Laughter makes you feel good, and these days Linda Hall reckons the more laughing we do the better. Photo / NZME
Laughter makes you feel good, and these days Linda Hall reckons the more laughing we do the better. Photo / NZME
A_290721gn12bop.JPG: Laughter makes you feel good and these days Linda Hall reckons the more laughing we do the better. Photo / NZME
Our newsroom has columnist Wyn Drabble to thank for quite a bit of hilarity in recent weeks.
He wrote a column last month that really caught my eye.
It was about memory, or more accurately, the lack of it.
Wyn is well-known for his research, and I was fascinated to read that he had "unearthed" some pleasing news. US studies performed about 10 years ago show that laughing can help with short-term memory. When we laugh, the stress hormone cortisol (a memory enemy) decreases, and this improves our short-term memory.
From Wyn's research, I reached my own conclusion — the more you laugh, the more you remember. No research went into that conclusion, but it just made sense.
I was excited. More laughter would mean I wouldn't sit staring at my computer screen asking myself, 'what's my password?'
So with that in mind, I declared to the newsroom that every morning at 10am we would hold a joke session.
I got some strange looks, but with my amazing power of persuasion I managed to convince everyone (well, almost everyone) to be ready with a joke at 10am the next morning.
One person commented that she would tell the only joke she has ever been able to remember.
Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.
Others took to Google.
I thought about telling the only joke Mr Neat knows. It goes like this: What did the barman say to the horse when it walked into the bar? 'Why the long face?'
I can't count the number of times I have heard him tell that joke over the years. I decided against it.
So the next morning at 10am, we gathered around and everyone told their joke.
It was absolutely fabulous. Some told dad jokes and we all groaned, others were just okay, and some were really funny. It took only five minutes and everyone went away with a grin on their face.
The next morning everyone was again ready at 10am with their joke, and again we all had a good laugh.
Sometimes there are only a few of us depending on what's happening, and some days we don't get around to it at all.
Has it helped our memories? Judging by the repeated jokes from some people — no. But it sure has made us feel good.
According to Google, some of the long-term benefits of laughter are that it "enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain."
In other words, it makes you feel good, and these days I reckon the more laughing we do the better.
So next time you are feeling a bit down in the dumps, watch a comedy, tell a joke, or book a ticket to one of the many comedy shows that have been playing in Hawke's Bay.
You never know - it might just help you remember what you had for dinner last night, or what the very important thing you went into the supermarket for was.
I'll leave you with this from yesterday morning:
Tequila won't fix your life, but it's worth a shot.
Linda Hall is Assistant Editor at Hawke's Bay Today
