There is a storytelling-inspired improv game called “I used to be _____ but now I am ______” that we use to warm up a group and at the same time develop ideas and character to explore in scenes. It goes like this: if the group is taking place over zoom…

The art of story is a way to reach beyond self-protective defenses for a time, to activate imagination and emotion well enough that listeners feel and think together. This shared experience can build connections through exposing the painful realities that had been hidden by shame. …

“Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don’t get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond…

Comedy Can Empower Us To Think Creatively Under Stress Comedian Josh Johnson, who has had a long career as a stand-up and won multiple Emmys writing for The Daily Show made a wonderful recommendation for a way to boost well-being when he was interviewed for The Science Of Happiness podcast: Take at least 10 minutes a day “to write…

In a paradoxical way, an improv experience in which we play characters very different from who we are in real life cultivates courage to express our authentic self. There is an improv exercise called Everything Is Alive — also a wonderful podcast by the same name — in which players take on the role and perspective of an inanimate object and tell its story. A popcorn machine at a movie theater gives it’s history and perspective. A pregnancy…

“Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.” Albert Einstein Einstein’s Theory Of General Relativity is a sexy theory, the language rich with references to “gravitational attraction between bodies in space” or “a universe of two.” Perhaps his first experiment to prove his theory was using these as…

“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift.” Dr. David Viscott The season of the gift exchange is upon us. We search for the ideal present to light someone up. We stock…

“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discovery, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny!” Isaac Asimov A wave of laughter in response to something we did or said that is genuinely funny is one of life’s most rewarding experiences. When a group or audience…

The season of the gift exchange is upon us. We search for the ideal present to light someone up. We stock Amazon wish lists, stuff stockings, and celebrate eight miraculous nights of Hannukah. Some interesting research shows that the intangible gifts involving shared experiences are not only increasingly popular, but…