How Improv Makes You More Confident and Less Anxious
Just 20 minutes of improv theater can foster creativity and confidence, and help with anxiety, depression, and your ability to tolerate uncertainty.
\n\nLink to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4t9rjj58
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Episode summary:
\n\nDeema Altaher was never one for the spotlight. So when her husband signed them up for improv classes, she had no idea what to expect. And yet after one class, Deema was hooked. From active listening games to \u201cyes, and\u201d prompts, she found that improv exercises shifted the way she connected with other people, and eased her nerves as she navigated all the uncomfortable parts of starting a new job. She was also inspired to \u201csay yes\u201d to new life opportunities. In fact, an emerging science shows that improv can benefit many people in terms of fostering greater comfort with new situations, inspiring creativity, lifting your mood, and even easing anxiety and depression. Professor Peter Felsman is a social scientist and improviser himself who has tested this spontaneous style of theater in the lab. Felsman explains how improv might cause these improvements, and others, like lessening social anxiety in children.
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Try Improv On Your Own:
\n\n11 Easy Improv Games for Beginners - https://tinyurl.com/24xrre2y
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Today\u2019s guests:
\n\nDeema Altaher is an engineer who recently moved back to the United States from the United Arab Emirates.
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Peter Felsman is a professor of social work at Northern Michigan University who specializes in the intersection between mindfulness, psychology and the arts.
\n\nLearn more about Peter Felsman\u2019s work: https://tinyurl.com/5h47wsxs
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Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
\n\nSeven Ways to Cope with Uncertainty: https://tinyurl.com/4zh3m36e
\n\nEmbracing Discomfort Can Help You Grow: https://tinyurl.com/5ftvvce3
\n\nThe Power of Performance: https://tinyurl.com/3mc78yzb
\n\nWhat Mel Brooks Can Teach Us about \u201cGroup Flow\u201d: https://tinyurl.com/2rxmrzhn
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More Resources on Improv
\n\nNPR - The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident: https://tinyurl.com/2wvpk53j
\n\nHarvard Gazette - For more than just laughs: https://tinyurl.com/2zzxacpu
\n\nTED - How Improv Comedy Improves Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/5a8vpt67
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What helps you destress and cope with big changes? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
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