Staying Focused with Laughter

Court reporters are required to stay alert for long periods of time. So, how do they do it?  Over the years, reporters develop tricks for staying focused.  Most turn to caffeine and sugar, but the University of Kentucky suggests the healthier, lower calorie option:  laughter.  That’s right — good, belly-jiggling laughter. No more caffeine, no more runs to the bathroom to splash cold water on your face — just laughter.  In fact, the University will tell you that “laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and psychological stress, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to retain more information.” Additionally, for student and veteran reporters alike, laughter might be just the trick you’ve been seeking to finally increase speed and accuracy.

Laughter can not only help reporters stay focused, but it also burns calories. In fact, according to Weight Loss Resources, “just 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on a person’s weight and the intensity of the laughter.”  People who are good humored, who laugh, and make others laugh, also come across as more alluring or attractive, which is great news, too, right?

It gets better.  A University of Maryland Medical Center study indicates that “laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels.” Michael Miller, M.D., Director of Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, indicated that “At the very least, laughter offsets the impact of mental stress, which is harmful to the endothelium,” and that the change in the endothelium “was similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic activity.”  So clear were the results of the University of Maryland study, that Miller says, ‘The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be exercise, eat right, and laugh a few times a day.’”

To be your level best all day long, begin working laughter into your workday breaks by either reading jokes or watching funny videos; and while everyone else is filing back into the conference room or courtroom still tense because they’ve filled up on caffeine and sugar, you can relax, because you’ve filled up on laughter.  Who would have ever guessed that laughter really is the best medicine?!