We take lunch breaks. But laugh breaks?

Laughter is important, tsay two UC Davis counselors who spoke on "The Joy of Laughter" on Oct. 26 in the Memorial Union. Sponsored by the Academic and Staff Assistance Program, the event drew about 30 people.

Terri Hiroshima-Chan, a licensed clinical social worker and Alice Provost, a licensed marriage and family therapist, pointed out that children laugh on average 400 times a day and that number drops to only 15 times a day by age 35.

Why? Preschoolers know something we do not, said Hiroshima-Chan. In some workplaces, supervisors discourage camaraderie with comments such as: "Don't talk to anyone. If you want to talk to someone, take them out to lunch." Promotions, anniversaries, birthdays and other special events are ignored. Even a simple "Did you have a good weekend?" is discouraged.

And so, here is what Hiroshima-Chan and Provost tell people:

Laugh, and laugh often.

After all, they say, "humor can bring levity to tense situations and has numerous benefits for the mind, body and soul."

Hiroshima-Chan: "It's an aerobic benefit. If we laugh 200 times a day, some say that's the equivalent of working on the rowing machine for 10 minutes. It's a workout for the internal organs. It's good for the abdominal muscles and leg and back muscles. It lowers your blood pressure, and breathing becomes deeper with more oxygen. It protects our heart. It reduces stress, and you know, stress is one of the main causes of heart disease."

"And it releases endorphins in the brain that are 10 times more powerful than morphine."

Laughter, she added, stimulates both sides of the brain. "It helps you retain information. It improves brain functioning."

Provost compared laughter to milk. "Milk does a body good. Laughter does a body good. It's a chance to connect on the human level. Laughter unites people. Sharing a laugh is establishing a bond."

Laughter is also contagious, Provost said. Other benefits: it defuses tension, it's a socially acceptable way to vent, it creates a sense of team building, and "if you share laughter, you're more likely to share ideas."

"I don't know why we don't laugh more often," Hiroshima-Chan said.

Both Hiroshima-Chan and Provost work in the Academic and Staff Assistance Program on campus. Some of their suggestions for humor in the workplace include:

• Add 'fun' to meetings. Bring in fun things like nerf balls, and start the meeting sharing a humorous story or joke.
• Collect your favorite cartoons or jokes. Post them in your office or on a "funny board" in the staff lounge.
• Turn a chore into a challenge, and a problem into a party. Example: For that last minute massive mailing, "order pizzas, get music and go for it."
• Remember to leave work behind at the end of the day. Create a ritual at the end of the day that helps you transition from work.
• Celebrate. Find reasons to celebrate. Celebrate progress on a project, for example, not just its completion.

Finally, class participants cited ways in which people can bring levity to their workplaces, such as a supervisor who e-mails a "joke of the day" to her staff and an employee who adds a line of humor below her e-mail signature.

Many situations arise, Provost said, to infuse into the workplace.

"Just ask yourself," she said, "What would Elmer Fudd do?"

Kathy Keatley Garvey is a communicator for the UC Statewide Mosquito Research Program.