If you prefer learning from home, there are several websites and books on the market today that can guide you in developing healthy humor. The American Association of Therapeutic Humor http://www.aath.org has numerous anecdotes on its website and suggestions regarding the use of humor in everyday life.

Izzy Gesell, a professional speaker, and author of the soon to be published book: Laughing on Purpose: How and Why Humor Works says that: "humor is the mortar that hope is built upon." In his book, he describes several formulas that we can use to develop humor in our lives such as:

The exaggeration formula: The horse was so slow that the jockey kept a diary of the trip.

The reversal formula: My doctor still makes house calls. But you have to go to his house.

The misdirection formula: They laughed when I picked up the violin. They stopped when they realized that I was with the IRS.

For details of these methods and others, visit Izzy's website at http://www.izzyg.com.

What is the best way to develop your sense of humor and comedy style? Forget about being funny and just concentrate on having fun. Dr. Kuhn, a psychiatrist, whose first stand-up gig was at the Funny Farm in Louisville, says that it is much more important to share a laugh with someone than it is to try to be funny. If you're having a good time, then those listening are bound to have fun with you. The most important thing is to "lighten up" on the inside so that you can help lighten up the world on the outside.