🎤Why you should try improv

It can make you funnier -- but it can also make you more confident

View this email online Annelise Capossela for NPR Friends,  When I was in junior high, I used to watch this TV show after school called Whose Line Is It Anyway. Comedians would create skits on the spot, based on suggestions from the audience or the host. I remember thinking how amazing it was that they were able to create such laugh-out-loud scenarios in a matter of seconds and somehow all be on the same page.  I later learned that this style of comedy is called improv -- and the performers are specifically trained on how to work together, remain flexible and be spontaneous onstage.  Improv professionals say these skills can translate offstage, too. In this week’s Life Kit episode, guest host Oluwakemi Aladesuyi explores how people can bring the principles that govern the art of improv into their everyday life. Listen to the episode Clay Drinko, an improv educator, says that performing improv comes with positive mental health effects. A study in 2020 found that doing just 20 minutes of improv a day can increase creativity, decrease social anxiety and increase our ability to tolerate uncertainty. You can reap these benefits too, says Drinko. By being open to new opportunities, embracing mistakes and learning into your identity -- core tenets of improv -- you can cultivate the kind of attitude that makes the performers on Whose Line Is It Anyway so nimble and inventive.  As for me, I’d just love to have the kind of quick-thinking and cleverness that comedian Wayne Brady had when host Drew Carey gave him the theme “things you don’t expect to hear when you put your ear to a seashell.”  In response, Brady put his hand to ear and the shell screamed: “PUT ME DOWN!” Genius.  Learn 5 core rules of improv here Newsletter continues after sponsor message Access Sponsor-Free Episodes Want to support our show? Try a subscription to Life Kit+ and get all the tips and tricks you love sponsor-free! Learn more at plus.npr.org/lifekit.  Learn More More great creative tips from Life Kit Looking for more tips on how to use fun and creativity to benefit your mental health? Here are four more episodes for you.  🎨 Get into an art flow. Whether it's woodworking, sewing or sculpting teeny cupcakes out of bright purple clay, making art is good for your mind and body. The act of creation can reduce stress and anxiety and improve your mood, says Girija Kaimal, a professor at Drexel University and a leading researcher in art therapy.  🏃Start a hobby. According to professor Yoshi Iwasaki, chair of public health and recreation at San Jose State University, when we bring meaning to our leisure time, like we can through hobbies, it helps improve our mental health. Other benefits include strengthening our sense of connection, identity and autonomy.  🎉How to have real fun -- even when life’s got you down. Fun is not frivolous! When we have true fun, we stave off loneliness and we stop judging ourselves, says Catherine Price, author of The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.  📝 4 creative practices that can deepen your spirituality. Julia Cameron, the author of the bestselling book The Artist's Way, has spent her career teaching "creative unblocking." In her new book, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection, Cameron combines the creative practices of The Artist's Way with a new intentional practice – prayer. OK, folks. I hope this newsletter has inspired you to bring a little more imagination and joy into your life. This upcoming week, I hope to practice the improv rule of embracing mistakes. I draw for NPR sometimes, and if I mess up on an illustration, I’m going to take it as a challenge to turn that blunder into something new.  --Malaka Gharib, digital editor, Life Kit Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy