ADVISORY

If you’re too busy to be annoyed with April Fool’s jokes, you might want to lighten up. That’s according to University of Michigan lecturer and humor educator Lila Green. For interviews with her, contact her by phone (313) 677-1517 or by fax (313) 677- 1594.

Green, author of “Making Sense of Humor” (KIT, Inc.), says that the ability to laugh is essential for overall well-being. “My message,” says Green, “is that people need to take their life and work seriously, but must take themselves lightly.”

One course Green teaches at U-M is for first-year medical students, whose rigorous workload leaves little time for guffaws and giggles; but Green inspires her students to make humor a part of their personal lives and their professions.

Green says everyone has laughter inside of them. Her business, she says, is to help people use humor to combat stress, anxiety, and other negative feelings. “Everybody has a sense of humor,” she says, “but sometimes it just gets hammered down.”