The smile high club

Laughter is the latest form of therapy to hit the IT industry. We investigate the value of a good guffaw.

Your star sales director's resigned, your credit terms have beene investigate the value of a good guffaw. slashed, your arch-rival has snapped up your most profitable line of business and, to cap it all, your office has been repainted - a sickly pink. But don't despair, laugh it all off.

This is the advice of cognitive psychologist Doctor Mariana Funes, whose laughter therapy workshops kick off in the UK this summer.

'Do you stop laughing when your boss walks past because it looks like you're not taking your work seriously?' asks Funes. 'That's wrong, because you will actually be more engaged in your work after a good belly laugh.

You oxygenate your body, your blood pressure decreases and it helps you to relax.'

A scientific study conducted earlier this year at Marywood University in the US proved that seeing something funny has a calming effect on people by lowering their heart rate for several hours. The knock-on effect is that it cuts anxiety and enhances performance.

The study measured the heart rates of students as they gave a speech on-camera. Some of the students watched an episode of the popular comedy series Seinfeld before giving their speech; their heart rates were significantly lower than those who did not watch it.

Funes takes laughter seriously. She maintains that her workshops - designed to tackle stress and illness in the workplace - are more than a giggle.

'I like to keep my laughter workshops as boring as possible. One of the rules is no jokes allowed. It isn't about finding artificial ways to make you laugh or training people to be comedians - it's about relaxation increasing productivity in the office. Spontaneous laughter is the key.'

Having begun spreading the word in the US, Funes is introducing her theories into the UK through one-day workshops, due to begin in July. Workshops kick off with introductions - people talk about themselves and describe one thing that made them laugh the previous day.

'It's all about emotional literacy. The same can be said about crying - it's an emotional release. But no one would come if I said it was a crying workshop,' she says.

The morning is spent sharing experiences and talking about the philosophy of laughter. Issues such as what causes tension and stress at work are explored. At lunch, Funes says, much of the laughter continues: 'Once you make it all right to laugh, people will.'

Typical exercises explore the laughter myths in UK culture. Funes stresses, for instance, that you don't have to be happy to laugh. If you can giggle your way out of an embarrassing situation, surely it's healthier than letting it get you down? The workshops also focus on the way we respond to laughter and when it is appropriate to use it. Funes says this approach usually generates discussion about what goes on behind the scenes at work.

But, she maintains, proceedings must be kept strictly professional because management are often involved.

The key cause of stress at work, Funes says, is that staff are having to work excess hours and be extremely flexible: 'Workers, especially in the computer industry, suffer from a lot of stress. They are asked to work crazy hours and to do too much.' Sitting at a computer all day can cause all manner of physical symptoms. 'People in all walks of life are under pressure to do the work of two people, not just their own. Where's the limit?'

Computer manufacturers in the US have taken advantage of the opportunity to add smiles to their services. Digital US has held workshops and seminars on humour and stress reduction at selected sites and staff from Sun Microsystems and IBM have also laughed their way to sessions. All refused to talk about the laughter therapy workshop - perhaps they need a few more sessions to hone their technique?

At the end of Funes' workshops, the issue of how the laughter culture will be accepted back in the office arises. Questions raised include: will people think I'm mad if I walk into the office chuckling? How can I let people know it's all right to laugh spontaneously and that it shouldn't be held back? People are often scared they will be judged for laughing and won't be taken seriously at work. But Funes be-lieves a sea change in work culture is required. 'You can't leave your emotions outside work and only bring your intellect in,' she says.

Funes adds the culture is particularly difficult to implement in the computer industry, a traditionally male-dominated area: 'When men and women start to address the issues around emotions, there are differences.' It's all to do with emotional literacy. 'Culturally, women are socialised into taking care of the needs of everyone around them, and not necessarily themselves. They bring this with them to work. With men it's acceptable to express anger, but not many other emotions.'

Each of Funes' workshops cost about #300 and she is adamant that companies get a return on their investment. She says: 'It will pay for itself. Employees have less sick days, it enhances creativity and helps if you're stuck with a problem. It can unblock your mind and generate other ways of thinking.' It is healthier than going to the doctor for anti-depressants, she says.

She is not the only one preaching the laughter sermon. Another company that recommends hu-mour for stress reduction is New York-based Corporate Counselling Associates. Corporate's director of work family services, Nancy Montgomery, advises people that a good laugh empowers them in difficult situations.

'If you have to phone your mother-in-law and you're anxious about it, ring a friend first. Have a laugh with them and you'll be able to cope better with the more serious phone call,' she says. She describes a sense of humour as 'a positive release which can be very good for your health'.

One UK company that has jumped on the humour bandwagon is the aptly named Happy Computers, an applications training centre based in London. Managing director Henry Stewart describes laughter as 'exercise for the soul'.

Employees at the company are encouraged to hug each other before and after meetings, with a minimum of four hugs a day. Stewart's philosophy is that people work best when they're happy. 'Instead of command and control, management should encourage people and make them happy. Happy is not normally a word associated with computers.' He thinks the workshops are a great idea.

So, those in the IT industry who feel in need of some Zen-style treatment should leave a window in their diary around July. Bosses prepared to make an alternative investment, that could pay off in terms of increased productivity, should consider following the path already trodden in the US by some of the most unlikely IT corporates.

ZEN AND THE ART OF HUMOUR MAINTENANCE

Laughter may not be the best medicine, but there is evidence that it has the power to heal.

Humour is scientifically proven to be a strong antidote to stress. A bout of laughter triggers a physical response that kicks the body's senses into action and injects a sense of well-being. It speeds up the pulse rate, stimulates blood circulation, activates muscles, increases oxygen intake and brings about physical relaxation. All this in turn boosts the production of endorphins, the neurotransmitters known as happy hormones.

Stress causes physical symptoms that make adrenalin run and cause muscles to tighten and knot. The result is aches and pains that are psychological or emotional in origin. Experts say that by laughing, we put our minds in a positive, receptive state which leaves us relaxed and alert.

Humour can give us a new perspective on situations, allowing us to think in different ways and hit on alternative solutions. In the right place and at the right time, it can defuse anger and open up communication channels.

Research has shown that children laugh up to 400 times every day, but adults indulge in only the odd guffaw, around 15 times a day. This suggests we need to work harder at finding laughter.

Although tackling situations with a positive attitude will not eradicate problems, it does put people in a better frame of mind to cope with them. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we have power over the way we respond. It is our attitude towards life's ups and downs that makes the difference.