How to Use Humor to Improve Your Relationships

Humor has long been considered one of the most effective tools to judge the quality of any relationship. If there is laughter present you can assume that the relationship is a healthy one. When the laughter ceases you can be quite certain that the relationship is on the down slide. This laughter barometer can be applied to any relationship at home, at work and at play. Laughter means that you're having fun and fun means that things are going well.. Take a look at the relationships around you. Do the couples laugh a lot together? Has the laughter stopped in some of your relationships?

Here are a few ideas you can use to make certain that laughter remains an ever present reality in your relationships thus ensuring their quality and endurance. Remember introducing humor to previously humorless relationships might take time but the results will be worth the effort. Start slowly by working on your own fun loving, cheery disposition. Laughter and humor are contagious so it won't be long before others catch the bug.

* Remember that a sense of humor is learned, not inherited.

* Commit to becoming a humor hound. Look for humor everywhere. When something strikes you funny enjoy it. Let the laughter flow. After the funny event has passed recall it and enjoy it and laugh again.

* Begin to cultivate an atmosphere of humor and laughter in your relationships. Try to enjoy and share humor as often as you can.

* If you don 't laugh as much as you used to and want to correct the situation start associating with humorous, fun loving people and avoid the downers.

* Learn to laugh at yourself. If you don't, you leave the job to others.

* Look for funny items in your newspaper and cut them out and share them. I recall reading the want ads one night and discovered this gem : " The successful applicant should have 203 years experience." Obviously the writer meant to say 2 or 3 years experience. I immediately cut it out and placed it in my collection for future use.

* Encourage others to share their humor. Listen and appreciate it when they do. When someone sees that you have enjoyed their humorous contribution they will be eager to continue sharing.

* In my full day humor workshops I always ask the participants to break up into groups and begin sharing the funniest thing that has ever happened to them. The laughter that this simple activity generates is a joy to behold. Try this will your friends sometime.

* Collect cartoons and jokes and put them on display on the fridge or the bulletin board. Make sure to avoid racist, sexist or filthy humor. The is plenty of good clean humor to go around without resorting to these. Remember that there is a difference between dirty and earthy humor. I personally like earthy humor. I don't appreciate dirty material.

* Watch comedy movies and television programs as often a possible.

* Use humor to neutralize conflict in your relationships. When things get tense use self deprecating humor to lighten things up. I remember one evening having an argument with my wife, Carol. In the heat of the moment she said something totally out of character. She said something hurtful. In my surprise I looked at her and said, " Carol, when you say things like that you stoop to my level." She started to laugh and so did I. It wasn't long before things were back to normal.

Good luck on your journey to HA HA Land.

Mike Moore is an international speaker/ writer/ cartoonist on Humor and Stress Management and Humor in the Workplace. Visit him at http://www.motivationalplus.com
http://www.motivationalplus.com/cartoons.html

Mike Moore is an international speaker on Humor and Stress Management, Humor in the Workplace, and Humor and Relationships. His articles and cartoons have appeared in publications throughout Canada and the USA.

---

Buying A Diamond For Your Special Person?

The first thing you want to consider when buying a... Read More

When Your Relationships Turn Abusive - What You Can Do

Sometimes the people who are the closest to us, our... Read More

The Path of Relationship

Each month after completing and fine tuning Letters on Life... Read More

Are all Men Unfaithful?

"Men are all the same. Stop looking for Prince Charming,... Read More

Why Anger is Essential to Healthy Relationships

Many of us have some very definite ideas about anger.... Read More

How to Ease the Pain of a Breakup

Whether you do the dumping or you are the one... Read More

Essense of Infidelity

On one very popular web site there were 260 posts... Read More

What Is Love And The Love Equation

What is Love? This question has bothered me for a... Read More

The Thoughts that Occupy the Minds of Most Men

Please note that this is not an attempt to give... Read More

Relationship Tips to Grow Close and Stay Close

Relationship Tip 1My family loves movies. In the theater, on... Read More

How Do We Know When A Relationship Has A Future?

In many instances, we all are "gun shy" after a... Read More

Preteen Relationships

Even preteens have relationships that are important to them. In... Read More

27 Characteristics of Loving Men

Every woman dreams of meeting that special man that knows... Read More

Diamond Promise Rings ? For When You Mean It

Diamond promise rings are quite common, but many are not... Read More

Relationship Advice for Women - Beyond the Happy Ending - Part 3 - The Jealousy Syndrome

Jealousy, unfortunately it seems to pop up sometime in even... Read More

Should You Forgive Infidelity?

If you're asking yourself that question, then somewhere within you... Read More

Relationship Advice: Why Brad and Jen Broke Up and What We Can Learn from Them

It's been a few months since the riveting headlines: The... Read More

Relationship Reality: Are Your Relationships Based In Reality or Fantasy?

Within the next two to three minutes, you will uncover... Read More

How To Slay The Toxic Dragon In Your Life

How To "Slay The Dragon" In Your Life In Five... Read More

Romantic Gift Guide

It is a commonly held belief, mainly amongst men, that... Read More

How to Spot a Cheater

Is your man the cheating type? Here are some clues... Read More

The Male Rating System

While not necessarily New Age in nature, Samantha has noticed... Read More

Love - Entrepreneur Style

For many of us, love has become a distant ideal.... Read More

To Hold or to Set One Free!

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying great health.... Read More

But Its Just the Guys -- The Importance of Sacrifice in Relationships

If it's a long-term relationship you want, you absolutely must... Read More

Slaying The Green Eyed Monster

He hasn't called in hours. You call and get the... Read More

Catch a Cheating Lover?

Relationships. Virtually all of us are in one, or at... Read More

Dangerous Relationship?

I will in this article cover some of my own... Read More

Can Men And Women Be Friends? Or When Harry Met Sally Did He Really Just Want to Jump Her Bones?

Men and women can't really be just friends, can they?... Read More

Prince Charles and Camilla - The Greatest Love Story Of Our Time

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have loved each other... Read More

What?s Special About Abused Women?

Before writing this article, I stopped and thought hard. By... Read More

Communicate through Body-language!

Consider a person very important to you. He or she... Read More

Whats in a Kiss

Just think of being in front of a warm cracking... Read More