Humor and laughter keep us healthy

One of my clients is in the process of preparing for a possible job change and wanted to use this decision phase to go into a deeper self-examination with the help of coaching.

One topic we delved into at the beginning was his core values. These are values that are so important to us that an inner, sometimes unconscious conflict arises when we do not remain true to them in our private and professional lives.

 One of these values for him is humour, which sometimes comes with a pinch of sarcasm.

My client has a leadership role and described to me that his current team has gotten used to it and there is a lot of laughter among them. Because he exemplifies humour, his employees have also realized that it's okay to have fun at work and that a touch of sarcasm doesn't necessarily mean embarrassing someone.

During one of our sessions, he expressed concerns about whether his sense of humour might cause problems in a job interview or in a new work environment. He didn't want to ruin his chances and possibly "offend" people who didn't know him yet because of his humour. He also said that it might be better to hold back first, i.e. to contain his humour, even if that would be difficult for him.

In the course of the coaching session, however, he realized for himself that it would not feel right for him to pretend. It is much more important to him to show his humour openly right from the start, because that is also possible in "doses" for a moment. And he again wants to create a working atmosphere in which humour should have a place.

I already experienced my client as extremely humorous in our preliminary conversation and in the way he communicated with me in writing beforehand. What a loss for his potential new employer if he decided to supress it.

We should all laugh more, because it is extremely healthy. Not only do we use a lot of muscles while we laugh, but we also signal something positive to our body, because it produces different happiness hormones, including serotonin. Laughter strengthens our immune system and our psyche. Those who don't lose their sense of humour and their laughter even in difficult situations go through life's ups and downs with more resilience.

    How much humour is present in your life?