Fu n Game Activity for Stress Management
Laugh
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Type |
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Stress Management |
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Nature |
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Both – Indoor & Outdoor |
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Participants |
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25 to 50 |
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Duration |
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Maximum 20 Minutes |
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Material Needed |
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Anything that can make one laugh:
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Goal |
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Releasing stress through laughing |
How it Works
Whether we giggle, chortle, chuckle, guffaw or “lol,” everyone laughs. Smiling, a natural part of laughing, is a universal indication of happiness or pleasure across all cultures, according to psychologist Paul Ekman. When we smile, the brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that produces feelings of happiness. Interestingly enough, this effect works both ways: the release of dopamine when we feel happy causes us to smile, and the mere act of smiling causes the brain to release dopa-mine, which in turn makes us feel happy.
The
results of many scientific studies reveal that laughter can be remarkably
therapeutic. For example, laughter and humor have been shown to increase
tolerance to pain. Additionally, researchers in Japan have found that laughter
lowered blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes by altering gene
expression. Even more exciting are the findings on the cardiovascular benefits
of mirthful laughter. In a recent study by researchers at the University of
Maryland, researchers found that endorphins released by the brain in response
to laughter cause the production of nitric oxide (NO), which then triggers a
number of cardio-protective signaling processes responsible for not only
vasodilation but also for reducing platelet aggregation and vascular
inflammation. Laughter furthermore has been shown to have positive effects on
the immune system. Professor Lee Berk from Loma Linda University reported that
laughter increased the activity of several critical antibodies and natural
killer cells, which are essential in anti-tumor defense. These studies
represent only a small subset of the scientific literature attesting to the
positive benefits of laughter. So laugh on, Yale!
Instructions
- Have everyone stand in a circle.
- Ask anyone to do at least one thing;
- Tell a joke or funny verse from poetry
- Do a funny thing
- Show a funny photo from his cell phone
- Anything that can make someone laugh
- If any member cannot have anything, he/she must have to laugh loudly
Alternate Methods
We
can try these alternate methods, as well.
- Find a funny video or movie to watch as a group.
- Treat our group to a show at a comedy club.
- Take your group to a funny movie.
- Have a jar that everyone can write down funny moments and drop in and come together in a group to share them.
- Insert funny, relevant pictures into a PowerPoint presentation.
- Engage in forced group laughter.
- Have the group start laughing about nothing in particular, and soon the laughter will spontaneously become real and frequently uncontrollable.
- Have everyone tell a story regarding:
- An embarrassing moment
- The funniest thing they can remember happening to them
Follow Up Questions:
- How does this technique work?
- What is the physiological effect of this activity?
- What is the medical effect of this activity?
- Feed back
- Which technique is used by the participants to release their stress?
