The healing power of laughter is an often discussed subject in health studies. Most of us inherently understand its value in our personal lives and relationships, but what about humor’s effects in office ergonomics? Many people nowadays work in shared or co-working office space, and the traditional boundaries between professional and private lives are often blurred due to the sheer amount of time we spend every day next to our coworkers.
On a physiological level, laughter releases the “feel good” chemical known as endorphins into the brain. Endorphins specifically transmit messages between the neurons in your brain which ultimately lower the sensations of physical pain and bodily reactions to stress. So it is undoubtedly proven that laughing more often can be good for both your mental and physical health.
While it may be inconsiderate to laugh uncontrollably at youtube videos on your own all day, don’t be afraid to share the laughter with your coworkers! In this spirit, here a few tips on how to spread the joy of humor to your coworkers:
1) Share videos weekly via social media that are funny yet appropriate, like the Social Times does every Friday
2) Send out a funny meme internally!
3) Go to a happy hour after work with your coworkers! For our Chevy Chase clients, we recommend Chadwicks and the Cheesecake Factory. For our downtown clients, we’d recommend Nooshi without a doubt!
4) Try to end long meetings on a light note, either by reminiscing about a funny story or internal inside joke.
To practice what we preach, we’ll end this blog with a quick meme. Here’s to LOLing!
