Perhaps, when José Luis Cortés said that “sometimes smile is the best way to help change the world,” he was too ambitious. However, one detail seems obvious: making things fun may not change all societies, but it can make a difference for children.
Numerous scientific studies have shown the value of laughter and pleasure at all levels, whether physically or psychologically, feeling good and having fun is a great way to learn, plus it is a natural painkiller because it activates the release of dopamine and serotonin and promotes well-being. So, if it’s helpful in combating stress or depression, why not be positive in educating our children and reducing their anxiety levels?
“The most desperately lost day is the day when there is no laughter. Nicols Sebastien Roch Chamfort?
A new scientific study joins the legion of research demonstrating the great value of laughter, this time they were psychologists at the University of Paris West Nanterre La Défense.
According to this group of psychologists, laughter is an excellent remedy for the body, but not only that, it is also wonderful when applied to children’s learning, in fact, according to the data obtained, children learn best when they laugh, while laughing.
How did you discover this effect of laughter? First, we asked what effect the sense of humor would have on children’s learning ability, for example, a group of 53 children, about 18 months old, was created, whose task was to learn how to use an object to reach a toy. they wouldn’t otherwise get. The goal was for the children to learn after seeing how an adult did it.
The children, divided into two groups, showed different results after watching slightly different videos, on the one hand, the group in which the adult acted sympathetically was more dreamy and incongruous, and these children definitely laughed. moves to reach the toy better than the other group. In addition, 94% reached the object, while in the other group, only 25% completed the task.
There was no clear explanation of the effects obtained. However, the hypothesis has been raised that laughter can change brain chemistry and, by generating positive and funny emotions, would increase the dopamine level.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in the cognitive processes of the brain, according to observations, such a neurotransmitter is sensitive to changes in the prefrontal cortex of children, in this way, it influences the neurons of the prefrontal cortex at the cellular level, improves the Activation of deep layers, stimulates learning and facilitates good regulation of cognitive processes.
In addition, it should be remembered that low dopamine levels, according to many studies, affect memory, so their deficit is clearly harmful in all respects.
It is clear that fun activities are wonderful to learn, in fact, in a study conducted by a multidisciplinary team at Sam Houston State University, it was shown that students remembered more when the teacher included games while talking about a particular topic.
It seems obvious that making the moment fun is a foolproof technique for children’s learning, in this sense, creating a relaxed and intimate environment that eliminates anxiety and stress promotes children’s attention span.
There is no doubt that when we have fun, learning and being careful it is much easier, in fact, this seems to be a perfectly applicable reality in the world of children and adults.
“When you are young, you smile at the vigour of old age and innocence; when you’re old, in the richness of experience. Pope John XXIII?
So think about it, as adults, teachers, instructors, educators or just social beings, if we do something fun, it will be much easier than other people, children and adults, learn more easily, are we all going to put it into practice?