In one of their publications, Bennett and Lengacher( 2006) tried to carry out a survey in breast cancer patients( 105 women of 59 years age). They proved from the studies that Complementary Therapies( which, rather than replace mainstream cancer treatment to cure the disease, control symptoms and improve well-being and quality of life) also play a major role in uplifting the spirits of the ailing patients. Bennet and Lengacher proposed humor as an important factor for coping with cancer and cancer treatment. Laughter and a bit of humor lead to“ endorphins rushes”, or a surge of chemical messengers or neurotransmitters in our brain cells that leave us de-stressed and happy.
Laughter and Learning: Do They Coexist?
After going through various research articles and reading different magazines, I got a notion that learning incorporated with a bit of humor and fun can increase the memory of an individual( or students), and maximize their productivity. Researchers at Loma Linda University, San Diego, California, Gurinder Singh Bains et al.( 2012) proved that the dangerous effects of impaired memory loss and learning ability of cortisol( a stress hormone) can be lowered when we adopt laughter and humor in our lives. They conducted a research by showing a humorous 20-minute video to two groups of elderly people: a healthy group and a group with diabetes. They also formed a group of people who didn’ t watch the video, but completed the evaluation, to serve as a control. The groups were then assessed for their learning, memory, and sight recognition capacities after they completed the evaluation. Both the groups were measured for their cortisol levels or concentrations both before and after the experiment. The researchers found a significant decrease in levels of cortisol concentrations in both the groups who watched the video. The memory test scores of the healthy group improved dramatically while the diabetic group had decreased levels of cortisol. Both the groups were healthier, had improved memory functions.
40 | ZEALOUSNESS MAGAZINE | Winter / Spring 2017
For Teachers:
Keeping the above study in mind, laughter and humor can also lead to enhanced learning and memory retention capacity among students. You can clearly see through at the beginning of the article, with Mr. Jones using humor to make math lessons easier to grasp, and to keep the students engaged in learning. The students( taught in humorous way) interacted more with teachers. Hence, they are more likely to perform well on exams. In one of his books, Laughing Lessons( 2000), Ron Burgess, a published author of children’ s books, contends that students learn better when ideas are presented with humor. He says,“ Laughter and humor will hold kids’ attention, thus helping them retain the information they’ re learning. Humor also helps reduce tension... in the kids and you. Laughter is a great stress reliever. It can make a school day seem shorter and your load lighter. It can help you cope with crisis, break monotony, and live longer.”( Burgess, 2000). The point is to make the classroom a little more warm and inviting, which results in a class-wide attitude better suited to learning and more apt to be effective. According to Ronald A. Berk( known as“ Humor Professor”, http:// www. ronberk. com /), Professor Emeritus, Johns
Hopkins University,“ Humor... opens up communication that’ s not based on fear or intimidation. Instead, the communication is positive, constructive, and relaxed; it continuously ebbs and flows all over the classroom... A bonding rapport develops between you and your students that are founded on respect, trust, and fun.”( Berk, 2002). He shares,“ When I enter the classroom, I want to change the entire atmosphere into one where everyone has fun with the material--even if the material is complex.” Educators and teachers should not consider teaching as a regular chore. Teachers who wish to experience using humor in the classrooms even though they are not funny, can keep these books handy: Professors are from Mars, Students are from Snickers( Stylus Publishing, 2003) and Humor as an Instructional De-