Freedom to Laugh in the Workplace

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"Learn to laugh at your troubles and you will never run out of things to laugh about."

If this saying is true, uncertainties, job stress, or life anxieties we should have much to laugh about. Perhaps it is time to celebrate our freedom to laugh this Independence Day.

Studies show that having a sense of humor can have positive effects on health. In fact, cardiologists, from the University of Maryland report that “Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack.” This is a pretty significant finding given that heart disease is a number one killer in the U.S. Research also indicates that laughter provides an aerobic benefit, reduces depression, which is linked to overeating.

Award-winning humorous author, speaker, and humor and health columnist, Leigh Ann Jasheway-Bryant, MPH, writes in one of her columns “The Joke’s On You: Laugh Yourself Healthier” that laughter is important for those who have diabetes. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba, Japan found a link between laughter and blood sugar.

Adding laughter to the daily regime of good exercise and a healthy diet is something to be considered if you want to stay healthy, despite the stress.

Other benefits of humor in the workplace include

It breaks down trust walls
Connects people with others
Humor fosters rapport and encourages collaboration
It boosts brainpower and increases productivity
It enables the ability to cope with difficulty
Good clean humor improves the employee experience

So go ahead, chuckle or snicker. Or just let it all out with a loud, belly-busting, snorting, GUFFAW! Your heart and sanity will thank you.

Declarations of Independence – by Leigh Ann Jasheway-Bryant

This July, I declare my independence from:

Whining
Jumping to the wrong conclusions
Creating worse case scenarios
Putting words in people’s mouths
Assuming any change is bad if I’m not in control of it
Spending too much time with life-o-sucters
Focusing on what’s bad in my life and what’s gone wrong with my day
Scowling and rolling my eyes
Using my cell phone in my car
Living only a virtual life when there’s a real one right outside my door
Raining on other people’s parades
Not sharing my toys
Thinking that “teamwork” is just a lot of people doing things my way
Offering sarcasm as a service
Blowing up like a firecracker over the smallest frustrations

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Tresha Moreland

Tresha Moreland is a 30-year organizational effectiveness and strategic workforce planning expert. She partners with business leaders to develop workplace strategies that achieve best-in-class results. She has held key organizational leadership roles in multiple industries such as manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality, and healthcare. Tresha is the founder and principal consultant of HR C-Suite, LLC (www.hrcsuite.com). HR C-Suite is a results-based HR strategy resource dedicated to connecting HR with business results. She has received a master’s degree in human resource management (MS) and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). She has also earned a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Six Sigma Black Belt Professional (SSBBP) Certification. She is also recognized as a Fellow with the American College Healthcare Executives with a FACHE designation.