🎤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

what makes a good leader?

do our biases make it hard to define?

View this email in your browser Today's summaries save you 28 minutes of news reading! Happy Friday, Below the Fold! As female founders (like this edition's sponsor!), we could not ignore this report from Kantar Public. Their Reykjavik Index for Leadership reminds and warns us that efforts towards gender equality are still crucial. More Women In Power, Less Trust In Them Wed Nov 30 More women are filling leadership roles than in the past but we also seem to be trusting women less in these roles, according to the Reykjavik Index for Leadership. Only 47% of respondents said they were "very comfortable" with a woman as CEO of a major corporation, down from 54% a year earlier. Additionally, men are more likely to be critical of a female leader and the younger generation seems to hold less progressive views than older generations. Experts say a wide variety of factors are at play: The pandemic: Women lost their jobs or left the labor force to pick up childcare responsibilities during the pandemic, which solidified traditional roles. Fear: Economic uncertainty and other crises have stirred a fear that moves us towards our most familiar concepts of safety and security. Social/political conversations: The overturn of Roe v Wade and Trump's misogynistic comments have likely normalized sexism to some degree. Social media: Heavily misogynistic content spread on social media has led to much misinformation about women. Additionally, young men who grew up connected to the online world are feeling emasculated by changing norms and seem to gravitate towards anti-feminism. The "glass cliff": Women are more likely put in top corporate positions only when the risk of failure is particularly high. At the same time, the media tends to blame company failures on female leaders but not males in the same situation. The status quo: Those who benefit from inequality will fight against change but there's also the challenge of trusting something that doesn't fit our idea of normal. The results of the Reykjavik Index worry experts not only because violence against women increases with gender inequality but the economy suffers as well. One 2015 report estimates that we could lose $1T in global growth by 2030 if we stick to current trends. But, if countries rally to close the gap as much as the best performing country in their region, the world could see $12T in growth instead. At a smaller scale, individual companies with greater gender and ethnic diversity are 25% more likely to see greater than average profitability. For now, It's too early to tell if the decline in trust is temporary or permanent, but researchers can assert the issue is not about fixing men or fixing women but rather changing deep-seated norms. BELOW THE FOLD BYTES World Cup and Labor Problems — But Not In Qatar   Qatar has been in the hot seat recently for its human rights abuses, but the World Cup's infrastructure isn't the only source of problems. It turns out that the jerseys sold to fans, which sell between $90 and $150 each, cost under $3 each to produce. And it's only so cheap because the factories are paying workers below what is necessary to live. The workers have tried to unionize in the past but factories have not budged. One factory even brought in soldiers when workers went on strike demanding a daily wage of $3.78. >> Read More Is Eight Cups of Water a Day Actually Correct?   We often hear the advice to stay hydrated with at least eight cups a day. But surely some of us need more than others? Over 90 researchers around the world studied thousands of people to reveal that our direct water drinking needs vary between one and six liters a day because of gender, age, weight, height, diet, location, and even the Human Development Index of our home country. With water sources drying up and population continuing to rise, it's important to understand water needs beyond simplistic rules. >> Read More 🎬 Action of the Week   Learn how we can achieve greater gender parity from the United Nations Population Fund. THIS WEEK'S SOURCES BBC: The Trust Crisis 9 minutes | 2 days ago McKinsey: 10 Facts on Gender Equality 17 minutes | 2 years ago CLASSIFIEDS Being informed is a priority for our readers, but paywalls can be a huge barrier. Sometimes we just need to read that one article from that one publisher, but we can't pay for just that article. We have to purchase a whole subscription. Not anymore! Zette gives you pay-per-article access to premium journalism. For just $9.99 a month, you can unlock 30 articles from behind paywalls with Zette's browser extension. With Zette, you can open, read, and share premium content while still supporting the important journalism from local papers to national outlets! Join the waitlist today and be the among first to download the Zette browser extension.   >> Join the Waitlist Today ASCII-ING ABOUT THE NEWS __ .'".'"'. :._.""._.: : \__/ : './ \.' "" At this point, should we start looking into the balls as well? Art Credit: ASCII Art Archive Share Tweet Forward to Friend Copyright © 2022 Below the Fold, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Below the Fold 2261 Market St # 4135 San Francisco, CA 94114-1612 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.