Why Humor Matters for Happiness

Humor can help us with stress, anxiety and feeling more connected to others. But is humor connected to mindfulness? And how can we find more of it?

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p9dkds7

Episode summary:

For Emmy- nominated comedian Josh Johnson, humor has always come naturally. But over time, Josh has found it difficult to reignite his passion for comedy outside of his career. For our show, Josh wrote down three funny things he experienced every day for a week. He noticed that funny moments often arise from a series of interconnected events, and that they aren’t always something we can prepare for. Instead, it’s the unexpected moments that often lead to a comedic sense of joy. Later, we hear from psychologist Sonja Heintz about the connection between various types of humor and mindfulness, and how engaging in mindful practices can spur more positive and benevolent types of humor.

Practice:

1. Take 10 minutes a day for at least a week to write down 3 of the funniest moments you experienced throughout the day.

2. Write down why you think these funny moments happened.

3. Remember to write down as much detail about the moment as possible. These funny moments do not have to be of major importance.

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/three_funny_things

Today’s guests:

Josh Johnson is an Emmy-nominated comedian and writer for The Daily Show. This interview was recorded before the Writer’s Guild and Screen Actors’ Guild strikes began.

Learn more about Josh Johnson: https://www.joshjohnsoncomedy.com/

Follow Josh on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/33f4nkv2

Follow Josh on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3txe78kf

Sonja Heintz is a psychologist at the University of Plymouth who specializes in positive psychology.

Learn more about Sonja and her work: https://tinyurl.com/mt4vs6cx

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Why Laughing Is Good for You (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/4z3snujy

How Laughter Brings Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/2cnapztk

Four Funny Ways Laughter Is Good for You: https://tinyurl.com/5x6d9jp3

How a Little Humor Can Improve Your Work Life: https://tinyurl.com/bdzz6thx

More Resources on Humor:

BBC - How comedy makes us better people: https://tinyurl.com/ytywxb94

Harvard - Humor, Laughter, and Those Aha Moments: https://tinyurl.com/ujjmzc75

Ted - The Superpower of Humour: https://tinyurl.com/53chw3nz

When Everything Is Heavy, a Touch of Humor Can Help: https://tinyurl.com/s6ydmyu4

What are three funny things that happened in your life recently? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

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