THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701180388
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Anne Saita
LENGTH: 73 lines
For days now I've been in what one colleague described as ``a bad humor.'' It's been happening with startling frequency, and it's beginning to bother me.
A succession of crowded work weeks, combined with subsequent unfulfilled obligations, is draining me. Worst, my usual releases for pent-up stress have started falling short on results.
I have my health. I have wonderful friends and a loving, supportive family. And I make enough money to pay my bills and occasionally go out.
With all those excuses out of the way, there was only one other explanation for why I've been behaving badly around other people.
Could it be that, in becoming overloaded, I had also become ``underlaughed''?
There was a way to find out. I picked up the phone and dialed a number in Wake Forest.
Health educator Paula Hudson Collins answered on the second ring.
``We should have 15 laughs a day, three of which should be belly laughs,'' contended Collins, the founder and president of N2 Health Inc., a company that promotes health through seminars, workshops and keynote addresses.
Collins will be at the College of The Albemarle's Chowan County Center from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 30 to present ``Life, Laughter and Leadership.''
The session is being sponsored by the community college's Small Business Center and the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce.
Those who sign up for the $15 or $20 seminar, depending on chamber membership, can expect to take an inventory of current habits to determine their laughter index.
Collins also will explain the difference between being humorous and having a sense of humor - and the need for both.
For those bad at jokes, Collins will help you find a good one, which you memorize and practice before placing the punchline in a wallet for handy reference.
Last year Collins held 116 seminars nationwide. ``The humor one is among the favorites because that helps us keep our levity,'' she said.
Indeed. This laughter stuff is serious business.
``What we're finding more and more is that workplaces with a corporate atmosphere that demonstrates a sense of humor have employees who believe their supervisors or managers are more approachable.
``These places also tend to have better morale, a better basis for team-building and are more productive,'' she continued.
``And all of that put together indicates better job satisfaction. Employees will stay late on their own and freely come in on a Saturday to finish up a project. It also seems to prevent turnover, which in a lot of small companies can be very damaging.''
But wait! There's even more going for giggles and guffaws.
``If you laugh 100 times a day, it is as good for you cardiovascularly as rowing for 10 minutes,'' Collins contends.
The movement releases endorphins, the same proteins that produce a ``runner's high,'' and help reduce stress levels. You also take deeper breaths following a good laugh, another well-known relaxation technique.
Within 15 minutes of talking to Collins, I'd more than met my daily quota for belly laughs.
How could you not let out a hearty chuckle when advice includes such ditties as ``Be a liver of life and not just a gallbladder.''
``I have always incorporated a great deal of humor in my own experiences and lifestyle,'' Collins told me. ``I'm one of those who believes you can catch a lot more bees with honey than vinegar.''
By the time we hung up, I did feel better. Imagine the possibilities, I thought, if only I learned to lighten up.
I could finally clear my calendar of assignments and hang out in Honolulu for a stretch. I could get a huge raise for all my hard work and buy that Volvo station wagon I've always wanted.
Why, I might even hire a nanny and let her hassle with homework and sibling fights. Or be the envy of the office by being the first to lose 15 pounds while downing all the salt-and-vinegar potato chips I could find.
Yeah. Right. What a laugh!