“Did you have fun?” someone later asked my wife. “Of course,” she responded, “Our group always has fun, even if it’s just getting together for a meeting.” Collectively known as the Care and Fellowship team, the group works together at a local church. Among their many duties, they are responsible for running the church’s annual Fun Fair, which they do with great gusto and success. But there are other more mundane tasks that fall to them, and they still manage to have fun.

 I was a guest at the garden party, and I found myself trying to analyze why this group has such a great time together. First of all, they interact very well with each other. They seem to be comfortable teasing each other, or being teased in a friendly way, and that’s a quality that’s synonymous with happy people. Their primary purpose is to do things for other people, and in all the research that I have conducted on the subject of happiness, helping others ranks at the top of the list.   

Another guest at the party, Dave, is a very successful minor league baseball coach in our city. We chatted about his winning ways, and when I asked him why his players performed so well for him, you could probably guess what he said.  “Because they have fun.”  Unlike many other coaches Dave gets close to 100 per cent turnout for practices. Players are praised for their efforts, and seldom is heard a discouraging word. “We concentrate on what the players do well,” said Dave. “They know themselves when they’ve made a mistake and don’t need to be berated for it.”  Parents are told up front that negative outbursts will not be tolerated, which eliminates another major source of stress for everyone involved. 

Let’s switch to Google, the seven-year old Internet search engine, which is now worth more than General Motors and Disney combined. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the 31 year-old founders also subscribe to the belief that fun is good for their employees and the company. At the new Googleplex in Britain the reception area is furnished with beanbag chairs in corporate colours, situated beneath a palm tree. Staff members are encouraged to stop by and help themselves to free smoothies from the fridge. Google also provide fresh fruit and cereals each morning, and employees are also allowed to bring their dogs to work with them The Company believes that it’s the little things that make for a happy workforce and happier people are more productive. It isn’t just a pipe dream either - Google share prices have risen to a record $255, three times what they were floated at last August.  

If you’re still not convinced, here’s another reason to have fun. Recent research from Stanford University shows that hereditary factors only account for one third of the aging process, which means that you have control over how well you age. Scientists are suggesting that stress may be one of the biggest culprits in unhealthy aging, and how well we cope with it is one of the most significant factors for predicting how well we age.  

You may never work for Google, or coach a team; you may manage to steer clear of belonging to a committee, but I hope you can take from these examples the value of having fun, no matter what you are doing. When you’re having fun, you’re keeping stress away from your door, and that can add years to your life, and quality to your years.

Make a conscious effort to have fun this month, and call me if you need me.

Copyright Stu Black, www.humourincorporated.com
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