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there was more humour during World War

II than at any other time in history.
Humour and laughter help to reduce
conflict and facilitate easier communica-
tion. They quickly help to lower barriers and
facilitate connection between people, a tre-
mendous asset for people caught up in the
negative effects of the economic downturn.
Humour and laughter are available at
no cost and are accessible to each and ev-
eryone of us, unfortunately they have be-
come the most underrated and underval-
ued tools in our society. B.I.G

It’s all in the mind

This Story is about a man who once upon a

time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside. He
was illiterate, so he never read newspapers.
He was hard of hearing, so he never listened

o
to the radio.
His eyes were weak, so he never watched

Recessi n
television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of
hotdogs. He was smart enough to offer some

Humour
attractive schemes to increase his sales. His

Pro
At a time when things are turning nasty for all of us,
f
sales and profit went up.
He ordered more a more raw material
and buns and use to sale more. He recruited
few more supporting staff to serve more
customers. He started offering home de-
liveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger
and better stove.
As his business was growing, the son, who
had recently graduated from College, joined
his father.
Then something strange happened.

T
humour is the best medicine that we can get. The son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of
the great recession that is coming our way?”
The father replied, “No, but tell me about it.”
The son said, “The international situ-
ation is terrible. The domestic situation is

T
oo many people these days suffer
from chronic seriousitis. It shows up
in the stern faces, furrowed brows,
bad hair days, up-tight behaviour, and the
loss of perspective.
We need to lighten up! We take our-
selves way too serious with disastrous ef-
fects to our personal health and wellness.
We need to recognise that ‘laughter is the
best medicine.’
What most of us don’t realise is that by
not laughing, we miss out on many health
benefits. A good laugh massages face, shoul-
ders and stomach muscles, reduces blood
pressure, increases oxygen flow, boosts im-
mune system, and causes a reduction in
stress-inducing chemicals.
Research has shown that laughter works
faster on our body than Valium. The benefits
from a good belly laugh can last up to 24
hours. Dr. William Fry, a laughter researcher
found that 30 seconds of hearty laughter
equals a three minute physical workout on a
rowing machine.
You don’t even need a reason to laugh.
Even fake laughter is good for you. Thou-
sands of ‘Laughter Clubs’ have sprung up all
over the world practicing fake laughter ses-
sions with the same health benefits as de-
rived from real laughter.
With the downturn of the economy and
the increase of personal stresses, it is impor-
tant to remember that humour and laughter
are powerful stress busters. It is impossible
to be stressed when laughing. Laughter pro-
vides us with an instant vacation from our
stress feelings.
Humour and laughter clear our minds, so
that we can think more clearly and therefore
become more creative in resolving our prob-
lems. Humour helps us cope with difficult
times and situations. It is a known fact that
even worse. We should be prepared for the
coming bad times.”
The man thought that since his son had
been to college, read the papers, listened to
the radio and watched TV. He ought to know
and his advice should not be taken lightly. So
the next day onwards, the father cut down the
his raw material order and buns, took down
the colourful signboard, removed all the spe-
cial schemes he was offering to the customers
and was no longer as enthusiastic.
He reduced his staff strength by giving
layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people
bothered to stop at his hotdog stand. And
his sales started coming down rapidly, same
is the profit.
The father said to his son, “Son, you
were right”. “We are in the middle of a re-
cession and crisis. I am glad you warned me
ahead of time.”
Moral of The Story: Its all in your
MIND! And we actually FUEL this reces-
sion much more than we think.

80 march 2009 B.I.G ...Read more in BIG MARCH 2009 Issue