I read an article recently about a study on the effects of stress on students who study and take tests. The study involved students learning new material and partcipating in an exam that tested their knowledge of the new material. Several cenarios were tried: ones where the students were under stress while learning the material, ones where the students were under stress while taking the tests, and variations on these. The results showed that students learn better and do well on tests when they are more relaxed than under stress.
This got me thinking about how humor can be used as a way to achieve better grades:
- For many classes, doing well on an exam means you have to memorize facts well. One memorization device is creating stories with the terms or facts one is trying to remember. For example, if you’re trying to learn what CIA stands you can imagine a large brain walking along central park with a real estate agent. Outrageous? Absolutely, in fact, the more outrageous and crazy and humorous, the more likely you will remember it. For those who have a hard time remembering that George Washington was our first president, one could visualize George Washington at a baseball game waving around a “We’re #1” foam finger. The wilder and funnier the more likely you’ll remember it.
- As a result, your studying will have much more humor involved and when you are recalling these crazy stories during your exam you will definitely be more relaxed and may even experience a few uncontrollable giggles. Being more relaxed when you study and when you take your exam, as the studies show, is much more conducive to learning.
- Keep this humorous attitude as you turn in your exam. If you’re able to smile and laugh about your test, the more relaxed your mind will be for your next exam!
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