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GET MORE LAUGHTER IN YOUR LIFE!
David Granirer - North America's Psychotherapist/Stand-Up Comic
Volume 3, Issue 1
Editor: David Granirer, david@psychocomic.com
Publisher: David Granirer
www.psychocomic.com

Please help us grow by forwarding this e-zine on to others!

IN THIS ISSUE
1. Welcome from the Publisher
2. Joke
3. Comedy and Depression
4. What’s Good Stories
5. An Opportunity To Help
6. Classified Ads
7. Contact Information


PRIVACY STATEMENT: WE WILL NOT DISTRIBUTE YOUR
EMAIL ADDRESS TO ANYONE. PERIOD.


1. WELCOME FROM THE PUBLISHER

****We’re Back!****

My comedy nights start again on Friday January 11 at Flori’s Coffee Centre, 3851 E. Hastings in North Burnaby, 2 blocks east of Boundary. To reserve (604) 294-8505.

On Friday January 18, CBC TV is coming to do a piece on that night’s headliner, and one of my star comedy students, 69 year old Mavis Pickett. It’s a great story of how taking a risk (In her case taking my stand-up comedy course) and confronting her fears changed her life. Mavis took the course twice and is now a professional comic. One day she’ll probably be a star, and the great thing is she has no investment in it! So come on out and laugh with her!


****Comedy Course****

If you’ve ever had a dream to do comedy, my 8-week Stand-Up Comedy Clinic Course at Langara College starts on the evenings of February 5 and 6. (I’m running 2 sections this term, a Tues. and Wed. class). To register call Langara at (604) 323-5322. To see testimonials from people who have taken the course go to http://www.psychocomic.com/ComedyCourse.htm

2. THIS MONTH'S JOKE

To help you lighten up, Iíve decided to start every issue with a joke. If anyone has some good clean jokes that are reasonably short, feel free to email them to me at david@psychocomic.com

Once again, some comedy just writes itself. Some of you may have seen this article in the newspaper. Here is an excerpt:

Welcome to the wonderful world of ''Non Campus Mentis,'' (Workman) a book
Of mangled moments of Western Civilization culled from actual term papers and
exams of today's ''brightest'' students by incredulous college professor
Anders Henriksson who, while grading exams, chose to laugh, rather than cry,
at his students' most egregious mistakes.

History, after all, is nothing more than ''the behind of the present,'' according to one student, who aptly added: ''This gives incites from the anals of the past.''
The once-mighty British Empire is in a ''state of recline. Its colonies have
slowly dribbled away leaving only the odd speck on the map.'' Chairman
''Moo'' has passed away, as has former President ''Franklin Eleanor
Roosavelt,'' and civil rights leader ''Martin Luther Junior'' was slain in
the 1960s, shortly after making his famous ''If I Had A Hammer'' speech.

Hitler, a depressed ''Nazi leader of a Communist Germany'' who spurred a
huge ''anti-semantic'' movement through a terrifying ''Gespacho,'' launched
''Operation Barbarella'' while the English ''vanely hoped for peas.'' The
war began turning around, though, when the ''Allies landed near Italy's
toe and gradually advanced up her leg. Hitler ultimately ''shot himself in the bonker.''

Editor’s note: There’s more, but you’ll have to buy the book!


3. COMEDY AND DEPRESSION

We keep hearing that laughter is the best medicine, and here’s another example.

According to psychologist Jason Goodson of Utah University, stand-up comedy has a significant effect on depressed people. "We put together tapes of mainly stand-up comedians. They (the depressed people) watched these tapes for 30 minutes a day for four weeks," he says.

"In the beginning they had a depression score of 19, and anything above 13 is indicative of mild to moderate depression. The group as a whole dropped to 11 after watching the tapes. There was a 42 percent reduction in symptoms and that was significant."

The important thing here is that the treatment involved regular exposure to comedy, not just a one-shot deal. My sense is that watching comedy once can have a temporary effect in alleviating depression, but that after a few hours the symptoms tend to return.

I’m also assuming that Dr. Goodson had the patients watch comedy as a group, which would have increased the intensity of the laughter.

The problem would be what happened once the study was over. Unless regular arrangements for continuing the comedy viewing were made, chances are strong that people would relapse. Similar studies have shown that exercise also helps reduce depression, but only when the exercise is done regularly.

So should you rely solely on laughter to make your depression go away? Only if you can plan on laughing a lot! I’d say for at least 30 minutes a day, seven days a week. And even then, laughter may reduce but not eliminate the symptoms. Furthermore, setting aside 30 minutes a day to watch comedy requires commitment. Not only do you have to make the time to watch it, you also have to find lots of comedy videos and hopefully people to watch them with.

I think it’s more realistic to have laughter play an important role as part of a multi-faceted approach to beating depression. Other components of the strategy can involve things like anti-depressants, therapy, support groups (maybe a laughter support group!), exercise, and diet.

Laughter has for too long been under-emphasized as good medicine for depression, but it’s also important that it not be over-emphasized. The last thing I want to do is make people feel like they’ve failed if they can’t laugh their depression away.

If you would like to print one of my articles on humor in the workplace in your newsletter free of charge, email me at david@psychocomic.com and Iíll send you a complete summary of all the articles Iíve written.

For other free articles about laughter go to www.psychocomic.com/Articles.htm

For free back issues of this ezine go to www.psychocomic.com/Newsletter.htm

*****GET MORE LAUGHTER IN YOUR LIFE!*****
Check out David's tapes, posters, buttons at www.psychocomic.com/Products.htm
 

4. WHAT'S GOOD STORIES

It's so easy to see all the bad things around us, that sometimes we forget about all the great things that go on. And we need to hear about good things because that gives us hope and inspires us to go out and do more good things.

In this section, I want to hear from you. What's happened in your life that's good? What things have people done that inspire you to be kind to others? What funny things have happened?

Email your short stories to me at david@psychocomic.com, and if I publish yours, you get a free copy of my tape "I'm OK But YOU Need Professional Help!"  
 

5. AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP

ARTISTS WITHOUT BORDERS brings psychological relief to the victims of war in the form of art and/or entertainment. They send performers and artists to refugee camps and zones of conflict. Theyíve been to Kosovo, East Timor, Chechnya and more. If youíd like more information, or to help out, (Theyíre a non-profit organization and could use donations) go to their web site http://www.artwit.org .

If anyone has a good cause they'd like to promote please email me at david@psychocomic.com
 

6. CLASSIFIED ADS

Speakers: Learn how to incorporate stand-up comedy into your presentations. Check out David's stand-up comedy skills coaching for presenters at: www.psychocomic.com/ComedyCourse.htm
 

7. CONTACT INFORMATION

David Granirer gives laughter in the workplace presentations helping hundreds of organizations throughout North America reduce stress, increase wellness, and cope with change. For more information on his presentations, stand-up comedy, products, and articles call (604) 205-9242 or go to www.psychocomic.com

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