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From the Centre: Humour helps happiness

A sense of humour can make a difference in life and how one approaches it
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Neil Ostafichuk is the recreation supervisor at the Creston and District Community Complex.

 

For those that know me, (all 12 of you), you have long since learned that I rely on humour in most settings to communicate. Aside from being naturally quick tongued (too quick on many, many occasions), I have long since found that a positive, happy attitude is a heck of a lot easier to maintain than a mopey, miserable one and it has the added benefit that it tends to be infectious, resulting in a generally more productive day than the opposite. Face it; do you want your last memories to be glaring at your neighbor day in and out, complaining that their maple trees are dripping sap on your property? Really – that was my neighbor in the big city. I finally cut my tree down so he could refocus his torment somewhere else. (Which happened to be my peeling fence.)

Mike Kerr, a speaker on inspiring workplaces (mikekerr.com) at many events including Recreation and Parks conferences, notes the following:

There's a growing body of research that suggests the happier people are, the more creative they tend to be. One study, reported in the book The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, found that there was a 50% increase in the odds of having a creative idea on days when people were in positive moods. Perhaps even more surprising, the creative boost lasted at least a day or two!

Studies have also found that creativity is higher when people have a more positive perception of their overall work environment. When leaders are seen as being collaborative and more open to new ideas, creativity goes up. And when people see new ideas treated as a valued commodity in the workplace, even if the suggestion eventually gets rejected, they are far more likely to contribute new ideas. Conversely, and not unexpectedly, people are less creative when they view their organization as being risk-adverse, driven by infighting and overly critical of new ideas.

A happier state of mind also helps people broaden their thinking and consider multiple actions they might take when faced with an obstacle or challenge at work. So if ideas are the currency of success, how much more successful would your organization be if it placed a higher value on genuine, sustained happiness in your workplace? Whether you are part of a management team with a pile of employees or a supervisor with one or two direct reports, I guarantee that everyone will thrive more in a relaxed, happy environment with appropriate humour. Is it always going to be sunshine and roses? Of course not, we happen to be human, but you will find that with a bit of effort, the third of our life we spend working can be that much more pleasant.