Wellbeing goals: Is a 'subscription' to laughter the answer?

Plato once said, you can learn more about a person from one hour of play than a year of discussion and that may very well be true after a small theatre in Ponsonby, Auckland, took some new research from the University of London and rolled its findings into a package that might just be the answer to your employee wellbeing goals.

There is an enormous amount of research backing the benefits of engagement in arts and culture and the positive impact it has on a person’s mental health – even The World Health Organisation has concluded that engagement in the arts can benefit everything from child development to neurological conditions and even reduce the risk of cognitive decline and frailty during end-of-life care.

But it was the recent study out of London entitled “COVID-19, Mental Health and the Role of the Arts and Cultural Engagement” that inspired Wade Jackson, founder, artistic director at Covert Theatre, and one of the young renegades of New Zealand’s improv comedy scene, to launch an intriguing new employee wellbeing product – a subscription to laughter; aimed at employers who want a unique way to reward employees – “The Laugh Gym”.

Read more: One third of kiwi workers are without wellbeing programs

Jackson holds post-graduate qualifications in both drama and health science and he’s no stranger to merging the science of human behaviour and improvisation to help bridge the gap between thoughts, emotions, and actions. He uses his unique education to coach high-performing leaders and 18 years ago created a 9-week personal development course that was picked up by some of New Zealand’s leading organisations – all of which reported increased levels of happiness, creativity, and productivity among employees after the course.

“The idea for ‘The Laugh Gym’ came about in response to this pandemic. I work in the arts, where transcendence is a big part of what we do, especially in comedy,” said Jackson, “I also work closely with corporate professionals who are struggling. Businesses need to reconnect; employees need to re-engage with their wellbeing in a more effortless way and we all want to feel human again.”

“The Laugh Gym” showcases award-winning improv comedy in a regular calendar of events for employees. Each month subscribed businesses receive an allocation of tickets. The subscription model offers businesses the option to buy 20 or 50 tickets per month that they can then reward teams or individuals with.

Read more: Is your office building generating wellbeing?

“Businesses and their people will directly benefit from having a positive shared experience that they can engage with in a light and fun way, said Jackson. Having a laugh is proven to be the fastest way to facilitate human connection. Laughter is contagious so it’s even more powerful when your people do it together.”

Backed by many studies, there are also health benefits that come from having a giggle, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, releasing endorphins, and increasing your overall sense of wellbeing, all great traits for businesses looking to reconnect their workforce and boost morale.

A percentage of all Laugh Gym subscriptions go directly towards the charitable trust that Jackson formed when he started fundraising for the theatre. A fundraising effort that eventually gained the backing of the theatre’s patron, Kiwi legend Sir Bob Harvey. The trust now facilitates an Improv School scholarship fund, providing subsidised or free opportunities for under-privileged kids to gain skills and confidence through improv.