When you hear a funny story or watch a comedy, how do you feel? Good, bad, undecided?
As we grow older, humor can reduce stress, improve immune function, ease pain, strengthen emotional resilience, and support better sleep and mood. But for me, that is just the icing on the cherry pie. The real benefit is that humor lightens up my day, and I feel better.
We are not genetically endowed with a sense of humor. It is something we have learned, and we can still foster it if we learn to notice the absurd, the unexpected, and the human side of things and allow ourselves to play and be silly — no matter what your adult children think!
How can we cultivate the fun side of our brains to laugh more often?
Practice playful thinking; it may not come easily but look for those playful moments to open your mind and see the funny in life. Imagine what your dog is telling you when you wake up in the morning. Or your cat — if it cared!
Take a moment to look around the room and identify one thing that’s unintentionally funny: that plant that’s frowning because you haven’t talked to it in weeks.
Reimagine a funny moment that makes you the star, such as swooping down in a red satin cape and blue Lycra tights to rescue your wife from a boring conversation about baseball.
Be playful: make small jokes with friends, share amusing observations, try silly voices. Or even make a TikTok video with your grandchild!
You can also look for different styles of humor from the light observational humor of Seinfeld — a “show about nothing,” to the absurd and unexpected humor of Monty Python, to the warm, wholesome humor of the Bob Newhart Show. And don’t forget the comedic pillars of the past: Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball.
You can also keep a “humor notebook” or use a notes app on your smartphone to write down one thing that made you smile each day: funny thoughts, strange things you overheard, amusing memories, and a quote that made you laugh — even tiny things count.
And spend time with people who laugh easily — those who still laugh at your groan-worthy dad jokes. “I’m reading a book about anti gravity. It’s impossible to put down.” Or “I’m on a seafood diet. I see food, and I eat it.” Okay, one was probably enough.
A sense of humor isn’t about being the funniest person in the room. It is about being open, curious, and making the effort to see what is funny around you. And that’s something anyone can nurture — at any age. (It’s also cheaper than any prescription drug and has fewer side effects!)
• • •
Brain Tease: This week, it’s time for another — and last — logic and deduction puzzle.
Three neighbors, Mr. Green, Ms. Blue, and Mr. White, each prefer a different drink: coffee, tea, or orange juice. Use the clues to match each neighbor with their drink.
1. The person who likes coffee lives next door to Mr. Green.
2. Ms. Blue does not like tea.
3. Mr. White is allergic to citrus and does not drink orange juice.
4. The tea drinker often chats with Mr. Green about caffeine.
Who prefers which drink?
• • •
“The Man of a Thousand Voices,” best known for providing voices for many of the Looney Tunes cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tweety Bird, was Mel Blanc. I received correct answers from Stephen Woolpert, Rhonda Spies, Doug Nelson, Shelley Hinatsu, Donna Mollet, Dave Lutgens, Eva Summers, Bruce Johnson, Lana Tepfer, Tina Casta-nares, and Jess Birge who is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.
And last week, while learning from Dale Carnegie on how to influence others, I missed Mike Monroe, Eva Summers, Tina Castanares, Mike Nagle, Rebecca Abrams, and Tom Schaefer.
Published in 1956, this novel exposed the hidden scandals and social hypocrisies in a small New England town and was dismissed by critics as vulgar, sensationalist, and devoid of literary merit.
For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the title of this “dirty book” that became a bestseller and was adapted for the 1964 prime-time television show that featured Ryan O’Neal, Mia Farrow, and Dorothy Malone? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with a picture of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, where the author Grace Metalious lived while writing the novel.
• • •
Well, it’s been another week, looking for laughs in all the hidden corners.
Until we meet again, a smile is like duct tape — it fixes almost anything.”
• • •
“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.”
— Robert Brault
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.