The link between learning and laughing is no joke…
I had a conversation with someone via LinkedIn comments (yes, it can happen).
It was in response to an article I shared on adopting a Beginner’s Mindset where I asked the question:
“When was the last time you did something for the first time…?”
A woman responded sharing that she had tried waterskiing and got up!… but not on her first try. She had been trying for 5 years to get up on the skis and finally did it.
I congratulated her and noted that when we embrace a Beginner’s Mind, we accept that we won’t be good at everything immediately, and we recognize that some things take practice and patience. Sometimes, the only way to learn is to fail first.
Her response to that intrigued me:
“In my 20+ year corporate career I never took any risks, so I never learned to fail! Learning to fail, and take risks, is a brand new skill for me! Trying my best to have FUN with it!”
Learning to take risks and learning to fail are integral to growth and moving forward and necessary to develop skills. This is where true wisdom can come from.
She mentioned developing this “new skill” and she is right, taking risks and being willing to fail are skills, and with any skill – it takes practice. The more you try the better you will get at it – or at least, the more comfortable with uncertainty you will become.
First, we learn to fail, then we learn to succeed.
The other element in her comment that grabbed my attention was that she was going to try to have FUN while learning – which is exactly what we should all want to do! Laughter enhances learning for a number of reasons:
1. When we laugh, we relax. As our anxiety decreases, our ability to receive and retain information increases.
2. Laughter activates the brain’s dopamine reward system and stimulates goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory – which means, that laughing while we are learning can improve retention over the long haul.
3. When we laugh, we are more vulnerable and more humble – a state that allows us to learn and build connections with others.
4. Laughing with others builds trust and creates bonds. If we are able to laugh while learning with our teammates we will not only attain and retain information, we can build a stronger team.
5. Humour and laughter can have lasting positive impacts on our businesses as well, as Michael Kerr demonstrates through great examples in his book The Humour Advantage, humour and laughter can impact everything from reducing turnover to increasing customer loyalty and innovation. Humour at work can make dollars, and sense
So, the link between learning and laughing is no joke!
Having humility and humour gives us the space to learn, gives us the opportunity to try, and to fail. If we take ourselves too seriously and focus only on the outcome… we will miss the opportunity to learn.
