The post Covid environment has seen individual well-being take top spot on the mental health agenda.
So says leading mentalist, Larry Soffer, who continues: “Taking care of the human mind as well as the body not only helps maintain good health, but also keeps us happy, makes us feel in control and ensures we have the tools and support to successfully overcome difficulties and achieve what we want out of life.”
Soffer emphasises that the important role the entertainment industry can play in helping improve and support mental health and well-being cannot be overlooked.
“It really is a gamechanger. After all, they do so say that laughter is the best medicine, and you can see why. Entertainment, especially live entertainment, is the ultimate feel-good factor and the perfect way of escaping from our everyday routines. It is also about sharing elements of fun and lightness and emotional connection with a room full of others,” he adds.
Soffer lists five reasons why entertainment is so important to mental health and well-being:
1. We just can’t help ourselves
We can trace entertainment back to the first and second centuries where hand puppets, storytelling, music and dance was very much a part of the social fabric of society. Entertainment has always been a part of who we are as humans. Says Soffer: “This is because we desire fun and laughter in our lives.”
2. We are wired to seek out things that bring us joy
And, being entertained delivers this in truckloads! You only need to look at a young infant to see this – they get so much joy from simply watching a cartoon on TV, playing peek-a-boo with an adult, or even from seeing their own reflection in the mirror. It’s all entertainment for them and it can bring them hours of fun and laughter.
3. We always need a break from reality
We get so consumed by everyday stressors that we long for those small moments or activities that relieve us from that. For some, it helps to spend time in the gym, while others might want to be outside at one with nature. Entertainment is different though as it has the possibility to transport us out of our everyday mundane lives and into a world where we can experience magic and mystery, and where we can believe in the impossible.
4. Entertainment works around you
From comedians, singers and ventriloquists to dancers, musicians, and magicians, pretty much all artists had some form of online offering during the Covid lockdown. Some were conducted in their living rooms, others on balconies or gardens, but all happened because as entertainers, they understood the need to spread joy and positivity during very difficult times.
Soffer adds: “This is the determined spirit of an artist – they simply cannot be stopped and will always find a way to express their craft. I know I absolutely loved entertaining during the lockdown, seeing packed out living rooms full of family and friends all desperate for some respite from the worry and doom.”
5. As human we naturally gravitate to positivity and the desire to be uplifted
How many of us live for the weekend, so that we can plan something fun, different and exciting over our two free days? We do it, because we get so much positive energy from a good experience or from being with good people. If you’re feeling happy and positive, you’re likely to radiate and transfer these happy feelings to someone else – like a domino effect, which is a great way of elevating everyone’s mental health and wellbeing.
Soffer inspires his audiences to believe in the impossible so that they can achieve their dreams. Follow @LarrySoffer or visit his website for more information at www.larrysoffer.com.