{"id":206874,"date":"2020-05-05T12:15:15","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T12:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/strengthbasedliving.com\/?p=206874"},"modified":"2021-05-05T16:44:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T16:44:12","slug":"a-spoonful-of-humor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strengthbasedliving.com\/strengthbasedliving.com\/putting-strengths-into-action\/a-spoonful-of-humor\/","title":{"rendered":"A Spoonful of Humor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knock knock.
\nWho\u2019s there?
\nBroken pencil.
\nBroken pencil who?
\nNever mind, it\u2019s pointless!<\/em><\/p>\n

Not everyone likes a corny knock-knock joke, but I do. Whether you prefer playfulness, cleverness, or full-on belly laughing, we can all probably use a spoonful of humor to provide levity right now.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget to laugh and have fun when what\u2019s happening around and within us is so serious. Each of us is facing our own bundle of inconveniences, losses, and sacrifices. Humor can provide a brief, but necessary, respite from these stressors.<\/p>\n

There are potentially infinite ways to cultivate humor. And great news: You don\u2019t have to be a stand-up comic to appreciate and share humor.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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The Inspiration<\/h4>\n

Over the past few weeks, the character strength humor<\/a>, the human capacity for laughter and playfulness, has been coming up often in my personal and professional conversations.\u00a0 For instance, I recently hosted a virtual family Zoom birthday party for my younger sister. One highlight was the guest appearance by Tito, the rescued cow<\/a>, from Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary. Tito was invited by my older sister as a surprise. We were told his appearance is a way to change up the flow of Zoom calls. It did! It was very \u201camooooooosing!\u201d Perhaps even \u201cmoooooving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humor can help us shift from tension to relaxation. Our personal experiences, along with research, support this. Here\u2019s a great article from the Mayo Clinic about the benefits of humor<\/a>. It mentions that humor:<\/p>\n