Article: Sharing humor with others can be a great way to connect. If you want to bring some humor to social functions, learn a few basic jokes. You can also look for humorous pictures, witty statements, and funny internet memes to share with others. Look for things that go with your style of humor.  For example, try something like this: What do you call a line of rabbits walking backward? A receding hare line.  What did the football coach say to the broken vending machine? Give me my quarterback! People tend to laugh at jokes that deal with their situations, where they live, or their beliefs.  Make a light joke about the weather or the city you live in to break the ice with people. If you are in the same business, make a joke about that profession. When looking for something to say, comment on the weather. For example, "If it doesn't stop snowing, I'm going to have to ski to work." Think about your funny friends. How do they slip humor into the conversation? What kinds of jokes do they make?  Check out stand up comedians or watch videos online. Focus on their delivery, the topics, and how they turn the everyday into something humorous. Observe the people in your life that you consider funny, and determine what it is you like about their humor that you can add to your own. Practice making jokes so you can improve and become more natural. Start by using humor with trusted family and friends. Tell them your goal and ask them to be honest with you. Listen to them if they tell you that your jokes need improvement. As you become more comfortable, expand your comfort zone by inserting humor into conversations with people not as close to you. As you develop your sense of humor, think about the context. Do you get offended easily when people are making jokes? Whether you are telling jokes or laughing at jokes, you want to be careful not to offend anyone or hurt their feelings. Having a sense of humor means you approach life with a good-natured attitude. You don't use others to get a laugh, and you don't laugh when people make fun of others.   If you are telling jokes, think about context. Is this an appropriate joke for work, a date, or the group of people you are with? Will it offend someone? Know the difference between punching up and punching down. Punching up challenges the status quo by poking at a powerful group. Punching down reinforces the status quo by making fun of a vulnerable or oppressed group. Racist, sexist, and crude humor can be extremely offensive. Joking about a person's religion, political belief, and other belief systems may also cross into offensive territory. Save the tasteless, offensive jokes for your head or for those "anything goes" friends. Put-down humor or aggressive humor is used to criticize and manipulate through teasing, sarcasm, and ridicule. This can be funny when directed at public figures, but can be extremely hurtful if used against friends and take a toll on personal relationships.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Learn some jokes. Find the humor in commonalities. Surround yourself with funny people. Practice. Be careful not to offend people.
Article: Dietary supplements can be helpful for treating nutritional deficiencies or relieving certain symptoms, such as pain or inflammation. However, they may not be right for everyone. Before trying any supplement, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits, and ask which supplements might be most helpful for you. Some supplements can interact badly with medications or other supplements. Before starting a supplement, give your doctor a full list of any other prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, or supplements you are currently taking. Let your doctor know about any health conditions you have, since this can also affect which supplements you can use safely. For example, you shouldn’t take certain supplements if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or have certain medical problems, such as liver disease or food allergies.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Ask your doctor’s advice before starting any supplements.
Article: Instead of verbally criticizing your spouse, which is telling them exactly what you don’t like about them, replace it with feedback—sharing how their actions make you feel, whether anxious, embarrassed, uncared for, and so on. When someone knows precisely why their behavior is a problem—and they can relate to it since they probably have the same emotions—you are much more likely to get a civil response.   Make sure you share your feedback with a respectful demeanor, keeping sarcasm and anger out of your voice. You may want to practice forgiveness before each time you share feedback. You should also take a mental step back from the relationship and determine that while your spouse isn’t 100% what you want, they are mostly good, which allows you to accept them unconditionally, in spite of the little things that irritate you. When you sense a critical thought coming to your mind, arrest the thought and redirect it toward acceptance of your spouse as whole. In order to help stop criticizing your spouse, you have to start looking for the good. Develop a positive reinforcement mindset—whenever you think of something negative about them, replace it with something you admire about them, and reward yourself for the effort. Rewards are proven to help us develop new habits and keep them. Reward yourself with something small, like a bit of chocolate, an episode of a show you like, or even a mini-break from a monotonous task. Physical affection is one of the clearest forms of communicating love and care. Studies show that even just a teacher giving a supportive tap on the back can compel students to volunteer twice as often. A massage from someone you love is likely to quell depression and even ease pain. Physical and verbal affection can communicate what your words don’t, helping to save a marriage.  Do simple touches like a pat on the should when they do a good job, a small kiss on the forehead, or touch fingers. Simple compliments communicate affection as well, like telling your wife she made a good dinner or sharing how happy something your husband did made you. Giving your spouse undivided attention is important for communicating value to them. If you or your spouse regularly watches TV while the other talks, or looks around the room or flips through the mail, or engages in any number of distractions while the other talks, then you aren’t really paying attention to them. Instead, focus on the other person’s eyes when they are talking.  Focus on them when you realize they are sharing something with you. Thank them when say supportive or complimentary things, as this shows that you heard them. Show up with a gift of an item they recently mentioned wanting to have. Going along with paying attention is listening well. Active listening means that you wait until the other person is done talking and then give feedback—not necessarily trying to solve the problem.  Share what they are saying by offering a story of an experience you had that was similar. Make eye contact when they talk, or ask them to make eye contact with you when you talk. If you have been married for a long time, chances are that both of you have changed over the years, especially if you have children. Take some time to get to know them again. Ask them questions about their likes and dislikes. If they aren’t sure of what they like anymore, offer to take them somewhere like a restaurant to help them figure it out. Make an effort to provide the things that you discover they like in gifts, at home, or on outings. Be intentional about being kind to each other. This may mean that you take stock of your interactions by recording them and playing them to back listen to how much you bicker. You can do things like making lists of what annoys you about each person and then write down how you usually respond. Determine to respond differently each time the other person does these 10 things.  You can also be kind by serving the other person, such as cooking for them, assisting them with a project, or surprising them with things you know they like. Choose not to be rude, critical, or other negative things. If you change your behavior without informing your spouse, you may find yourself full of expectations of change without the other person knowing why you are disappointed. Tell them your determination to change your marriage, and ask them for what you need as a husband or wife. If you normally ignore your desires in an effort to put others first, try reversing this habit and expressing what you want before others do.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Stop criticizing. Look for the good. Be affectionate. Pay attention to the other person. Listen to your spouse. Recognize things that are new about your spouse. Be kind. Ask for what you need.