People at Work & Play

I recall eagerly looking forward to the latest issue of the Readers Digest. In this, the section I first looked at was called “Laughter-The Best Medicine”.

US researchers in a new study have shown that humour has many positive effects in different aspects of life. A study, conducted by Melissa B Wanzer, professor of communication studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, has shown that humour helps medical professionals cope with difficult jobs.

In the study, the researcher also looked at the how humour affects the elderly and how it can increase communication in the workplace and in the classroom.

Wanzer, in her large-scale study, asked the med professionals how they provided care for terminally ill people and manage to come back to work each day. The health care experts replied that it was humour that made them do so.

Wanzer has also found humour to be beneficial in other areas as well.

“If employees view their managers as humour-oriented, they also view them as more effective. Employees also reported higher job satisfaction when they worked for someone who was more humour-oriented and used humour effectively and appropriately,” Wanzer said. The researchers found that humour is an effective way to cope with on-the-job stress - again, when used appropriately.

In another study, Wanzer found that aging adults who used humour more frequently reported greater coping efficacy, which led to greater life satisfaction. Wanzer’s research also shows that students report learning more from teachers who use humour effectively.

“Regardless of the content, humour seems to be beneficial and productive. It helps to get the point across in about in almost any situation,” Wanzer said.

The study has been published in multiple journals, including Communication Quarterly , Communication Research Reports , Communication Education , Health Communication and Journal of Health Communication .

So, enjoy your sense of humour and laugh as much and as often as you can. It will do you good, it can’t do you any harm and even if it does- what the heck, you would had the last laugh!

India celebrates Republic Day today. On January 26, 1950 India became a Republic when the newly framed Constitution of India came into effect.

We tend to blame politicians for most of our woes in present day India. They are blamed for the corruption, poor infrastructure, illiteracy and almost every thing else that comes in the way of national progress.

There is a lot of truth in this. However, let’s reflect for a moment and realize that in a democratic republic we citizens get the Government we vote for! We often talk about the apathy of the educated, well-off voter in India. He/she does not even make the effort to vote…and then complains about the elected government. He/she had a chance, albeit small, to influence this election but did not do so.

We may be entrepreneurs, business people, corporate executives , students or anybody else but let us remember our duties as citizens of India.

“A good constitution is the greatest blessing which a society can enjoy” said James Wilson, in his oration at Philadelphia on July 4, 1788, celebrating the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.

I find that the following are the Fundamental Duties prescribed by the Constitution of  India under Part IV-A to its every citizen :
(a)     To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
(b)     To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom.
(c)     To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
(d)     To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.
(e)     To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
(f)     To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.
(g)     To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures.
(h)     To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
(i)     To safeguard public property and to abjure violence.
(j)     To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement.

Let’s do all that we can for the nation. We are a part of a society and have an obligation to behave responsibly in it and work towards its progress and welfare.

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