Laughter is the best medicine

It’s not just an old wives’ tale – laughter and keeping happy can be the secret to content and productive staff – it’s the science of Laughology!

Laughology is a training and consulting organisation founded by Stephanie Davies.

Working on the stand-up circuit, she realised that humour could help her survive as she performed on the club circuit (in particular the male-dominated working men’s clubs in the North), and in turn came to the realisation that it could help both individuals and organisations.

With a background in community arts and a master’s degree in psychology, Stephanie studied at the famous Gesundheit! Institute with Hunter Doherty ‘Patch’ Adams – the doctor portrayed by Robin Williams in the film Patch Adams. Stephanie is now one of the UK’s most renowned experts on the science of humour, laughter and happiness.

Built around the psychology of humour, laughter and happiness, Stephanie has taken the Laughology model of learning and development to businesses and schools, with a combination of organisational behaviour change programmes, one-off sessions and workshops.

Now for the science part

Laughter and humour can trigger processes in the brain that make it easier to learn. They lead to the release of neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin, which are capable of heightening emotional response and maximising neurological function.

Think about the last time you went to a workshop or presentation – which bit did you remember the most? Odds-on it was the part where the presenter or instructor used some humour, got the delegates to interact and made you laugh. So, ensuring that any key messages or content you want to be remembered come with a touch of humour is incredibly effective.

A happy workforce

No one can be 100% happy, 100% of the time – it’s just not realistic. But realistic happiness combines a mixture of emotional states and mindsets that lead to positivity, resilience and robust mental health. Confidence, coping skills, positive relationships, support and personal development are the main drivers for this realistic happiness.

According to research, happy people are healthier, more motivated, resilient – and more productive, so for businesses and organisation, promoting happiness among staff is key.

How do they do it?

Laughology has really focused on the science behind happiness and uses that to devise effective methods to help bring realistic happiness into people’s lives.

It’s not about coming into the business and getting everyone belly-laughing and tittering all day long. It’s about ensuring that people have the skills to manage the ups and downs of life – whether at work or in their outside life – the ability to learn from their experiences and to grow and progress through the hard times as well as the good times.

The aim is to help organisations use the psychology of happiness to create a culture of happiness within their business, which allows the staff to build resilience, wellbeing, engagement and productivity.

If you would like to discuss this subject further and how it could help your business, please contact Cecily Lalloo at Embrace HR Limited.

T: 01296 761 288 or contact us here.

Based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Embrace HR Limited supports business owners who do not have their own HR department or those that do but need help from time to time. We also work across the Home Counties of Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, and also SMEs based in London.