Humour scholars to take on 'funny' subject
Mon 4 Sep 2006
Mickey Robins
Comedian Mikey Robins might be the headline act, but don't let that fool you - the Australian and New Zealand Humour, Health and Education Conference at The University of New England is going to be serious stuff.
The keynote speakers at the conference - from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 October - will include three of Australia's top humour scholars, as well as comedians Rachel Berger, Fiona O'Loughlin and Mikey Robins. And they won't just be standing around telling jokes. Topics for discussion will include whether laughter is good for your health and how humour can be used to help schoolteachers connect with their students. The conference Web site is: http://fehps.une.edu.au/health/humour/conference.
"Humour is a really 'funny' kind of a subject (no pun intended)," said the conference organiser, Angie Smith, a lecturer in The University of New England's School of Health. "There are a whole lot of people who believe laughter is an absolute science. But although research has been done on it, a lot of it probably hasn't been as rigorous as it should have been. Despite this, there is a huge humour-and-health movement, and the people involved believe humour improves health."
Ms Smith said interest in the health benefits of laughter had "exploded" over the past few years and cited the emergence of laughter clubs as evidence of the widespread belief that tickling your funny bone is good for you. This modern laughter movement began with Dr Madan Kataria, an Indian physician whose "laughter yoga" techniques are now practised in 5,000 laughter clubs in 40 countries. There are more than 20 laughter clubs in NSW alone.
"These clubs are springing up all over the world," Ms Smith said. "They're not based on jokes, but on laughter. These people are really insistent that laughter is good for your health." While research had shown that laughter created positive physical effects, she said, the jury was still out on its long-term benefits. "We hope this conference will help to sort out the real effects from the imagined ones."
Health is not the only area where humour is thought to make a difference. Schoolteachers are being encouraged to "lighten up" their lessons in order to engage students. Far from being a distraction, it seems clowning around in the classroom may actually help students to learn. "Engagement is vital in education, and the belief is that humour can help," Ms Smith explained. "There is a big movement to get teachers to use humour in the classroom. If it is indeed the case [that humour aids learning], then all of us ought to be using it."
She said the conference would look at how comedians use humour to tackle serious subjects. "Comedians are interested to come and discuss the social issues they are able to address in their acts. Comedy has changed. Comics are much more likely to raise serious issues in their comedy, such as sexual assault, poverty, and mental illness. Comedians break down taboos and get people to talk about things they would never dare to usually."
The conference will also feature comedic performances, a youth stream for high-school students that will include oral presentations, and workshops to develop skills in various types of comendy including radio humour and stand-up comedy.
For more information go to the conference Web site or contact Angie Smith on
(02) 6773 3676.
Posted by Leon Braun