which you see the world, don’t you want to make that a priority?

Fortunately, our brains and bodies are highly adaptable in a positive way as well. Which is why it’s absolutely critical that we become more aware of what we’re paying attention to, and whether it’s moving us towards too much demand or building more capacity.

So, how do you become the boss of your own brain and transform your relationship with stress for good?

The answer is simple, but it’s not easy.

Because the world around us isn’t about to change to make this transformation a walk in the park. And once you start living like a brain boss, you may start to notice people around you aren’t as eager to commit to the change.

There may be energy vampires you need to steer clear of or Debbie downers you have to drop from your inner circle. Or you may find that as you surround yourself with more smiley Susies and Sallies and Sams and Steves, that those other people don’t deplete you the way they once did.

Because the more you fuel your own capacity to cope with stress, the more you can twist and turn along life’s highway --- speed bumps, road blocks and all.

In the next few chapters we’ll be teaching you specifically how to train and sustain your mental mirth muscle.

Quick Tips: • Notice how often you use the word stress during the day. • Determine a replacement word or phrase you can use instead of stress that’s more accurate or optimistic. • Write out a go-to phrase you can use as a response to the question, “how are you today?” that will create a sense of hope when you’re feeling a bit of despair.

Call to Action: • Start to seek funny by looking back on your day and notice what’s happened that’s silly, ironic or even terribly funny. • Start a journal to write down stressful things that could be tweaked to find some funny. • Join our Beyond Funny FB page and share something funny at www.facebook.com/webeyondfunny.

Notes and Neural Nudges

2: What’s So Healthy About Humor

“If humor was in a pill it would require FDA approval.” ~ Dr. Lee Berk

Let’s look at what makes us laugh.

Usually, we’re not doubled over in hysterics over our great hair, or fabulous golf game, or super-sexy figure. We don’t laugh because we have more money than Donald Trump (and he’s definitely not having a good hair day, but I digress.)

When we laugh, we laugh about the things that make us crazy.

And let’s face it, if you have stress, you’ve got more than your fair share of crazy-making things in your life!

Living a healthy life with serious stress can be tough. There’s a lot involved. It helps tremendously to have a large repertoire of skills. You want a full toolbox of resources to help you navigate the many challenges and changes that come with this crazy thing called life.

Humor is a tool in that toolbox. A powerful tool, but not the only tool . . . Humor isn’t the end-all-be-all of treatments. No responsible healthcare professional would try to convince you otherwise.

What the enlightened healthcare professionals will tell you is that humor has a powerful role to play in your self-care routine.

It is a great tool to complement and enhance all of the other efforts you’re already making. All of those positive investments you make around how you eat, how you move and how you sleep work better and are easier to stick to when you use a solid dose of healthy humor.

Humor isn’t just for comedians! Many people worry that they’re not “funny enough” to benefit from the healing power of humor. They ask us, “Can you teach me to be funny?” And if push came to shove, Karyn could absolutely teach them a short comedy bit that would strategically serve their purposes from time to time.

But it’s not about being funny as much as it is about seeing funny. If you can “see funny,” the “be funny” will fall into place.

Everyone has a sense of humor (although you might need the Hubble Space Telescope to find it in some people). The fact that you’re still reading this book means the chances are even better that yours is a good, positive sense of humor. By understanding what humor is and how it works, you can put that sense of humor to work for you.

But wait . . . there’s still more!

When you start using humor proactively as part of your self-care, stress-mastery routine, you’re going to find that humor helps you in a lot of other areas of your life.

That’s because humor has far-reaching physiological benefits, psychological benefits, and social benefits. Humor makes getting along with other people much easier. Humor is also a social lubricant—it helps strengthen relationships and build rapport; and the more you use humor, the easier it becomes.

And plot twist: there may be another link between humor and stress. As someone who may be starting to see the physical manifestations of too much stress, you’re in the company of some very funny folks.

George Carlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Robin Williams, Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Grizzard, Red Buttons, Peter Sellers, Regis Philbin and David Letterman have all dealt with ill effects of too much stress—and used the experiences in some of their funniest material. (Note we shouldn’t have to point out here: a serious illness doesn’t necessarily make you funny, but it sure didn’t get in the way of the success of these folks!)

What Is Humor? Humor can be divided into three types of experience: the physical expression of humor via laughter, the mental navigation that occurs when we recognize humor or wit, and the emotional delight when we feel amusement, aka mirth.

When we allow ourselves to fully feel the internal giggle of something funny, there are thousands of chemical changes that occur, shifting our state from surviving to thriving.

All measures of cognitive performance improve, as our neurons are nudge towards expressing greater creativity, insight and innovation as we turn down the noise of that nagging stress response.

Try it for yourself right now. Check out just a few mirthy minutes of this baby laughing, and see if you notice a shift in your state of mind and body.

Ready for some more good news?

While we’ve known since Biblical times that laughter makes us feel better. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22) Now, science is finally starting to prove it.

Defining Humor In Medieval times it was thought that if the body’s fluids (known then as “humors”) were in balance, one was of good temperament—or healthy.

That’s where the phrase “having a good sense of humor” came from.

The humors were yellow bile, black bile, blood, and lymph. And I’m sorry but knowing that the definition of humor can be either bodily fluid OR finding something funny is seriously funny to this girl.

So, if humor isn’t a body fluid—exactly what is it? Here’s the most concise definition we’ve found: “Humor is whatever people find funny.” Elaine Pasquali

Ok, so maybe the most concise definition isn’t the most insightful definition?

How about a psychoanalyst’s view? Our pal Sigmund Freud’s says, “Humor is a coping mechanism that allows persons to reduce tension and anxiety by expressing obscene or hostile impulses in a socially acceptable manner.”

That’s intense. It certainly contains some truthyness. But is it really helpful?

How about a comedian’s opinion? Groucho Marx said, “Humor is reason gone mad.” Hmmm . . . Short is good. Funny is good. But perhaps this is a little too pithy.

How about an educator’s thoughts? Joel Goodman, founder of The HUMORProject, weighs in with, “Humor is a childlike perspective in an otherwise serious adult reality.”

That’s fun.

And how about a psychologist’s point-of-view? One of our colleagues at The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Steve Sultanoff, Ph.D. suggests that, “Humor is the intellectual mindset that is expressed through the emotional feelings of mirth and the physical expression of laughter.”

As a serious integrationist, I like this one too. It links the intellectual, emotional and physical modalities with the three elements that comprise humor: Mindset, mirth and laughter.

And finally, we really should consider a definition from a brilliant and beautiful neurohumorist: “Humor is a feeling of delight, wonder or release—that comes from surprise, perspective or insight.”

Oh, wait! That’s Karyn’s definition of humor.

(Author note: She made me include it, but she’s also provided five other definitions, so you can choose the one that works best for you, or mix-and-match them to create your own definition of humor.)

Humor can come from surprise. Humor can come from “derailment”; that sudden unexpected twist that makes a good joke work so well.

Humor can come from pure delight. Watch young children for example. Us older folks don’t experience nearly as much pure delight in simply living and discovering the world around us.

And, as we continue to mention (because we really want it to sink in already), humor and laughter often come from pain and discomfort. See: Banana peel; most practical jokes; or the Wiley Coyote dropping an anvil on his own head, in the pursuit of the Road Runner.

Humor Research There has been a lot of serious research into what makes us laugh, and what laughter does for us.

These studies come from part of a broader field of research called psychoneuroimmunology, which is sometimes referred to as the science of the mind- body connection.

Some experts throw in the endocrine system, too, making this the study of… drumroll please… “psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology.”

Frankly, we think these scientists are frustrated Scrabble players. The rest of this chapter presents the highlights of that research, particularly as it pertains to people with stress-related health concerns.

What Humor Can Do for Your Body Humor and laughter have many positive effects on your body. Recent studies are proving that laughter provides positive benefits to every single human system: cardiovascular, respiratory, immune, neurological and musculoskeletal, just to name a few.

But some of these effects are going to be of more interest to you than others.

The Heart of The Matter Humor has been shown to help some people reduce their bad cholesterol (LDL) while increasing their good cholesterol (HDL).

In a study conducted by our friend Dr. Lee Berk and his colleague Dr. Stanley Tan, diabetic patients spent half an hour a day watching movies or sitcoms that they found humorous. As a result, their levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) increased by 26%, while harmful C- reactive proteins declined by 66%.

When was the last time you heard that watching TV could actually make you healthier?

Lower Your Inflammation Budgets, deadlines, timelines, crazy relatives, irritable spouses, traffic jams: it’s no surprise that before we even leave the house most people are stuck in a chronic stress state. And whether the source of stress is at work or at home, the results on our health can be costly.

While acute stress can initially trigger immune boosting effect, the chronic, nagging, everyday crap that we worry about exacerbates inflammation in our bodies.

This is one of the reasons plaques build up in our blood vessels; it’s the body’s attempt to heal the wear and tear of our arteries. The more inflammation, the more plaque accumulates.

And a buildup of plaque can cause blockage in our blood vessels, which leads to high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke, and an increased risk of brain disease or disorder such as dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

Studies have shown that participants who used humor and laughter had lower levels of stress hormones (such as epinephrine and norepinephrine), as well as lower levels of markers for inflammation (C-reactive proteins and cytokines), which lead to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Simply put, this means lifestyle choices—like diet, exercise and humor—can have a significant positive impact on your heart health.

Decrease Your Blood Pressure Laughing out loud can help lower your blood pressure. In a study conducted by the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, in Japan, 90 men and women between the ages of 40 and 74 participated in hour-long music or laughter sessions every other week.

After three months, the average systolic blood pressure had dropped by 6 mmHg for men and 5 mmHg for women. There were also short-term drops in blood pressure that were apparent immediately after the laughter sessions.

What exactly does this mean? Dr. Michael Miller, a preventative cardiologist, says that this result is equivalent to adopting a low-salt diet, losing ten pounds, or taking a prescription medication.

Just imagine how great you’ll feel when you’re doing all of these things—and laughing!

Increase Your Circulation Finding something funny can get your juices going, by boosting blood flow throughout your brain and body.

That’s great news if you’re suffering from the numb fingers, tingling pain, or aches in your extremities so often associated with chronic stress.

Back in 1977, Dr. William Fry, one of the pioneers researching the relationship between heart health and laughter, began proving that hearty laughter has a positive impact on circulation rates.

So, go ahead and laugh yourself all the way to the blood-flow bank.

You’ll be getting an increased supply of freshly oxygenated blood moving throughout your body, which not only means improved energy, it also encourages healthier immune function, better blood sugar control, and improved cognitive performance.

Blood Sugar Control If you’re not paying attention to your blood sugar already, please take note: people with diabetes massively increase their risk of heart disease, stroke and all forms of dementia, due to the chronic stress caused.

And while this is definitely no laughing matter, humor can help lower the blood sugar spikes you experience after eating a meal. A recent study from Japan showed that people who watched a brief comedy show after eating had lower glucose values than those who did not see the program.

Pretty sweet!

Studies also show that laughing lowers your levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, both of which play a starring role in the diabetes dilemma. Cortisol increases insulin resistance, while adrenaline tells your liver to pump more glucose into your blood.

The combined calming effect could mean a long-term reduction in blood glucose levels.

Sit. Stay. Good dog.

Improve Your Vascular Health Our friend Dr. Miller steals the show again when it comes to the healthy impact of laughter on the endothelium.

There’s an apparent relationship between mental stress and vasoconstriction—the narrowing, or tightening, of your blood vessels.

We want these pathways to be wide-open, flexible and healthy to transport oxygenated blood. “The endothelium is one of the most basic cardiac mechanisms,” explains Dr. Miller, who found that average blood flow increased 22 percent during laughter and decreased 35 percent during mental stress.

"The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium is similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic activity, but without the aches, pains and muscle tension associated with exercise," says Dr. Miller.

“We don't recommend that you laugh and not exercise, but we do recommend that you try to laugh on a regular basis. Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system."

How many medical procedures or pharmaceutical medications do you know of that don’t have any negative side effects?

We’re not ones to bad-mouth meds (at least not in print), but why not invest some time in complimentary treatments like humor and healthy happy living, so we can spend less cash and deal with less complications?

The body has an amazing ability to heal itself when we give it the right types of stress along with adequate nourishment and recovery to rebuild stronger than before.

Quick Tips: • When you feel stress taking over, stop. Do something right away to shift your state, like taking a few calming breaths, moving your body, or simple changing your physical environment. • Write down 3 go-to state shifters that work for you and keep them close by. Consider things like aromatherapy, a funny stress ball or toy, a meditation track, relaxing music or an exercise band. • Check in with your body at least once every hour to notice tension that might be building

up and release it with some gentle movement or stretching.

Call to Action: • Begin to see more funny in your day by paying more attention. Start the day with a moment of mirth, and then set an intention to find funny things to write down in your Beyond Funny Journal at night. • Watch a free webinar on the health benefits of humor at www.beyondfunny.org. • Ask a friend or family member to share something funny that happened with them lately.

Notes and Neural Nudges

3: When Laughing is Better Than Crying

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” ~ Phyllis Diller

Comedic Relief for Mental and Emotional Health Now let’s talk about the psychological benefits of humor. And there are lots of them! Some of these benefits are immediate benefits, and many have long- term brain boosting side effects.

Laugh today, and you can feel better tomorrow, too! Here’s how.

One of humanity’s greatest inventions is language. We use the power of words to communicate so many feelings; love, fear, excitement, passion. Humor is a special type of communication, used for specific situations.

“Language was created to communicate. Humor was created to complain.” ~ Karyn Buxman

Dealing with the challenges in life that lead to serious stress can and will often lead to anger. There’s anger that this has happened at all, that it’s happened to you, that your life is disrupted and permanently changed.

There are plenty of things in life to feel angry about, and when we bottle up those emotions, they can quickly turn into toxic fuel rotting in our sensitive system.

Without solving any problems, building in healthy humor is a wonderful way to help process and transform anger.

Many comedians assert that much of their best material comes out of the times in their lives when they were angriest.

(We did not ask Jon Stewart. We assume his best material comes directly from Washington!)

And while people will run like the building is on fire when a complainer approaches, humor can be a socially acceptable—even enjoyable—way for people to vent.

Part of having a chronic condition—any chronic condition—is that you’re going to be frustrated, you’re going to be angry, and you’re going to have moments when you’re filled with rage. It’s unrealistic to think that embracing humor as a coping strategy is going to eliminate all of those feelings.

In fact, eliminating those feelings isn’t even the point. Trying to ignore or stifle feelings of anger and frustration that come with serious stress just doesn’t’t work. Repressing your emotions almost always makes things worse!

Healthy humor can redirect anger, instead of avoiding or denying it. This redirection can defuse a lot of rage, bringing with it a sense of calm, relief and a fresh perspective.

The underlying circumstances that made us angry still exist, but after we’ve laughed, we’re better pre- pared to address those circumstances.

“It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive, and you have the power to choose either.” ~ Wayne Dyer

It feels good to laugh at problems, if only for a moment. This doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to reality.

Instead, playing with our pain allows us to reframe the issue and look at it anew. Sometimes a change in perspective presents the information we need in order to move past the anger.

Reduces Stress Clearly, humor is a powerful tool for stress reduction (or we wouldn’t waste our time writing a book about it). And although humor has been widely recognized by medical professionals as a healthy coping mechanism, most of our personal experiences as patients fail to demonstrate their ability to apply what they know works.

We are thrilled when we find the doctor or nurse who makes time to show their human humorous side! And we always acknowledge and encourage them to keep it up (usually with a handful of stress monkeys for the office staff --- if you know someone practicing what we’re preaching, let us know by posting with #BeyondFunny on social media, and we’ll send them some monkeys too).

Laughing makes us feel good. Sure --- eating, drinking and shopping to excess may feel good temporarily, but these behaviors can make you sicker, and even kill you (or bankrupt you) in the long run.

Humor relieves anxiety and tension, provides a healthy escape from reality, and lightens heaviness related to those aspects of heart disease that really weigh you down.

A Time for Mirth, a Time to Mourn There are things we tend not to talk about, and one of those things is the very real fact that the big challenges and losses in life takes things away from us. We lose, when we have health complications, or lose a loved one.

The shadow of further health issues or losses can strip the joy from our days. We worry if we’ll ever have a fear-free day. We may not be able to do everything we used to do, in the way we’d like to do it.

These losses are real. All of them, from the serious to the silly. We need a time to grieve and mourn what we’ve lost.

Realize that it’s not at all uncommon (“medical speak” for “This happens to everyone”) for people who have just learned that “What’s wrong with me?” isn’t just the flu or being over-tired, but is, instead, a disease or condition that will be with them for the rest of their lives.

Experiencing a profound sense of loss is completely normal in this situation.

After his heart surgery, Lewis Grizzard wrote, “It is still too early to tell what profound effects this experience will have on me. I think I am better for it, obviously physically and probably otherwise, but I would not recommend it as a way of making improvements on one’s self until all other avenues,

such as seeing a chiropractor or joining a couple of religious movements, have been exhausted.”

But like Grizzard, you often get no choice in the matter.

Seldom do we get to make a choice about whether we want these circumstances in our life. We deal with serious stress, and often times it’s sad. There are times where we need to mourn change and loss, even if it’s simply the loss of what we once believed was possible in our lives.

There’s no need to feel ashamed, pressured, or silly about this, nor is it healthy to attempt to speed through the process of grief.

And… these challenges and changes and even losses can eventually lead to one of the best sources of humor in the world. I’d like to call Rodney Dangerfield to the stand for a moment.

Love him or hate him, you’ve got to respect the fact that he’s built an entire career out of the fact that he gets no respect.

Seriously, Rodney did not choose no respect, nor is it something he wanted. At least not at first. Eventually it started working for him quite lucratively. But he chose to shift that stress-inducing situation to build a lifetime of laughter. And, when we are done mourning, we can do the same.

Be aware that mourning isn’t an all-or-nothing deal. It happens. Grief comes and goes. You can be feeling fine one minute, and then something happens that throws you right back into a discouraged mood.

The thing to do is to mourn when you need to mourn, and then let it go and move on one intentional step at a time. Think of mourning as an exercise your psyche must go through periodically in order to keep in shape. It’s necessary, but you don’t have to stay in that mode all of the time.

Our seriously funny friend and colleague Steve Wilson, founder of World Laughter Tour, has this to say: “Even if there were no evidence whatsoever that laughter changed a thing in your physiology, I want a life filled with laughter and humor.

Laughter is its own reward, darn it.

It feels good! Humor helps me see the world in better balance. Good-natured laughter connects me to others, and that feels great. And, a life absent of laughter and humor is too dreadful to contemplate.”

Laugh and the World Laughs with You Social support is by far one of the greatest stress solutions available, because when we are part of a team or a tribe, we have access to more resources to help us cope with the demands of our lives.

Too often, however, when we feel stressed the first thing we do is isolate ourselves, so we don’t bother anyone else. Which just makes us feel more overwhelmed and under supported.

Studies have shown that feeling isolated is worse for our health than being overweight, having a sedentary lifestyle or even smoking cigarettes (which is not a prescription to pig out on the couch with your friends).

When our health starts to suffer as a result of physical, emotional or mental stress, the impact is compounded by isolation.

If you’re at all concerned about preserving your brain as you age, building in strong social support systems should be at the top of your anti-aging list.

Humor is an effective way to combat social isolation. You can use humor to directly address some of the issues that crop up in your relationships.

For example, if a friend wants to act like she’s your mother and take charge of your daily lunch choices, treat her like she is your mother—and ask her for twenty bucks!

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” ~ Victor Borge

Humor has been found to strengthen existing relationships, which is especially good if you like the people you know. Regular use of humor is thought to make us more attractive to other people, which can increase your social circle and your base of support.

Also, very good news if you don’t like the people you currently know.

If you’re dealing with a serious medical condition or taking on the task of caregiving for someone else who is, please know that as you build your own mirth muscle you have the opportunity to pay it forward and help everyone else around you.

From the friendly crew at the Emergency Room to your the staff at the gym, the produce guy at the local grocery store . . . the list is end-less.

And, as you live with health challenges, it is inevitable that you will meet other people who have health challenges.

Some of these people have just found out they have a serious diagnosis. Remember how scared you were when you were first diagnosed? Chances are these folks feel the same way. This is your chance to effect some positive change in the world, and in their lives.

These new friends tend to have lots of questions. Luckily, there are lots of people out there who can teach them about counting carbs and the wonders of exercise.

My suggestion is to let someone else handle that clinical and boring stuff.

You can have some real fun instead by teaching the newbies about the value of humor. Share some of your favorite funny stories.

When it comes to medical humor between those who share a serious diagnosis, you’d be surprised how bonding the gory details can be. Similar with people who’ve experienced combat or daily life trauma.

When you’re outside of the group, you’re not allowed to discuss the dirty details, but when you’re on the inside it’s often the darkest, most painful perspectives of irony, sarcasm and wit that get the biggest gut busting and stress busting laughs.

• Check in with your body at least once every hour to notice tension that might be building up and release it with some gentle movement or stretching.

Call to Action: • Soak your cells in the sensation of amusement. This requires building in time to stop and really appreciate the experience of healthy humor when it happens. • When you feel stress taking over, stop. Do something right away to shift your state, like taking a few calming breaths, moving your body, or laughing in its face. Check out our Moments of Mirth at www.beyondfunny.org.

Notes and Neural Nudges

4: The How of Healthy Humor

“Cancer is probably the unfunniest thing in the world, but I’m a comedian, and even cancer couldn’t stop me from seeing the humor in what I went through.” ~ Gilda Radner

Humor Appreciation and Application Although everyone has a sense of humor, not everyone’s humor makes sense. In fact, non-sensical humor is sometimes the best kind of all. The kind where a simple glance across the room, typically at the least appropriate times, causes a cascade of giggles that make tears roll down your legs.

As you read through the following section, you’ll find that some strategies make you laugh out loud, while others may not seem so funny. You’ll get the most ROI from your time and energy by practicing those that resonate with you most.

Choose the ones that make you laugh, that you enjoy, and that seem far more like play than work. And try to pick the ones that seem most realistic for you to incorporate into your routine right away.

We’ve divided the techniques into three main categories: fast reactors that shift stress in the moment, slow and steady proactive techniques that build your mirth muscle over time, and then simple shifts to set the stage for ongoing success.

Quick Brain Boosters It’s not always easy to find the funny. Some days are tougher than others. That’s the nature of dealing with stress. You can be doing everything right—eating right, moving more, sleeping well—and still feel overwhelmed by the tasks of the day.

There are days when everything hurts, no one understands you, and you are inexplicably without your ability to vote people off the island.

Stress can send us on an emotional roller coaster. There are days when depression, anxiety, or plain old fear makes it hard to face the day.

Of course, those are the days when you need a laugh the most. These days happen to everyone, and they’re inevitable, because you’re human (or so we assume). Lessen their impact by preparing yourself with a humor collection that you can access whenever you need it.

We both have built humor collections in different ways over the years as technology makes it more and more accessible to have files at your fingertips.

At the same time, too much tech can be both a distraction and an overstimulation for people with stress, so I recommend you have both on and offline Beyond Funny Folders and Playlists to easily access in times of need.

Creating a Beyond Funny Playlist What goes into a humor collection? Well, comedians, obviously. Although you’ll need a pretty large house in which to keep them all.

A complete humor collection may include funny movies (especially those you can have specific time stamps for when you get your best giggle on), video shorts, stand-up comedy (video or audio), images such as memes, silly photos (think bad Santa or ugly sweater pics), cartoons or comics, and humorous writing such as books, stories or quotes.

Video Films, TV shows, and even the occasional sporting event can produce genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Remember all that research regarding humor? Most studies were run on people after they watched funny TV shows.

It’s very important to keep in mind that there are no rules about what’s funny, but it’s important that the intended humor recipient find it funny if it’s going to work.

Which means, getting clear on your own humor style by trying out different things and not getting frustrated or giving up when your first attempt has you rolling your eyes more than rubbing your cheeks.

On the other hand, if you’re working with a client or patient and trying to induce healthy humor, it’s critical that you consider their humor style, which often times is radically different than your own.

When our pal Gurinder Bains researched the impact of humor on memory in seniors with mild cognitive decline, he made sure to allow them to select funny videos from their generation. I imagine some of the newer cruder comedy would have led to a much different result.

The important thing here is to build a collection of your personal favorites—and remember, they don’t have to be funny to anyone other than you.

Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming video providers are great resources. And YouTube is a treasure trove of funny videos. Create a favorites list of clips that make you laugh out loud for an instant pick-me- up.

You can find humorous videos on virtually any topic. But just for you seriously-stressed folks we discovered YouTube clips of David Letterman doing shtick about his quintuple bypass,

Robin Williams doing stand-up about his heart valve replacement, Regis Philbin joking about his bypass surgery, and Elizabeth Banks doing a wildly funny—and informative—bit on women and heart attacks (titled “Just a Little Heart Attack”).

More Online Resources YouTube • America’s Funniest Home Videos • Bloopers from your favorite TV shows • Outtakes from your favorite films • Classic comedy, from Laurel and Hardy to Abbott and Costello to Burns and Allen • Dr. Demento • Just a little heart attack • David Letterman heart attack • Robin Williams heart attack • Laughing babies • Funny cats • www.FunnyOrDie.com • www.CollegeHumor.com • www.VideoBash.com • www.TheOnion.com • Google “funnyquotations” • Google “Garrison Keillor” • Google “Ellen DeGeneres”

Share your favorites with your friends, and while you’re at it include us by using #BeyondFunny when you post. We try to rotate different moments of mirth on our website www.beyondfunny.org and if we feature your video, we’ll send you a prize worth unspeakable value.

Humor shared is humor strengthened!

Funny Audio Listen to things that make you laugh! Collecting humor on CD or as a digital download makes it easy to get laughs any time you need them.

Commuters, this tip is for you! When traffic backs up to a standstill and the guy behind you is laying on his horn, you can turn up the volume and laugh, instead of indulging in some free-form sign language. It’s better for you and your blood pressure! This tip is, of course, helpful for pedestrians, runners and couch potatoes, too.

Here are some names to look for when you’re googling for funny audio clips: • Steve Martin • Robin Williams • Ryan Hamilton (Happy Face)

• Mike Birbiglia • Jerry Seinfeld • George Carlin • Lewis Black • David Sedaris • Daniel Tosh • Jeanne Robertson • Loretta LaRoche • Tim Gard • Karyn Buxman

Funny in Print Sometimes books are funny because of the content, where other books are funny simply because they exist. Even God Is Single, So Why Don’t You Stop Giving Me A Hard Time?, Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors, and When Your Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’ll Be Me are great examples --- and you save money because you don’t actually have to buy them; simply knowing about them makes you smile.

And Lewis Grizzard will have you laughing out loud with his book, They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat! Keep fun books on your shelf for easy access.

Don’t feel limited to books, by the way: Magazines and newspapers can be great sources of humor. Reader’s Digest is known for its humorous anecdotes. Most magazines have some sort of humorous column and many major newspapers carry comic pages. (We think the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times could benefit from a good moments of mirth section.)

And you don’t have to be a kid to buy a comic book! Just ask the 140,000 people (including Karyn) who attend Comic-Con every year—an annual event that everyone ought to experience at least once in their lives.

Images Cartoons, comics and other funny pictures can provide almost instant laughs and are yours for the clipping. But don’t stop there!

To get more mileage out of the cartoons, personalize them. Write in people’s names or places of interest. Stick the cartoons on the fridge, tape them to your locker, mail them to a friend.

Massage your creativity. White-out the captions and come up with your own.

The New Yorker magazine is well known for its cartoon caption contest (Don’t get the magazine? You can still participate online.)

You might think that cartoons about stress, disease and disorder would be hard to come by. But you’d be wrong! One of Karyn’s favorite cartoonists, Johnny Hawkins, captures the funny side of healthcare in his Medical Cartoon a Day calendars.

Available in e-reader format (get laughs right from your Kindle!) or in the traditional paper format, you’ll have something to laugh at every day. And once again the Internet is a great resource— search for “heart health cartoons” and you’ll find a variety of cartoonists to tickle your funny bone. Then take it another step: Try your hand at drawing some cartoons of your own.

Funny Art There are all different kinds of art and some of it can be quite funny. The “Story People” art of Brian Andres can be humorous and profound, all at the same time.

Keep your eyes open and you’ll start to see everything from stamp-sized funnies like Bart Simpson too yard-ornament-sized pieces of entertainment.

A flock of pink flamingos can do wonders for your home’s curb appeal (although it might interfere with your ability to borrow sugar from your neighbor, we think it’s worth it.)

Better yet, create your own fun art! There are countless art projects, shows and festivals with a heart health theme held across the nation every year.

It’s an amazingly short walk from a Heart Attack to an Art Attack, especially if you have a creative spirit. The very act of creating this art can boost your mood, lower your stress levels, and give you an outlet for your emotions.

Toys You don’t need to have kids to have toys in your house or office. Maybe it’s a Slinky, or a Rubik’s Cube, or a Koosh Ball, or a talking stuffed heart (available in a rainbow of colors, including a very unhealthy-looking neon green).

Maybe it’s a water gun or a stress ball that you can squeeze the heck out of.

Ever play with Legos as a kid? You still can! You can even connect with other AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego) at the annual BrickFair convention. Your toy doesn’t need to have any purpose other than to just bring a smile to your face when you play with it.

A few years ago, my friend Barbara told me about these fabulous little monkey toys where you could squeeze them and the heart would pop-out (in a good way).

I loved them so much, I kept buying them to give away to anyone who would take them. When the online shop couldn’t keep up with my orders, I contacted the manufacturer and had 10,000 made just for my personal distribution at presentations, workshops and most often to fussy kids and flight attendants on planes.

My Melvin the “stress monkey” or “love monkey” depending on your mood at the time has become a bit of an icon, and now we have a collection of pics of Melvin’s travels on our homepage,

www.beyondfunny.org. Being playful and positive at the same time sure does shift stress fast.

Funny or Punny Props Having funny props around can bring a smile to your face, simply by the virtue of their presence. One of my favorite people, Fran London—creator of The Laughing Buddha, and former editor of the Journal of Nursing Joculatity—talks eloquently about the value of funny props.

She says, “There’s something very powerful about having a collection of tangible items that make you laugh.” Harness this power with your own personal collection of bobble-head dolls, rubber chickens, or whatever makes you smile!

There are two types of props. Universally humorous props are those that make everybody [okay, almost everybody] laugh. You have here your helicopter beanies, giant clown shoes, and oversized sunglasses.

Personal props are those items you keep on hand because they make you laugh.

These don’t necessarily have to be funny to anyone else. (Not everyone appreciates the comedic potential of Chia Pets; and no one else needs to know why that picture of Elvis cracks you up.) Mix and match until you find the right balance for you.

Mirth Muscle Training By far, the best way to become resilient to chronic stress is to develop a mindset that is flexible, creative and adaptable to the ever-changing circumstances of daily life.

Which means using techniques like humor and appreciation intentionally, strategically and consistently over time.

You reap what you sow when it comes to building your own mental maps and neural networks. Which means what you pay attention to over time will be what you pay attention to over time.

Look for things to amuse you and you’ll find yourself feeling more amused. Look for things to be stressed about and you’ll get more of that too.

Now, we’re not saying that you just flip a magical switch and suddenly you’re looking through permanent rose-colored glasses. Training your brain to see in new ways requires a commitment. It takes time and a bit of planning, but we can’t imagine a more fun way to workout!

Quick side note: this is exactly how the Beyond Funny Humor Marathon got started. When one of us said to the other one that we should put together a marathon (running) to raise money for Alzheimer’s support and the other one said the only thing she’d do all day is laugh, viola --- the humor marathon was born.

And you don’t have to do it all day long (although we still encourage a good humor extravaganza from time to time to really step it up a notch). You can strengthen your ability to be amazed and amused by focusing on what you find funny and simultaneously cultivating your humor style.

Other ways to nurture your mirth muscle include sharing humorous conversations and reflections with friends and family.

We encourage you to build strategic moments of mirth into your daily routine --- establishing more energy oscillation into your day. This primes your brain to be in its optimal state to show up fully in the moments that matter most to you.

I consider an optimal energy day to be one that includes morning primetime, evening unwind time and regular recharge time to create strategic breaks throughout the day.

Setting the Stage for Continued Success There are simple steps you can take to cultivate the presence of humor in your life, such as altering your physical surroundings. Have you ever noticed how much better you feel immediately after walking out of the office? That’s the power of changing your physical environment!

There’s a reason why people flock to the beautiful beaches of Hawaii or San Diego for vacation. Simply being by the beach makes you feel good (and I’ve got research to prove it!) Realistically, however, few of us can afford to fly off to Hawaii every time we need a smile.

Luckily, there are easy ways to change your environment that shift you towards a beach or beyond funny state of mind, and you don’t have to worry about crowded airport security lines!

Beyond Funny Friends Surround yourself with people who appreciate love and laughter! You want to build a team of positive people who enjoy life, like to laugh, and know how to have a good time.

Karyn calls this her D-Team for Delight. I call it my BFFs, my Beyond Funny Friends. (Sounds better than my F-Team I think).

This team has a critical role: To help you laugh more. Laughter is contagious. You can certainly enjoy humor when you’re alone—but you’re more likely to laugh and have fun when you’re with others.

Research indicates that we’re up to 30 times more likely to laugh with others than when we’re alone.

Our brains are wired to mimic the behavior we see exhibited by others; much the way you can acquire an accent when you travel far from home. When we see people laughing, we laugh too.

Capitalize on this tendency, and benefit from all the great things laughter can do for you, by creating and meeting with your D-Team on a regular basis. Taking in a funny movie, going to a comedy club, or simply getting together to hang out and have fun can all work.

At the same time, your D-Team (or BFFs) can serve as reinforcement for your own humor campaign. Think of these peeps as external humor storage. They contain the funny that you may not have within you at a given point. Call them on bad days or when you’re having trouble coping. Let them lift you up.

What’s great about this initiative is that when you go find funny to share with your humor tribe, you see more funny too. When they go find something for you, their mirth muscle grows. It’s a winner, winner, chicken dinner times two.

If you’re dealing with serious stress, health issues or serving as a caregiver for someone else, support groups can be a great place to meet people who are navigating similar challenges. Give yourself time to find the right group.

Each group has its own personality and dynamic, and it’s important to find one that is a good fit for you.

People who use humor regularly often find other people learn to depend upon them to brighten the day. This can create a strong positive expectation, giving you an impetus to look for humor in order to pass it along --- which cheers you up in the process!

Simple things you can do to spread healthy humor:

• Share a funny image with a friend every day via text message. • Add a funny cartoon to your email signature. • Create a funny video playlist/folder • Go on a walk and look for things to find funny. • Find a funny podcast or YouTube channel to listen to each evening to reset your brain to relax (check out LaughBox, the official podcast for the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor). • Ask a friend/family member/colleague to share something funny that happened to them recently.

Call to Action: • Build a Beyond Funny Folder. To check out a sample including free images, videos and more go to www.heidihanna.com/wsfstress.

Notes and Neural Nudges

5: Rules of Engagement

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” ~ Jean Houston

Humor Styles and Guidelines Laugh, and the world laughs with you—but not everyone will laugh at everything. There are many types of humor, and there are many types of people. It may be that the joke that makes you laugh so hard you wet your pants leaves your best friend asking, “What’s so funny about that?”

Humor is not one size fits all!

Some types of humor are healthier than others. There is humor that makes you feel really good, upbeat and ready to take on the world. And then there is humor that, while you may laugh, leaves you feeling angry, upset, dismissed or minimized—in other words, really, really bad.

Sarcasm is a type of humor that can leave some of us laughing and others upset.

When we look at word origins, we discover that the root word of sarcasm actually means “to tear the flesh”. Ouch! And if you’ve ever been sniped with a sarcastic remark, you may feel like you were missing a bit of hide.

Does that mean we have to pass on the sarcasm? No, but it does mean that we need to be mindful of who and what we’re sarcastic about. Humor that hurts others in the long run doesn’t help you.

Humor Styles Humor comes in a number of flavors (all of which are low-fat, low-calorie, and approved for your diet).

There’s constructive humor—the light, upbeat type of humor that builds people up. A side benefit is that it builds you up, too! And then there’s destructive humor, which is a more negative type of humor, where we find the laughs at other people’s expense. Wise to avoid!

People sometimes worry about their ability to tell the two types of humor apart. Taken to extremes, this concern keeps people from using humor at all, for fear they may offend someone.

However, most of us have the social skills and insights that make telling constructive humor and destructive humor apart relatively easy. Relax! It’s not as hard as you might think.

If you find yourself thinking, “I may be going to the bad place for joking about this,” it’s likely negative humor. If you would feel ashamed if someone you respected --- a parent, boss, friend --- heard the joke, it’s likely negative humor. If someone you didn’t like told you the joke you were just telling, would you find yourself offended and incensed? Negative humor.

It’s a matter of laughing with someone rather than laughing at someone. It’s always healthier to laugh with others than to laugh at them. Healthy humor builds the bonds between people.

One type of humor that usually works well is self- deprecating humor—making fun of yourself.

No one will be offended, and it will actually show people that your self-esteem is strong enough to withstand being teased. Self-deprecating humor can actually increase other people’s opinion of you!

A Word (or 872) about “Sick Humor” “The heart attack didn’t kill me off, so now she’s using the treadmill to do it.” Pete M. nodded toward his wife Lily, who accompanies her husband to the cardiac rehab center.

“She wants to make sure she gets that life insurance money while she’s still young enough to spend it!”

Lily, who is 81, is not amused by Pete’s joke. She’s hardly the first spouse to hear this kind of kidding— morbid and “sick” jokes are a very common way for people to deal with the stress, tension, and anxiety that come with heart disease.

In fact, anyone who deals with traumatic situations is likely to count on some type of “sick humor” to help them keep their balance amid difficult situations. For example, soldiers, policemen, firemen and healthcare workers all have their own style of “sick humor” that actually helps them get by, and also bonds them to one another.

It’s a special brand of humor that is not meant for outsiders. And that’s logical, because if you’ve never experienced what they have, you’re not really a member of their “tribe.”

Any kind of humor that makes you laugh, whether it’s sick or not, is going to relieve your stress. It may not, however, do much for the stress of the people around you. Those who share your pain and experiences will “get it.” Those that don’t, won’t.

That’s important to keep in mind when you’re joking with spouses, partners and loved ones. They love you, but if they haven’t had a cardiac event themselves, they’re not in the “tribe.”

It’s very easy for them to lose sight of the fact you’re using humor to handle the emotional tensions heart disease causes and take the whole thing personally. You’re supposed to be reducing stress. Fighting with your sweetheart is contraindicated!

Risky Business (and the BET Method) Sometimes humor just doesn’t work. Have you ever told a joke or funny story and then have it fall flat? Sometimes it’s the material itself that’s not up to par; sometimes the audience ain’t so swift; and sometimes it flops because of its delivery. Sometimes trying to be funny can leave you with the taste of shoe leather on your tongue. Humor can be tricky!

There’s a time and a place for everything, and that includes humor. You can minimize the risk of humor not working, and realize maximum benefits, by being mindful of where you are, who you’re with, what they’re likely to laugh about, and timing. We call this the B.E.T. method. (B stands for Bond; E stands for Environment; and T stands for Timing.)

Humor: Here’s how to make it a safe BET B = Bond. When we talk about Bond, we’re talking about the relationship you have with the people you’re about to share your humor with.

Where are you connected? Are they family? What are their ages? Are they work colleagues? Are they neighbors (close neighbors vs. casual neighbors?)

High school pals? Drinking buddies? Do you have a close relationship with the listeners, or are you not so sure of what will make them laugh?

Use some common sense here. Consider the people you’re with at the time. Remember, other people won’t change because you’ve had a heart attack! Their worldview is likely exactly the same as it was before your cardiac event.

If they’re the type of people who get offended very easily, hold off on the questionable humor. On the other hand, if someone starts the conversation off with his or her favorite joke, you’re probably safe using some humor of your own.

The longer you’ve known the person and the better the relationship is with them, the safer your humor will be. If you’ve previously shared some gross-out humor with your best friend, she may appreciate your joke that a porcine replacement heart valve will make you flinch at the sight of a pork chop.

She may even laugh heartily.

However, if it’s someone you’ve known for only a short time, or have only known casually, you may want to mentally edit some of your humor before sharing it with him or her.

E = Environment. When we talk about Environment, we’re talking about where you are when you’re being funny. Being aware of the environment helps determine if humor is appropriate.

Not all “clubs” are comedy clubs! For humor to be effective, you need your audience to be in a place where they’re comfortable with humor. Some people don’t joke in the workplace or in houses of worship, for example, but have no problem laughing it up in more casual settings.

Not all types of humor work in all environments. The joke you tell while you’re out at a bar might not be the same joke you tell during a family gathering. Now days, your environment might not even be physical—lots of humor is shared in cyberspace.

Anyone who hears your humor, sees your humor or experiences your humor is part of your audience, whether you meant for them to be or not. Maybe you’re telling an off-color joke to your “Best Friend Forever” (BFF) at lunch but you tell it loud enough for the table behind you to hear—the family of four including two kids with big ears.

Or maybe you send an email to a colleague with a sick joke in it and she posts it on her FaceBook page to her 1,317 followers (including your minister!) --- still your audience.

T = Timing. You can have the right audience, in the right setting, and use humor—only to have it fall flat. Timing is perhaps the most difficult element to master when using humor. Have you ever heard people say, “Too soon!” to jokes about unfortunate events? They’re not ready to laugh about the situation yet.

This can be particularly true if you’re joking about your heart health. Other people, particularly the people who love us most, experience a significant emotional impact when we have a cardiac event.

They’re afraid, anxious, and overwhelmed too. Feeling forced to find the humor surrounding your heart health before they’re really ready can provoke feelings of anger and frustration on their part.

How can you tell if the timing is right? How much time must elapse before an event can be funny?

To be able to laugh at a moment or experience, you need to be able to emotionally detach from it. It has to be possible to look at the set of circumstances without re-experiencing the emotional response you had when the event occurred.

That process of detaching can take time. It’s not an instant process—nor should it be!

As complete human beings, we experience a range of emotions in response to life events. Anger, frustration, upset, and embarrassment have their role to play. These are life experiences that we learn from (eventually) and that help us grow.

After we’ve learned those lessons, it’s time to laugh. Have you ever found yourself saying, “Someday I’m going to laugh about this”?

At the peak of a crisis, nothing may be funny—but by recognizing that there is probably humor potential here that you’ll be able to appreciate later, you’re shortening the time frame between pain and play.

Some people can distance themselves immediately. They can laugh at their own mistakes --- whether it’s getting lost while driving somewhere or saying something dumb in front of work colleagues. But other people need more time to process their reactions and emotions.

When some people get lost, they berate themselves harshly. And as long as they are emotionally attached to the painful event, they will not find it funny. There are those who will just never see the situation as funny.

That can be hard to accept, but it is as valid an emotional response as your decision to embrace humor.

Serious stress management sometimes involves practicing emotionally detaching from painful events, searching instead for the humor those moments contain.

It isn’t always easy, but with practice you’ll find that you’ve developed the humor habit.

When to Use Humor? Have you ever started to laugh, only to stop yourself?

It can be difficult to gauge whether humor is appropriate or welcome in a given situation. Many times, we’re so worried about whether laughing is really the right thing to do at any particular moment, that we censor ourselves, stopping ourselves from using humor.

I call this the “When in doubt, leave it out” approach. (You can also see this approach in my new cookbook, “Recipes with one ingredient or less!” Make sure to try the Strawberry Surprise!)

The “When in doubt, leave it out” approach is, definitely, the safest option. You will never upset someone with the joke you didn’t make. Use it too often, however, and you may leave yourself unable to capitalize on some of the many benefits of humor.

It’s also important to remember to refrain from using humor during moments of crisis, or when it’s vitally important that communication be clearly understood. Humor works by distracting the attention, and there are times when distraction is a very bad idea.

Lewis Grizzard, a heart patient, in his funny book, They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat, described his interaction with the nurse taking his medical history:

Nurse: “Pneumonia?” Grizzard: “No.” Nurse: “Hemophilia?” Grizzard: “Do what?” Nurse: “Is there any history of hemophilia in your family?” Grizzard: “Third cousin on my mother’s side.” Nurse: “He was a hemophiliac?” Grizzard: “Well, we weren’t certain, but he wore ballet slippers to work.”

This humor worked because Grizzard’s cousin wasn’t actually a hemophiliac. Had there actually been a history of hemophilia in his family, this joke would have complicated the vital transmission of necessary humor.

Talk about a sick joke! Before using humor, do a quick check: 1. What’s my connection with the audience? 2. Is this the right setting for this type of humor? 3. Is this the right time to use humor?

The Safest Form of Humor When in doubt about what kind of humor to use with others, use self-effacing humor (making fun of yourself). Sharing a funny story about yourself shows self-confidence and yet also shows vulnerability.

People find this kind of humor totally non- threatening and may feel secure enough to share their own personal humor back with you.

Note 1: With self-effacing humor, it’s best to focus on the funny or dumb thing that you did, and not position yourself as being dumb. Note 2: Using self- effacing humor requires self-confidence, and a strong sense of who you really are.

“I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.” ~ Lily Tomlin

Remember this: You are somebody. Somebody who can be strong enough and confident enough to poke fun at yourself.

Remember this, too: People who never use self- deprecating humor are not as confident and strong as they would like you to believe.

That’s a little tidbit to keep in mind while using humor. Self-deprecating humor—the bit where you laugh at yourself—is a strong and powerful technique to help deal with chronic conditions, not to mention everyday life.

The trick to self-deprecating humor is to make sure you focus on the things you do—and not the person you are.

Seriously. The world does enough to tear us down. We don’t have to do it to ourselves.

“Laugh at your action, and not at who you are. It’s safer to admit you made a mistake than to admit you are a mistake.” ~ Terry Paulson, PhD

Call to Action • Get to know your own humor style by spending some time exploring types of humor. You can also explore how much Gritty Humor you have in our research study at www.beyondfunny.org.

Call to Action: • Create a Beyond Funny Playlist of activities you enjoy doing just for fun. Some of our favorites include going to the zoo to hang with the monkeys (guess who), attending events like Comic-con (not me), or taking an art class. While they might not be intentionally funny, if you bring your mirth muscle with you I bet you’ll find plenty to laugh at or with.

Notes and Neural Nudges

100

6: Making it Stick

“As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.” ~ Lao Tsu

Practice Makes Imperfect One of the keys to creating unbreakable habits is to get out of your own way. How many times do we finally make the decision to do something different, only to talk ourselves out of it before we even get started.

We go to bed with the best of intentions to get up early, go for a walk, meditate…and then when the alarm goes off, just as we’ve finally fallen asleep, staying in bed feels way too important to compromise on a whim of a self-improvement goal.

101

Or, we start our day on the perfect diet. Heck, we don’t even need food at all, we’re feeling so inspired by the tight jeans in our closest we’re determined to wear for that upcoming event.

We work our way through lunch, avoid the pull of the fast food joint on the way home, but once that boring salad hits the lips suddenly a glass of wine (or three) seems like a smart idea.

After all, some studies have shown the very valuable resveratrol in wine and grapes helps us absorb the antioxidants in the vegetables…so there’s that.

Now, I’m not saying that we need to be perfect with our goals. In fact, I’m saying quite the opposite. We need to determine what our non-negotiables are for this first step in our self-care journey, so we can create a solid story to back it up. Something simple and meaningful, so that we can talk back to our monkey mind brain when it tries to pull us off track.

For me, I use the simple phrase “catch the monkey”, when I know my neurons are lighting up in ways that don’t align with my most important goals.

102

Because it’s important to always remember that your brain is trying to protect you at all costs. And anything that requires spending (exercise) or decreasing intake of (diet) energy is perceived as a threat, especially when we’re feeling stressed.

So, it can be super helpful to focus first on what you can add to your routine to help nourish you before you start taking any of your comforts away.

Healthy humor is one of those instant capacity builders and using it strategically will even help you stick with the other healthy habits you’re trying to build.

103

Because when you can laugh at your own monkey mind and call it out from time to time, the transition from grasping the old, comfortable you to creating the new, happier and healthier you, can be done with more grace and ease.

Get a Humor Buddy Our enjoyment of humor increases when we share it with others. We’re social creatures, which is a huge part of the reason social networking has become so popular.

Check out Facebook, Twitter, and a gazillion other sites. Use your social networks to share and solicit humor. Posting a joke to a wall only takes a minute, and seeing the responses gives you an added boost. Ask for jokes and links to funny material—people love to share humor!

Listen for the funny things people say. Kids, friends, celebrities, politicians—they’re all funny. Sometimes it’s even on purpose!

Check out the countless quote books and numerous websites devoted to the amazing things people say.

104

For instance:

“You have to stay in shape. My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is!” ~ Ellen Degeneres

“Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.” ~ Yogi Berra

“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.” ~ W.C. Fields

Schedule a Humor Break Make time for humor every day. This can be the five minutes in the morning that you spend reading jokes online or the half hour you spend watching an episode of your favorite sitcom at the end of the day.

Anticipating fun can have nearly as many positive benefits as actually experiencing it.

There has been extensive research on this phenomenon, particularly by the Thursday-Sneak- Out-of-the-Office-and-Catch-a-Matinee-While- Everyone-Thinks-You’re-at-a-Big- Important-Meeting Club.

105

For this reason, you’ll want to load your calendar with fun events you’re looking forward to. Movies, time with friends, an evening at a comedy club --- don’t view these things as indulgences; consider them a critical aspect of creating a healthy lifestyle.

Alas, not so critical that your insurance company will pay for them; good luck submitting a movie stub for reimbursement!

Develop humorous traditions. If you know that the third weekend in March will always be your comedy movie marathon, where you gather with all of your friends and spend the weekend laughing, that weekend takes on a special significance and meaning to you.

It also strengthens bonds and builds community: People who can never find a spare six seconds in their schedule tend to find the time to have a good time, particularly when they can plan for it in advance.

Planning for humor doesn’t reduce the chances of spontaneous laughs happening throughout the day.

106

If anything, giving yourself deliberate opportunities to recognize and enjoy humor actually prepares you to appreciate the funny moments in life when they crop up on their own.

You’re training yourself in a new way of viewing the world: Look for the funny, and you will find it.

On Your Mark, Get Set . . . So, what are you waiting for? There’s no time like the present to get started and begin putting humor into your life starting right now!

When humor happens by chance you get some benefits—but when you begin using proactively, you’ll receive some truly amazing results!

Check in with us on our Beyond Funny Facebook page and let us know how it’s working for you. We want to hear your experiences --- the good, the bad, the ugly and the hysterically funny. Plus, we’re always in the mood for a good joke, a terrible travel story or a funny faux pas.

107

Quick Tips: • Get your story straight. Come up with a phrase you can tell yourself when your monkey mind tries to pull you off track. Talk back and become the boss of your own brain. We like “brain boss”, “monkey mind” or “catch the monkey, bring it back”.

Call to Action: • Share your brain-boss come back line with us on our Beyond Funny Facebook page now and you could win some free stuff of immeasurable value.

108

Notes and Neural Nudges

109

110

7: Gritty Humor Habits

“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” ~ Mark Twain

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby You probably didn’t realize this, but we’ve already been building your gritty humor habits throughout calls to action in this book. Because we know you have better things to do than just read for fun. You want to get a solid ROI on that work, and so we’ve built in a head start.

Chapter 1/Habit 1: Seek Funny Explore what’s out there.

111

Visit www.beyondfunny.org for some of our favorite videos and websites, and begin to notice comedy in your own life, perhaps even some tragedy, by journaling with the intention of finding more funny.

Chapter 2/Habit 2: See Funny Write down the funniest thing that happened to you today and start a habit of asking others what funny things happened to them today or lately.

This is a great activity to do with family at the end of the day, especially those of the younger kind. By asking kids what they find funny, you not only get to know them better (fart jokes and all), but you also train their brains to be on the lookout for what’s amusing in their lives.

Chapter 3/Habit 3: Soak in Funny Now that you’re starting to notice more funny in your life, it’s important to stop and really take it all in. Create the habit of pausing just long enough to soak your cells in the glorious sensation of amusement, and appreciation as you high five yourself for the funny you’ve found.

112

A great way to do this is to stop and take a picture of everything you see that’s funny during the day. Just stopping long enough to focus through the camera lens provides a greater spike of attention and energy in the experience. Then, you’ll have more material to start to build your funny folder in the next section.

Chapter 4/Habit 4: Build a Funny Folder With the pics and other materials you’re gathering you want to make sure it’s handy when you need it most.

Trust me, when you’re feeling sad and blue it’s not easy to dig through all the drama to find funny. Nor is it uplifting to get caught in the negative trap of news on the internet when you’re trying to find some comic relief!

Having a folder with sub folders and even sub-sub folders can help you find what you need fast. We recommend organizing them by type (image, meme, audio, video), theme (kids, animals, comedians, travel drama, naughty humor) or season (holidays, Mondays, any day that ends in Y).

113

If you want to see an example, we’re sharing some of our personal favorites with you at www.heidihanna.com/wsfbook.

Chapter 5/Habit 5: Create a Funny Playlist You’re seeking, seeing, soaking and building up resources, now it’s time to put some action in your action by doing some fun and funny things. This doesn’t mean you have to try improv or stand- up comedy (although we highly recommend it and ask that you invite us to the show if you do) but come up with things you find amusing to do.

Like going to the zoo to hang out with the monkeys (guess who loves doing that?). Or trying out some laughter yoga.

Even non-humorous activities like taking an art class, going on a hike, or taking on a renovation project can be quite funny along the way. As you build your mental mirth muscle, you’ll be more inclined to notice all the ironies and silly things life naturally has to offer.

114

And of course, if you invite someone to join you the power of healthy humor experiences will be duplicated and magnified not only in the present moment, but also potentially for years to come as you look back and laugh together.

Chapter 6/Habit 6: Share Funny On that note, if you haven’t already done so (which you should have because we’ve told you at least a dozen times by now), please get a humor buddy!

Both of us agree that deciding to commit to share funny with each other as often as possible has helped us more than we’d have imagined.

Of course, it’s wonderful to be on the receiving end of someone you love sharing not only an object of amusement with you, but also just knowing you’re on their mind.

Aw, shucks.

At the same time, the person doing the humor hunting and gathering is highly focused on finding something funny, which boosts their brainpower while building their mirth muscle in the process.

115

If you’re cursed with humor-doomers as friends, don’t worry --- we’ve got your back. Just join us on our Beyond Funny Facebook page or hashtag us on Instagram or tweet us on Twitter using #BeyondFunny and we’ll give you a whole tribe of BFFs to connect with.

And now here we are, ready for…

Chapter 7/Habit 7: Celebrate Your Funny Success On that note, Karyn and I are both giving you a standing ovation right now. Trust me. It’s happening.

But wait…there’s…still…more…

We have a whole community of Beyond Funny Friends waiting to celebrate you too, so we hope you’ll join us and share what you’ve learned, any challenges you’ve encountered along the way, and let us know how we can continue to support you.

Join our community (in case you haven’t noticed it yet, we have a Facebook page --- LOL)… www.facebook.com/webeyondfunny and help us spread the message of healthy humor so that we can build radical resilience together.

116

Notes and Neural Nudges

117

118

7-day Beyond Funny

Sprint Challenge

Let’s Do This If you’re ready to get your humor groove on, we want to invite you to join us in a 7-day sprint to try out some of the tools and techniques we’ve discussed in these pages so that you can start to feel better fast.

It’ll be important to start with simple, realistic goals so that you can have small wins that will boost brainpower with hits of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that strengthen new habits of thought and behavior.

119

Remember all the tips we shared too --- like having a humor buddy to share funny findings with and a community to lift your spirits when you’re feeling lower than you’d like.

If you’d like to download a free 7-day Sprint toolkit, visit www.heidihanna.com/wsfstress.

120

Notes and Neural Nudges

121

122

You Got Any More Ideas?

123

124

Resources and References

For additional information about healthy humor, visit The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor at www.aath.org.

For additional information about stress mastery techniques, visit www.heidihanna.com/stressmastery.

For additional information about stress, visit www.stress.org.

“Recent studies are proving that laughter provides positive benefits to every single human system: cardiovascular, respiratory, immune, neurological and musculoskeletal, just to name a few.”

Lee Berk, PhD; Earl Henslin, PsyD.,MFT, BCETS; Steve Sultanoff, PhD; & Kathleen Passanisi, PT, CSP, CPAE; April 8, 2011 presentation, “Science Fiction, Science Fact, or What We Just Want to Be True,” Association for Applied & Therapeutic Humor annual conference, Anaheim CA.

125

Robinson, V. (1991). Humor and the health professions. Second Edition. Thorofare: Slack Publications.

“Dr. Lee Berk and his colleague Dr. Stanley Tan, diabetic patients spent half an hour a day watching movies or sitcoms that they found humorous. As a result, their levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) increased by 26%, while harmful C- reactive proteins declined by 66%.”

Berk, L.; Tan, L.; & Tan, S. (2009). Mirthful laughter, as an adjunct therapy in diabetic care, increases HDL cholesterol and attenuates catecholamines, inflammatory cytokines, C-RP, and myocardial infarction occurrence. FASEB Journal, 22, 1226.2.

“Studies have shown that participants who used humor and laughter had lower levels of stress hormones (such as epinephrine and norepinephrine), as well as lower levels of markers for inflammation (C-reactive proteins and cytokines), which lead to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.”

126

Berk, L.; Tan, S.; Fry, W.; Napier, B.; Lee, J.; Hubbard, R.; Lewis, J.; & Eby, W. (1989). Neuroendocrine and stress hormone changes during mirthful laughter. American Journal of Medical Science.298(6), 390- 396.

“There’s an apparent relationship between mental stress and vasoconstriction—the narrowing, or tightening, of your blood vessels.”

University of Maryland Medical Center. "Laughter Helps Blood Vessels Function Better." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 March 2005. Retrieved from: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/0503101004 58.htm

“Dr. Michael Miller, a preventative cardiologist, says that this result is equivalent to adopting a low- salt diet, losing ten pounds, or taking a prescription medication.”

Peeples, L. (March 28, 2011). Laughter, Music May Lower Blood Pressure. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/25/laughter. music.lower.blood.pressure/index.html

127

“Back in 1977, Dr. William Fry, one of the pioneers researching the relationship between heart health and laughter, began proving that hearty laughter has a positive impact on circulation rates.”

Fry, W. (1979). Humor and the human cardiovascular system. In H. Mindess, J. Turek (Eds.). The study of humor. Los Angeles: Antioch University.

Fry, W. (1992). The physiological effects of humor, mirth, and laughter. Journal of the American Medical Association, 267 (13), 1857-1858.

“A recent study from Japan showed that people who watched a brief comedy show after eating had lower glucose values than those who did not see the program.”

Hayashi, K.; Hayahsi, T.; Iwanaga, S.; Kawai, K.; Ishii, H.; Shoji, S. & Murikami, K. (2003). Laughter lowered the increase in post-prandial blood glucose. Diabetes Care, 26 (5), 1651-1652.

Hayashi, T. & Murakami, K. (2009). The effects of laughter on post-prandial glucose levels and gene expression in type 2 diabetic patients. Life Science, 85(5-6): 185-187.

128

“Studies also show that laughing lowers your levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, both of which play a starring role in the diabetes dilemma. Cortisol increases insulin resistance, while adrenaline tells your liver to pump more glucose into your blood.”

Berk, L.; Tan, L.; & Tan, S. (2009). Mirthful laughter, as an adjunct therapy in diabetic care, increases HDL cholesterol and attenuates catecholamines, inflammatory cytokines, C-RP, and myocardial infarction occurrence. The FASEB Journal, 22, 1226.2.

“Our friend Dr. Miller steals the show again when it comes to the healthy impact of laughter on the endothelium.”

Seiler, B., & Levitt, B. (March 9, 2009). University of Maryland School of Medicine Study Shows Laughter Helps Blood Vessels Function Better. Retrieved from https://www.umms.org/ummc/news/releases/laught er2.htm

“Without solving any problems, building in healthy humor is a wonderful way to help process and transform anger.”

129

Robinson, V. (1991). Humor and the health professions. Second Edition. Thorofare: Slack Publications.

McGhee, P. (2010). Humor. The lighter path to resilience and health, pp. 96-101. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

“After his heart surgery, Lewis Grizzard wrote, “It is still too early to tell what profound effects this experience will have on me.”

Grizzard, L. (2010). They tore out my heart and stomped that sucker flat. Montgomery, AL: NorthSouth Books.

“Our seriously funny friend and colleague Steve Wilson, founder of World Laughter Tour, has this to say: Even if there were no evidence whatsoever that laughter changed a thing in your physiology, I want a life filled with laughter and humor. “

Wilson, S. (nd), The World Laughter Tour and laughter therapy. Retrieved from http://www.worldlaughtertour.com/sections/about/ difference.asp

130

“Feeling isolated is worse for our health than being overweight, having a sedentary lifestyle or even smoking cigarettes.”

Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB., (2010). Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLoS Med 7(7), 1-20.

“Humor is an effective way to combat social isolation.”

Robinson, V. (1991). Humor and the health professions. Second Edition. Thorofare: Slack Publications.

McGhee, P. (2010). Humor. The lighter path to resilience and health, pp. 96-101. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

Goldstein, J. (1987). Therapeutic effects of laughter. In W.F. Fry & W.A. Salameh (Eds.), Handbook of humor and psychotherapy. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange.

“Gurinder Bains researched the impact of humor on memory in seniors with mild cognitive decline, he made sure to allow them to select funny videos from their generation.”

131

Bains, G., et al (2014). The effect of humor on short- term memory in Advanced Mind Body Medicine. Retrieved at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24682001

“Research indicates that we’re up to 30 times more likely to laugh with others than when we’re alone.”

Provine, R. (2004). Laughing, Tickling, and the Evolution of Speech and Self. Current Directions in Psychological Science. Retrieved at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0963- 7214.2004.00311.x

132

That’s All Folks!

133

134

Seriously…

There’s Nothing to See Here….

135

136

Ok, Maybe Just a Bit More

A very special thank you to Randy Glasbergen who has helped us navigate stress with serious humor style over the years!

137

138

139