Developing your sense of humor: Take yourself less seriously!

[lunamor]

*Useful information for people looking for a romantic connection!*

Cheerfulness, a trait that makes people respond more readily to humor, is linked to emotional resilience—the ability to keep a level head in difficult circumstances—and to close relationships. Life satisfaction may increase with the ability to laugh.

One essential characteristic that helps us laugh is not taking ourselves too seriously. We’ve all known the classic tight-jawed sourpuss who takes everything with deathly seriousness and never laughs at anything. No fun there!

Some events are clearly sad and not occasions for laughter. But most events in life don’t carry an overwhelming sense of either sadness or delight. They fall into the gray zone of ordinary life–giving you the choice to laugh or not.

Ways to help yourself see the lighter side of life:
Laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take ourselves less seriously is talk about times when we took ourselves too seriously.

Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them. Look for the humor in a bad situation, the irony and absurdity of life. This will help improve your mood and the mood of those around you.

Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun.

Keep things in perspective. Many things in life are beyond our control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy, and even egotistical.

Deal with your stress. Stress is a major impediment to humor and laughter.Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.

Checklist for lightening up
When you find yourself taken over by what seems to be a horrible problem, ask these questions:

Is it really worth getting upset over?
Is it worth upsetting others?
Is it that important?
Is it that bad?
Is the situation irreparable?
Is it really your problem?

Note: nothing was written by me except the first sentence! Liberally copied from:
How Humor Makes You Friendlier, Sexier: Scientific American
Laughter is the Best Medicine: The Health Benefits of Humor

[cherryaa]

IMHO

It's the old "is that glass half full or half empty syndrome."

Half full all the way I say.

I think you can find humour in many many things, seeing the ironies, the absurdities, the word plays, the double entrendres, the surreal, whatever it may be.

When life gets really bad, (as it generally does for everyone sometimes) you then have a store of remembered giggles to fall back on.

Its best to keep the cupboard full if you can.

[vita]

It's a really good first post.

And so true. And we all need to take that advice sometimes as we get things out of proportion - so typical particularly on the internet too.

Have you seen this cartoon?

xkcd: Duty Calls

I really like the set of questions at the end.

I think I'm going to borrow your opening post, if you don't mind. luna, for another site I'm on

[violet]

Originally Posted by cherryaa

IMHO

It's the old "is that glass half full or half empty syndrome."

An engineer would just say the glass is twice the size it needs to be. (Gee, I hope I didn't see that elsewhere on this site and I'm just repeating it...hehe)

[andrew101]

thats really a long winded way of introducing eastern philosophy to people. Albeit in an unzen-like, western manner.
Tho, humour can be used to dum people down too, and used in propaganda. Just like a wooden stick can be a helpful staff or a malicious weapon.

Oh the irony lol
in the serious posts i crack jokes
but then in the humour threads i get serious

[sonia]

Talking of humour the following won the Best Oneliner Award at the Edinburgh Fringe this year: 'I've just been on a once in a lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again!' Boom boom! I thought it was funny...( it was Tim Vine btw)
Oh Vita - just looked at the cartoon: my goodness that is so hilarious and SO TRUE of those poor sad individuals who have clearly spent hours searching the internet to find anything that will apparently vindicate whatever their latest bee in the bonnet is!

[vita]

I'll borrow that for my other thread too Sonia, if you don't mind.

So much plagiarism today on my part!

[violet]

Picasso said - Good artists borrow, great artists steal.

[sonia]

In that case Vita you should have stealthily crept away with the quotes! Of course you are welcome.

[vita]

Originally Posted by violet

Picasso said - Good artists borrow, great artists steal.

I love that too.

I shall steal that at some point.


You're all on such fine form today