The Science of Laughter. Our Bodies. Our Minds. Our Souls – Time Magazine Special Edition
Always keep it fresh … something we live by every day in our business! So this month instead of doing a book review, we decided to review the most recent special edition of Time Magazine ‘The Science of Laughter. Our Bodies. Our Minds. Our Souls.’
In a word – FABULOUS! In several words – INSPIRING, ENLIGHTENING, AMAZING!
I encourage you to pick up a copy as soon as you can before they disappear from shelves … or you can order on eBay here.
The issue made me curious about the role that laughter plays in creativity. We laugh a lot in our brainstorming sessions. In fact, the more we laugh, the more ideas we generate … so why does this happen?
It turns out that people with a lighter mood experience more eureka moments and greater inspiration.
Laughter can help us solve problems that demand creative solutions, by making it easier to think more broadly and associate ideas/relationships more freely.
Virtually all humour involves a similar structure. Here is an example:
A woman is berating her husband for his marital failures:
- The wife angrily says: “Every morning the man next door kisses his wife goodbye. Then when he comes home after work, he brings her flowers. Why don’t you ever do that?”
- Husband, shaking his head: “I couldn’t do that. I don’t even know the woman.”
Here is the formula behind the structure.
They set you up to expect one thing, and then switch toward the end and give you something completely different. We’re surprised, and we laugh. That’s the formula. That’s what humour’s all about.
Surprise is at the heart of comedy. Surprise is also at the heart of creativity. Creativity is about more than just producing something. It’s about producing something in a new way, a different way, a surprising way.
Much of our daily thinking is conducted on the ‘freeways’ of habit. Creativity is ‘off-road’ thinking. Humour helps prepare your brain for those off-road excursions. It helps you develop the ‘surprise thinking’ that results in creative new ideas.
Please Please Please read ‘The Science of Laughter Our Bodies, Our Minds Our Souls’ – Time Magazine Special Edition … and then let us know what you thought! We would love to hear from you or just send us a joke … we would love that too! 
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