In The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up, Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher make an interesting argument that “levity” is an extremely effective tool for helping people to work better. An atmosphere of light-heartedness, it turns out, helps people pay attention, eases tensions, and enhances a feeling of connection.
When I read this, I thought, “Well, levity would be tough for me, I’m not particularly funny, and I’m not particularly outgoing.”
But what the authors mean by “levity” is really a sense of lightness. It’s less about being funny and more about being able to have fun and see the humorous side of everyday situations — especially difficult situations.
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Hi Gretchen! These are some great questions. I think I’m going to use them tomorrow morning in my PsychCentral “Week in Review” video podcast & link back to this blog post. Make sure to check it out.
Interesting post. I think humor, in particular, is a powerful healing force. When my son was suffering from severe OCD, he could barely function. He’d always had a great sense of humor, and even during his darkest hours, he somehow could still laugh…..and for a moment, all would be well again.